Q. Are you crazy? Why strawbale?

A. Well, for the following reasons:

• Do it myself
• I like the fact that it's natural
• It's well insulated
• Long-lasting
• More Fireproof than stick-built
• Won't have termite problems\
• I like the look
• Environmentally friendly
• It's cool. :)

History of Strawbale:
The first straw bale buildings were constructed in the treeless Sandhills of Nebraska, nearly 100 years ago. They were built out of necessity; straw was readily available and the buildings went up fairly quickly. The people who lived in the straw bale homes found them to be quiet, well insulated, and durable. Some of these homes are still standing today.

The technique was rediscovered via some grainy photos in history of "alternate book Shelter. This technique is being adopted across the globe. If you speak German (or if you don't), you can see this gallery of homes in Europe via an Sustrian site.

Straw Bale Construction

• Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw-bale_construction
• The Last Straw
• Another guys tale of straw bale building

Moisture Barriers
Moisture is death to strawbale construction. Leaks happen and you really need to make sure there is a way for moisture to escape. This is a great idea from pasostrawbale.blogspot.com: