Intro to Light Straw Clay Construction

Homestead design packages, hourly guidance, courses, and free resources at www.buildingyourhomestead.com

[@nickb4646]

Nice Takota. All my interior walls are LCS. Exterior are straw bale and the structure is timber frame. All plastered with natural materials. Take care.

[@sandro5019]

I have a friend who built 4 or 5 structures like this. At the beginning they used concrete mixer to mix it, but mixture was too dense like a cob so they ended with just soaking straw into dense clay suspension into a big trough. All family members were involved in packing, including grandma:) Now he has been living in that house for about 10 years and nothing rot or damaged

[@vicez_]

This has no relevance in my life but I watch from start to finish because I find it fascinating and I enjoy listening to you share your knowledge and experience.

[@therealbokla]

His shirt comes off at 13:00. Your welcome.

[@TakotaCoen]

Can’t wait to see the video analytics show the re-watch spike ;)

[@jameshunt2905]

Hey Takota.... great conversation on this style of natural building. I’d share some experiences in different locations and why these additional considerations would also apply. In this case the clay coming from local sources would likely have some “biology” that might not benefit long term structures. Two considerations that come to mind are adding lime to the slip mix, which would have additional benefit both in binding and in drying and then the thought of heating/fermenting (cover and heat up) the mix prior to building use. The heat would drive out or decrease any active loads (burrowing ,termites etc.) and would also stablize moisture content through the process.

[@tomkelly8827]

Your enthusiasm is infectious! I love it! This is a time tested building method in Europe. Timbers for framing, then straw clay then a lime plaster. They are everywhere in the old world. I love your enthusiasm and I think you are right about mixing it faster too. I framed my house and used cheap 3" used styrofoam that I bought from a flat roofing company. Insulation is great but expensive

[@jamessullivan6985]

I love this guy!!! So many different approaches to the way you farm..... Keep up the great work!

[@georgemamouzellos4647]

Regarding mixing machinery, if I may suggest, perhaps search youtube for the word 'trommel'. It is common for people of average skill to make them using two or three used drums, and to turn them using cheap pulleys and belts. Such a device would be sufficient to coat your straw with clay mixture.

[@haukbayer4510]

Great job and good idea on mixing the mixing of the straw clay. You mention to have some air space between the clay wall and the lining inside why that. I would just plaster the inside with clay plaster as a finish. Then the clay can do the moisture control within the wall.

[@tomkelly8827]

That is for wood, so it can dry out but clay plaster can be directly applied

[@alexanderockenden2564]

Or lime.

[@jeremyferris7573]

Hey! what about using your bale buster on your New Holland feed mill for the initial bust, then use a bottom discharge ribbon blender skid-steer attachment - or they may make tractor PTO versions. I think the mixers are primarily used for concrete, so might not work with the longer fibers of the straw, the discharge tube on the one my friend has is small-ish at 6 or 8 inches or so. if your clay was processed, you might even be able to mix it with your feed mill dry, then add water later.

[@jeffhurley756]

Really like your videos and I hope you will continue making them. You are a smart dude and have lots of great ideas.

[@TinaThevarge]

Interesting technique. Ty for sharing.

[@akLeanne]

I just found your channel. You are full of so much good information. You should really post more videos on your garden, farming andwhat you're doing now.. I've learned a lot just watching a few of your videos from 3 years ago

[@WoodchuckNorris.8o]

Sounds like the system is ideal for traditional lath and lime plaster. Lime plaster breathes, lath eliminates slip form and lets air flow during drying, and no need for lateral bracing.

[@felixwinkelaar6759]

Very interesting way of collecting extra fertility from nature. I've wondered about doing the same with barn swallows, which just love nesting in farm sheds/barns, although the manure produced per bird is likely less than pigeons. Great videos!

[@michaelboom7704]

Not something I would do since I live in the city but really enjoyed hearing your talk!

[@davidhick4303]

Yes! Interesting serendipity; I was literally just wondering last night why you haven’t spoke more about the build of your parents straw bale house!

[@nicholasmacinnis1486]

Great video Takota.. Very interesting. Didn't know you were a carpenter as well.

[@fromtonghua5018]

We are building a clay straw house as well in Alfred Ontario and will have a masonry heater. Just need a dog like yours

[@KenziBabenzi]

Wow. This is so smart i am so glad you shared this. Thank you it seems to have a similar quality to cob. I dont understand the 11 inch ladder that you described but maybe ill find more info on that..thank you

[@BenTheThird]

Very cool

[@richardburgess399]

Love this, if it wasn't a shed in the backyard, I would have used hemp and lime.

[@KusiuStunt]

thank you for this vid, it's best on this topic I watched so far, definitely i am going to make it your way, how about the roof tho ? i was thinking to attach thin plywood sheets from under side and pack it from above, what do you think about it ?

[@belieftransformation]

Wow, great build & alternative to commercial insulation. Do you think it would work in a large greenhouse on the north side? The greenhouse is in central Alberta, that my daughter & her partner bought last spring & want to insulate some walls for cold seasons. The walls are currently poly. Thanks for sharing! I have the permaculture book you co-wrote.

[@17Dusk]

From working at a feedlot, I would say a horizontal mixer would work best, but you might need to break apart the bales a little manually first.

[@TakotaCoen]

Awesome thanks for the feedback!

[@MsCaterific]

💜

[@astralafond8299]

Great video! Are there any almost maintenance free natural building techniques? I love the look of strawbale, LSC, cordwood and cob but I don’t want to have to fix cracked walls/floors for the rest of my life. My husband and I aren’t getting any younger and 20yrs from now we’re not going to have it in us anymore. I’m planning a single level, zero thresholds, 800 sq ft, passive solar, earthship hybrid. Is there a breathable long lasting plaster for interior and what is the longest lasting exterior plaster?

