#strawbalehouse

[@ourselfreliantlife]

Very cool! Yeah, you have to drive those stakes in deep. Any good vampire hunter will tell you that.😜

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Oh Buffy, so glad you found out KZbin channel 🤣

[@TinyShinyHome]

Very cool guys! So exciting.

[@kmw4359]

15:26 cool to watch the invisible results of tamping it into place... it’s like there’s a sideways earthquake going through. On getting lucky hitting the vampire stake ... my 76 y/o dad has a phrase he uses for situations like that which I love: “sometimes even the blind squirrel finds a nut.” 😃

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

I know that phrase well. And sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.😉

[@canuckyank82]

Cool tricks for straightening bales. Those rollers were an interesting education as well. Thanks!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Flattening two sides at the same time. That place was a well oiled machine.

[@barrylitchfield8357]

Great job, and great video. Easy to follow, and good information. Thanks for sharing!

[@danielfisch655]

Great job, looking forward to the next video and thank you for sharing.

[@gudulabialek6027]

Intelligent making! I am happy to find you in KZbin... I wish you the best!

[@ericwilson8848]

Thanks for that vampire stake advice.i was always wondering about the window buck.

[@jonathanwayne8934]

Loved that tamping; very satisfying video!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks. Getting those bales in line was the cause of more than a few sleepless hours in the middle of the night. Not that I sleep much anyway. Nice when an idea actually works out as planned.

[@CrankyBubushka]

Very awesome! Such nice sunny weather and beautiful place.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

We are very lucky to enjoy so much sunshine and blue skies.

[@CarlJones14]

The walls tidied up nicely.👍

[@TerraFirmaX]

Awesome guys, looking good. It was fun watching todays video

[@rednexican5084]

Still awesome. Keep up the great work, and thank you for the motivation

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks much!

[@buildingroots5873]

THANK YOU! Looking good, Love your detailed explanations! again thank you so much for the shout out, we will pay it back to you somehow :)

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

We too received such help when first starting out. We're happy to pay it forward, you guys deserve it. 👍

[@christineduentzsch9145]

Ist ja wieder super, wie Ihr das macht 👍👍👍

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Danke Dir! Es wird langsam aber sicher ein Haus👍

[@jennetichi9551]

I saw building roots comment on your last video and I watched all their videos! thanks for sharing them!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for checking them out and thanks for supporting our channel as well 🙏👍

[@jamesfreddys]

Looking great Bill and Yvonne.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks!

[@jamesfreddys]

The clear story is going to be great and watching the trusses coming together was cool. Those straw bales that blew out of form came back nicely and now that everything is strapped together the house looks solid.

[@bondpaz]

Very exciting!!! We just discovered Building Roots. Cute little family. Their house is giant. 😃❤️

[@danstirm4333]

Thank you for sharing Bill. If not I would be watching some rerun on T.V. we had a ice storm here so stuck inside today.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Gotta laugh. Just watched a rerun of "Community" 🤣 Have a great New Year... Gotta be better than this one.

[@MJ-ge6jz]

Coming along nicely...

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for watching!

[@maryg3143]

So exciting to see your progress! Looking forward to more.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for watching and the next video is in the editing phase right now! 👍

[@RSjoyful]

I just love your videos!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thank you 🙏

[@juniperevergreen8320]

Looks great!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thank you!

[@faheemmajeed6848]

Belated "Christmas Greetings to You and Mrs. Bill Yvonne". The house is coming gradually into shape, shape of reality. Thanks for introducing Building Roots. Have a fabulous time.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks and have a great New Year! 👍

[@ericwilson8848]

Thanks I'm16 miles from Nd .wished I could go see them n person.everyone else is hundreds of miles away.

[@ericwilson8848]

Too bad we are in such a lock down.usef to b so nice to go to states.took it for granted

[@SamsLiberty]

Good work sir!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks Sam!

[@michaelbabcock8357]

Another great video Yvonne & Bill. I recently stumbled on to Building Roots channel. Looking forward to seeing the trusses being installed.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks Michael. Weather permitting, trusses should start today. Been crazy windy the last 2 days.

[@ServiceTrek]

a clerestory too? didn't know it was in the plan; nice bonus.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Yes, gotta create the pitch for the roof trusses and Yvonne has asked for some additional windows up high for winter time light. Seemed like a good solution. Thanks as always for watching!

