Straw bale building is fun!

3 monthly update!!

Crikey, doesn't time fly when you're having fun!! Well, the last 3 months has seen my Nuffield report finally completed (can be downloaded from the "research" page of www.homegrownhome.co.uk ). I really enjoyed meeting balers abroad and on reflection I even enjoyed researching and writing up - it does make you think about stuff!

Sam has completed the bird hide for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It really is a unique building, with its wonderful reciprocal frame and green roof

 
And the straw bale screen on the same site (North Cave Wetlands) is great too - love the round viewing windows. Hope the young twitchers do too!

 
On my travels to the States, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew and Gabriella Morrison. They asked me to give a mention about their forthcoming workshop in Portugal, which I am more than happy to do

In August (1-7), Andrew Morrison is leading a 7 day straw bale workshop in Paul, Portugal. His workshops are totally hands-on and you will be baling, wiring, plumbing, and plastering on a real building. Andrew tells me that “the pace is relaxed and fun yet amazingly productive and efficient”.

The hosts will use the barn we will for their two principal agricultural crops: Shiitake Mushrooms and Honey/Beeswax production. The workshop will take place in the beautiful mountain region of Serra da Estrela and will be taught in English.

Each workshop includes 3 full meals per day, Andrew’s Straw Bale How-To DVD, camping accommodations, bathing facilities, and everyone is encouraged to stay on site. The total Tuition Cost is $800. Your spot in the workshop is secured with a $200 deposit (remaining tuition due 4 weeks before start date). We hope you’ll come and join us for a week of serious fun and learning you won’t forget! For more information contact Andrew’s wife Gabriella on [email protected]  or to sign up: http://www.strawbaleworkshops.com/2011-workshops/portugal/

Some testimonials from Andrew’s previous workshops:
“This was a life changing experience” -Dana P, Tennessee
“Andrew is an outstanding facilitator” -Julie S, Saskatchewan
“One of the best weeks I’ve ever had” -Federico F, Buenos Aires
“Workshop paid for itself the 1st day” -Clint P, Manitoba

Cabin refreshed

 
The Straw Bale Cabin has been a popular holiday hide away for 4 years now! In half term we gave it a coat of Earthborn clay paint (Vanilla) and I found some bright checked curtains in The Salvation Army shop to use as a base for some new curtains in the Cabin. Also a very good quality second hand sofa bed replaces the old, sad looking blue one and Sam has made some new French doors - which fit perfectly!

Just the outside to paint and limewash when the weather picks up - spring is definately in the air :-)

Talking straw

Had to get up early this morning to go to the Radio Humberside studio in Queen's Gardens, Hull to promote a lecture that I am giving in Hull next Thursday evening at 7pm. The free lecture is the last in a series "How can architecture respond to our current needs?" to be held at ARC on Blanket Row. There is a lot to cover in a title like that! I'll try to make it as interesting as possible with lots of photos (straw buildings and others) and lots of links for further information. Should be a good night.

We had an article in the Daily Mail yesterday too - straw bale seems to be flavour of the month!

 
Sam finished Ben's bungalow (above) before Christmas and Tim Sellers building is very nearly complete - just a few finishing touches in the next day or two. The foundations for the bird observation point at North Cave were supposed to be laid this week but there was so much rain last weekend that the digger was sinking out of site! There hasn't been any less rain this week but hopefully the weather will pick up soon.

The straw bale holiday cottages are both busy in February. Both have new doors made by Sam. I am working on new curtains and art (recycled of course!). I am researching barbeques and outdoor cooking so that both can have something new to offer this year.

Straw bale cottage

 

Bookings in the Straw Bale Cottage (above) and the Straw Bale Cabin have been well up during the summer. This is the Cabin’s fourth and best summer. I’d hoped to re paint and lime wash the exterior over the summer but there hasn’t been a gap between bookings – and still isn’t!!

Sam has been busy building too. Ben’s load bearing straw bale bungalow near Driffield is nearing completion. It’s been a good summer for straw bale building and the bungalow is looking really great.The interior now has most of its final coat of clay plaster on. It just needs to dry before the Earthborn clay paint, electrics final fix and plumbing can be done.

A straw bale building for organic farmers Tim and Caroline Sellers at Foston on the Wolds (see www.sideoven.com) is also well underway. The exterior lime render is complete and the first coat of clay has been applied to the inside. Spelt straw grown on the farm has been used for this building – definitely the first spelt straw bale building in the UK and very few worldwide I suspect. This is our first timber frame building. It’s good to have the roof firmly in place, keeping all our hard work dry but it is tricky fitting straw bales into a predefined space.

In mid August, I spent a few days with Rachel and Andrew Loader near Newmarket. They are building a timber framed straw bale house which can be seen at www.designedtobreathe.com . As well as super-insulated straw bale walls, this house has a limecrete floor without a damp proof membrane.