[@IlContainerdelMicio]

You are a genius man I see some unifeed in smole size that are perfect for this work or meaby i ask my father if it make me try Thaks somuch for the video !

[@niallwildwoode7373]

Another idea to try which I've done successfully, is to replace the straw with shredded paper. Believe me, it works. Don't shred the stuff yourself or you'll go insane. There's plenty of companies that do document shredding service, who'll give you the paper shreddings for free. Ask for straight shredded and not cross shredded. Cross shredded is tiny pieces, which are better bulk soaked for a couple of months to break down the binders, then blended into clay for plastering.

[@25Soupy]

We'll find out soon enough how well the light straw clay will work as insulation. We're just months away and there's not too many places colder than an Albertian winter!

[@TakotaCoen]

Awesome would love to know how your house turns out!

[@aliceunicorne2536]

klassz 👍

[@northernpermaculture1069]

I curious what the R value would be ?

[@Superstephen1977]

curious what the r value is as per 3/HALF inch ..I like this system.. I've done lots of( parging ) skim coats with cement so you could easily cover that with a wet coat on the exterior or interior would look like stucco/ drywall if I was to look at this from a production standpoint..I would make a set of pre fabricated forms .. basically - 2 - 4 sheet of plywood and on a ground surface you frame out your wall spaces , make ( batts ) 20 inch x4 feet 16 inch x4 feet ..that way you make as many as you can per day .. a few days later remove them from the form , and stack them with gunnage.. cover with a tarp .. alternatively you could build the walls with sheeting, then pack them while flat let them set and stand them after ?? obviously you would have small areas to fill in with your slip form .. (hey for mixing purposes what about a snow blower ? bobcat ) bcs type machine..I can't think of anything that would mix large quantities other than making a large tumbling drum (try a 50 gallon drum..with a altenator like a massive dryer ..can't you convert a hay bailer to make thinner bails ..lol good luck that's some cool ideas either way .. I've always loved cord wood construction..this is the mix I would put between the logs ..I like it because you could make 6 inch wall-24 inch just stacking piles of fire wood

[@larrywilliams9139]

I wonder if you could run this through a square baler. Giant Bricks!

[@TakotaCoen]

That’s actually a brilliant idea! You could use a TMR to mix and lay it out in swaths then bale it!

[@TakotaCoen]

They would be 100lbs though

[@larrywilliams9139]

@@TakotaCoen Yeah hemp twine can break if you get too aggressive handling a heavy bale. Not to mention lower back. honestly a two man or front end job. Benefits would be faster cure spread under a barn or just set on posts or boards and tarped with some black stovepipe as a vent. You could get insane R-value with a haygloo or cross stacked walls with some load bearing ability. Really though you would probably want smaller blocks for most uses.

[@tonisee2]

Actually, some people use wood chips/shaves instead of straw and when that mix can be formed as large blocks I would be surprised if light straw clay can't be used like this. However, using all that mass directly in the wall, air gaps are easier to avoid.

[@happyhobbit8450]

I've been extremely interested in earthbag building so I watch MyLittleHomestead and they've rigged their Skidster to feed the dirt ... have a look Thank you for the video :)

[@MartinaSchoppe]

hi from Europe. Have you found the version of this methode where cow manure is used insted or mixed with the clay? 🙂

[@TakotaCoen]

I have heard about it, but never tried. I’ve also heard blood being added too. Both act like a glue to help bind everything

[@iteerrex8166]

Hey Takota, I’m at a similar stage as you are. I’ve also been researching natural building techniques. Was there another method you were considering?

[@TakotaCoen]

For our context I would say either this or straw bale SIP

[@iteerrex8166]

@@TakotaCoen Rammed earth has potential as well. Btw do you know of a method and/or none toxic product to waterproof the outside of a basement or a burmed wall? I don’t wana use some crazy product that would toxify the grounds. Thanks.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@TakotaCoen Thought maybe you had the same question, and possibly have found a good solution.

[@charleswalters5284]

​@@iteerrex8166lots of gravel and drainage tubes; keep the water away from it!

[@vesc1389]

Looks great, do you have guesstimate on R value per inch? Just wondering what the expectation is for a foot thick wall. Per inch would be nice know, just in case you wanted 6, 9 or more 12 inch. Thanks Takota! Happy thanksgiving.😊

[@TakotaCoen]

It’s about 1.5 per inch

[@Superstephen1977]

​@@TakotaCoen 1.5 per inch is close to wood ? can't remember atm

[@tonisee2]

@@TakotaCoen Hm, that sounds like a bit low, isn't it? For 12" wall, it would be R~18. At least for energy efficient living house. I watched your colleague/friend Rob Avis couple of days ago, about 8 common mistakes in home design, he mentioned that for Canada R~50-60 would be appropriate. Ca 20 years ago I wanted to build for myself a house of light wood shavings clay and asked for advice from a group in our university who were actively investigating about possibilities and challenges of building such houses. Their advice was: for good residential building, consider at least 50 cm/20" walls. Electricity, gas, and firewood was "dirt cheap" back then.. ;-)

[@milkyway5701]

What is R-value of such walls ?

[@MadRat70]

Styrofoam beads would increase the efficiency and it readily bonds to clay.

[@joanlaufnick9135]

Waddle and daub type of construction.

[@andiestewart4708]

I live in an early 1900’s house hear in Alberta and have been trying to determine if it is actually a Cob house, but it looks more like this…hard to tell This house is built with actual logs though…not good for trying to re-wiring anything 😂 We call it the tree house😜

[@dimabrinza]

Than chicken is on repeat! )))