Building with straw bales - Barbara Jones presentation on Eco-build 2011

[@apataye]

She´s a very good speaker. Her english it´s an absolute delight to listen to, and it´s very easy to comprehend (I´m supossed to speak english since the late 90´s, but still I sometimes find it really difficult to understand everything in "real" conversations or in films). GOOD VIDEO.

[@TashJansson]

this was so informative and well-explained, and she's so witty and funny!

[@thomasmurray7550]

Great video. One of the best teachers ever on u-tube

[@colemyst]

Excellent information. Thank you so much. Definitely adding to watch again.

[@bobl9555]

Awesome! I learned much. Thanks for this contribution!

[@topherh5093]

I cant count how many times I've stood atop a stack of photo copy paper and then had 6 of my friends stand atop it too. LOL

[@giggadygoogog]

Fantastic, practical advice. I was thinking I needed a light roof. Now I know I need to make it as heavy as possible. You just saved me from a big mistake!! Please link to her website. I can't find Anazinalls, if that is what her t-shirt said.

[@karolprior2436]

Anon Amazonails

[@loopiestloo75]

very interseting, and very imformative, thanks for uploading

[@MrsMika]

Love the video! Thank you for up loading!

[@thomasmurray4717]

Excellent teacher. Thanks.

[@roydesignedthat]

Thanks! You helped answer many of my questions!!! Best/Roy

[@henneauclaudywilly1687]

Beau Travail !!! et Grand Merci !!!

[@hokacorndancerhawkeyes2019]

Really good and informative!

[@PetHolidayFinder]

Very interesting video, I have been looking at sips panels but now love the idea of straw bales as a natural resource. Something even I can do. If you read this are you attending any events 2016 Devon way

[@dlwatib]

Check your local building codes. Some jurisdictions don't allow straw bales to be load bearing.

[@vant4888]

Wow, very modern technology, just 100-200k years new :)

[@GuildofKnightlyArts]

Not new technology as this was used in eras past but many of those buildings are still standing. A properly built straw bale house will out last and out perform a modern stick frame building in longevity and efficiency.

[@thomasmurray7550]

Start watching at 1:00 min.

[@gsticktonguescraper435]

oh the bloody music

[@ramislimani9927]

ليتها باللغة العربية هذا ابداع

[@randlane9796]

Hey green shirt woman leave ponytail woman alone she's got this.

[@wandamcgann7728]

how funny!!! yep she does!! could not stop laughing at your comment. lol "Hey green shirt woman leave ponytail woman alone she's got this." lol

[@nabilalali5725]

ممتاز

[@telepathicpartnership2642]

Hi Barbara have you thought about enclosing straw house in glass geodesic dome? Regards Michael

[@ExtraordinaryTK]

I wish she gave more details on type of straw but she mention rice straw was very dense which is what i wanted to know but hardly anyone provide solid information for them.

[@kenyaklarity007]

Winter wheat or rice straw is the best she said.

[@ChannelOne-1]

Is there any concern about the bale twine snapping after a few years?

[@abbshurz]

bales are covered w earthen plaster to protect from bugs, fire, and water. also preverves the structural integrity over the years. clay plaster is easy to make and fun to apply.

[@dvesmth]

I am building a free standing structure, and then going back in and building the walls with hay bales. Being they are not load baring walls, is compression still required?

[@johnparker-tn1os]

No it's not necessary but it helps I've been in construction for 30 years as a master Mason

[@vananderson2895]

Make sure to use STRAW, not hay. Hay has all sorts of things for critters to eat, and they will eventually find a way to get in there.

[@marccase3887]

How do you hook up the power outlets and switches you need for things without burning the house down???

[@mathewashley06]

The bales are exterior. Most still frame inside and run the wiring through the framing. Remember, wire is insulated. So you could tie the wire to the bale wall as long as you don't pierce the rubber housing.

[@vananderson2895]

Same way you do in any other wall; you use an electrical box. It's actually better than an uninsulated interior wall, because the straw means there's very little oxygen to allow anything to catch fire.

[@waynehughes603]

Moder bailing twin is biodegradable

[@nickfree46]

barbara that was a great video as a kid growing up on a farm we made dens all the time. i am serious about a 1500sq ft house only 1 floor and would be interested on any thing you can send me as my retirement home. i like earthly products idea. not sure about council planning permission, and not found land yet but i am looking. i love the idea of straw as long as 3 little piggies dont come along. please take this as a serious enquiry. regards nick

[@drewmc70]

+nick freeman , hi Nick, have you seen Barbara's Straw Works website? There's a contact form there too. Best wishes, Drew www.strawworks.co.uk/

[@wildebtw]

I'm fairly certain that hickory sticks are hard to find in Canada. Could a person use Rebar instead?

[@GuildofKnightlyArts]

Yeah. She is using wood sticks to be more eco-oriented but its not necessary.