I'll post photos of all these projects soon (ish......given my recent posting history!!)

Europe

 

At the end of June, Kate, Martha and I set off on a European straw bale tour – the last part of my Nuffield scholarship. By train, bus and tram we travelled through Switzerland, Northern Italy, Austria, Slovakia with a touristy stop in Bratislava, Germany on the way back mid July. Kate is writing a journal for www.greentraveller.co.uk about the trip. I have written a two thousand word summary about the findings from my study but my full report and presentation are struggling to get going at the moment. The full report will be available on www.homegrownhome.co.uk by the end of the year and the summary is available now on request.

The above photo is of a house Werner Schmidt and his team designed and built with large straw bales in the Swiss Alps. It is 10 years old but looks like brand new. Amazing views looking out of and at this great house!

Filling in time on trains, buses and in hotel rooms I’ve been reading the following titles by US authors. I’d recommend them all;

 The Omnivore’s Dilema by Michael Pollan ISBN 9780747586838

The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken ISBN 0-88730-704-3

Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken ISBN 978-0-14-311365-2

 My favourite though, is the one I’m half way through – a UK book hot off the press - Meat A Benign Extravagance by Simon Fairlie ISBN 978 1 85623 055 1. Fascinating analysis of agriculture and land use. http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=simon+fairlie

 

Been busy!

Can't believe it's two months since I last posted! In that time Ben's straw bale bungalow (above) has had its roof tiled, the outside fully lime rendered and the first coat of clay applied inside. It's looking great. Lots of new ideas we have developed since finishing our own, have worked very well. Sam has also started preparations for his second straw bale building of the summer.

After a relatively quiet May and June at the straw bale holiday cottages, bookings for July and August are at a record high. Spent a few hours on Sunday mulching the new hedge and fruit trees in the cottage grounds. It was so cold in ealry May and now it's so hot and dry, some of the plants are in need of a bit of TLC. 

 

Weekend course

Well the sun did shine this weekend - two glorious spring days to run straw bale courses. We had 11 learning to build with straw on Saturday and 9 learning how to lime render on Sunday. The photo is the little playhouse we built on the last course, now with it's second coat of lime.

Awards and TV!

This amazing trophy was presented to me at the Real Yorkshire Tourism Awards last Thursday evening. The award was called Yorkshire Passion - in recognition of all the hard work we have put in with our unique straw bale cabin and cottage. It was presented by our famous local playwright, John Godber at the ceremony in Cottingham. The trophies were designed by students at Hull University. Each one is different but they all have the colourful fields of the East Riding and the Humber Bridge! You can read more about the award and the trophy at www.vhey.co.uk. 

Earlier the same day, I went into Beverley to record an interview about straw bale building at Humber TV. I've just looked on the website - www.humber.tv but it won't play on my laptop - perhaps when it is archived in a day or two?

There is more good news. Bookings for April are the best ever, Sam has started work on a straw bale bungalow for Ben and his family, near Driffield and we have received funding to develop our plastering process. Just need some sunshine!

Back home

In 3 and a half weeks travelling I crammed in 9 flights, a few thousand miles in a hire car, 12 beds, 16 straw bale buildings, a natural building conference, 2 sustainable agriculture conferences, 3 universities and one day off at Niagra Falls! It was the most amazing experience and thank you to all the wonderful people I met along the way. Now to put all that information to the best use....................

This is a picture of a very special straw bale home I went to see on my way back to the airport on the last day. Martins house is nearing completion - an inspiring design that has 2 flat sides and 2 curved sides. In the core of the building sits a charming wood burning stove with a thermally massive earthen chimney breast. The house is built in a forest and the tree theme is brought inside with beautiful, stripped tree trunks featuring throughout.

Oregon and Nebraska

I am so lucky to be meeting so many inspirational people in the natural building world. Last Tuesday I had a couple of hours in the company of Andrew Morrison, a straw bale builder with years of commercial experience who now takes workshops around the world. www.strawbale.com On Wednesday I met with Eden Brukman from the International Living Building Institute www.ilbi.org which is committed to a truly sustainable built environment. Their program goes beyond materials. It envisions a future that is "socially just, culturally rich and ecologically benign".

In snowy Nebraska I have been attending a conference organised by the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society. There have been several excellent speakers at this event so I will write a separate report for the website to share all that I have heard here.

My guide here in Lincoln, is the wonderful Joyce Coppinger, editor of The Last Straw www.thelaststraw.org She has had a booth at the conference to promote straw bale building and we have been out this afternoon to see the straw bale Audubon Centre at Spring Creek Prairie www.sprincreekprairie.org and a straw bale classroom at a Montessori school. This is Joyce and I at the conference