[@colemyst]

Everything I've read is no to rebar because you don't want any metal touching the bales. It'll conduct cold and moisture through the bales in outside walls. I suppose it's not the same problem in the Southwestern states of the US but I've been looking into straw bale construction for NH and it definitely a no for my area. I watched a Natural Building in Cold & Wet Climates Webinar at kzbin.info/www/bejne/oamkl6eQat6ladE which gave a lot of good information and www.buildnaturally.com/Design.htm was the speakers web site. Good luck building!

[@Apalache]

Hazelwood is what Barbara is using in this demo - and all the authorities on this technique recommend using something like her Hazelwood dowels to bind the bales to one another, top to bottom of the wall. Hazelwood is native to the British Isles, especially from Cornwall to the North of Wales, and is commonly used in what is called "waddle and daub" construction. It will grow in N. America though it's quite difficult to find as it's a rare tree in the Americas. Don't use rebar as it negates the "green" building process by introducing a conductor of heating/cooling radically different from straw of any sort. Strawbale, like cob or waddle and daub or even adobe, is a "breathable" wall material.

[@Apalache]

Dear "Just Think", The use of rebar makes perfect sense if you are willing to abuse the notion of "Green Building". Where does the rebar come from? Really. What cost to the planet is engaged by the whole process of mining, processing, transport, etc.? Rebar would work just fine. Use it. But don't call your process "Green" if you do. "Wildetw" asked if hickory has a "replacement" in the original question. Any straight hard wood that may be harvested with some ease is the best natural choice. But even soft woods that are straight will also do very nicely. In such a case I'd suggest using a few more than if hardwood was chosen. On another note related to insulation: rebar will react with shifts in outside/inside temperature shifts causing a minor degree of condensation to form. Water is THE single most harmful element in the strawbale workflow. To avoid it at all costs is reasonable for the extended life of the building. Hope this helps.

[@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove]

How much load can straw bales handle? She said they don't use anything but the bales, that seems impossible, without a frame of some kind.

[@vananderson2895]

A lot of straw bale construction uses post-and-beam framing to avoid issues of movement, but you have to realize a bale has a cross section of almost 800 sq in. At only 2.5 PSI, you are looking at supporting a ton per bale length in your wall, and from my experience I wouldn't even bat an eye at that for static load. Obviously dynamic loading is another matter, where your sheer and other factors become quite important.

[@vananderson2895]

@Just think I was by no means trying to imply that proper load bearing design and calculation wasn't incredibly involved and involving specialized training far beyond my own experience. Merely that the back of the hand mathematics of basic loading shows a tremendous amount of strength from a bale configuration, confounding the expectation by EMH. The real work by engineers and architects have confirmed that basic calculation and shown the extent to which straw bale architecture can be used to support structures in both static and dynamic environments, and their work should certainly be used for any real application.

[@tudofett]

Will some one pls explain to her that "mil" refers to a unit of measure that is much smaller than a mm ...

[@giggadygoogog]

What? No! Mill is a slang diminutive of millimetre. Why would you pick up on that anyway, especially if you knew she was talking about millimetres!! Crazy fool.

[@koralblue]

What about the foundation? 🙏

[@vananderson2895]

Just a regular foundation, although you obviously can't put bales below grade. Use 4x4 (treated if slab-on-grade) on both the inside and outside of the bale course, with a clean gravel fill between for drainage.

[@roo1945]

How do you keep insects from eating your house ?

[@GuildofKnightlyArts]

It's plastered inside and out. If done well it is impermeable to insects and water.

[@vananderson2895]

There's nothing to eat. It's straw, not hay.

[@safetyfirstintexas]

lime dust each course to add negative environment for the bugs.

[@giggadygoogog]

This ladies website, lots of good information: strawworks.co.uk

[@jak_k]

Looks like a lot of excess work. Although you might have to do this manually sometimes why not just get a farmer to make some short bales. This is the least important part of building with bales.

[@prototype9000]

Can allways split a bale apart yourself

[@wkinne1]

what happens when a heard of goats wanders by? ;-P

[@grzellak]

Then you take out machete and you slaughter them, what else is left to do?

[@wntu4]

A BBQ!

[@aliciamcnamar8203]

the finished walls will have stucco on them so they are safe.

[@dlwatib]

I doubt even goats would want to eat straw. They much prefer weeds. Straw has no nutritional value for man or beast, which is why it's a waste product. Without a render rodents may want to burrow into it to make homes, but even they won't eat the stuff for nutrition.

[@Phillcymru]

@@aliciamcnamar8203 stucco or cob?

[@glaceonletsitgo8704]

like the vid but cant understand you xp

[@larrycavanaugh9371]

Really...you needed over 2 minutes of nothing before you approach the subject matter?

[@conspiracyman948]

if she would spend more time on the topic and less time trying to be funny this video might be worth watching all the way through. Very annoying.