[@michelewalters9421]

I had to look up what a clerestory is. Another bit of knowledge

[@ServiceTrek]

@@theupsideofdownsizing looks like a win-win-win situation; all angles satisfied :) ... considering the same on my design.

[@oogie-boogie]

great vid

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for watching!

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

She is coming along very nicely! You know I will be waiting for the next step. This has been one exciting project to follow along. Never seen it done before so learning a lot from you two. Stay safe and have a Happy New Year!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks CB. We wish you and Renee a happy healthy and safe 2021!

[@jean-michellandry4876]

Wow i love the intro !! i dont know if it s new but i like it

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks! The typography and music is the same for the past couple of months, but the images are new for each video.

[@MidlifePrices]

Hey, guys. Just revisiting these as we are coming up on the same steps. So, did you only compress the bales about 1 to 1-1/2"? I would have thought that they could be squeezed a lot more than that? Also wondered about the vampire stakes during compression, so thanks for discussing that! Of course it all looks great, but you know me… Gotta dissect everything! 😃

[@dezfan]

It’s amazing just how fast this progresses. I know there’s a ton on work going on off camera, but you can really see the progression. Once the walls are plastered, what is the fire resistance of the straw bales? Do you treat them with anything? This process is fascinating.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Because of the lack of oxygen, the bales are almost fireproof. They'll smolder, but that's about it. In fact, there are straw bale homes that have survived wild fires where neighboring properties with traditional stick framing did not.

[@dezfan]

@@theupsideofdownsizing that’s incredible!👍🏼

[@sweetdiverdude]

Great progress!!! Love the videos.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks so much! 👍

[@BrainStormAcres]

That’s looking really good guys! The trip to see your trusses being built was great. It’s always fun to see those production techniques. We also had our trusses built and delivered. We’re both able to design and build good trusses, but this just saves so much time and effort for the cost that it makes perfect sense. We’ll be watching for them to go up. Take care and stay safe.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

These guys designed and produced the trusses faster and better than I ever could. Somethings are better left outsourced IMO. Thanks for watching. Should be interesting getting those things up on the walls. 👍

[@BrainStormAcres]

@@theupsideofdownsizing we had 26' tail to tail roof trusses made for our 4/12 roof. Those went up pretty easy. put the tails on the two walls and then swung them upright into place. Don't think yours will be that easy - we'll watch to see how you do it!

[@affordabledesertliving3487]

Great video once more Bill. I was surprised that the straw bale walls needed that much fine tuning. It's obviously not because of the work you and Yvonne have done as I know from watching your videos how meticulous you are when you build. Bill can you kindly remind me what you have chosen for the exterior? Some sort of cob or stucco or? Thanks.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for watching and to answer your question,c we will be using an earthen plaster consisting of soil sand and clay with straw added for tensile strength. We will do two coats. The second coat will be fortified with about 5% Portland cement which we have found adds considerably to the weather resistant properties of the mix. Finally, we do use a breathable masonry sealant which is sprayed in using a garden type pump sprayer. This causes water to bread up in the surface like a freshly waxed car and prevents "dusting". Dusting is when you rub up against the wall and start appears on your clothes. Sorry for the long winded response.

[@secollier8750]

I'm generally seeing that people build box beams with 2x4s or 2x6s stood up on edge, sandwiched between osb/plywood on top and bottom. Your method looks like it'd save a lot on lumber (big deal right now!) but I worry about 1. the planks having more flex on their sides like what happened with this box beam and 2. thermal bridging happening since there's no insulation between planks. I'd love to know if/why you're not concerned about those things. Thanks! p.s. I'm getting the same tool and straps/buckles as you after watching these! Hello from Tucson!

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Thanks for watching and your comments. I'll refer you to an excellent book which I have been using as a guide for my decision making throughout the build. It's called, Build it with Bales Version Two by Matts Myhrman and S.O. MacDonald. They have a great section discussing the various styles and designs of box beams. I think you would find a lot a great information in this book for your build too!

[@KadinGoldbergArtStudio]

Hey thanks for the videos! I’m just in the initial stages of planning but I’m a little confused about something. Hope you don’t mind me asking. What I’m wondering is how do you know how much the bales will compress so that your door and window frames will line up with the top of the straw wall once they are strapped down? Do you just leave a few inches above your door and window frames and then cinch the box beam down to that level?

[@steveramirez1654]

👍

[@OW...]

Its getting awesome folks...roof on soon ??

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Couple weeks and we should have a roof! Looking forward to it for sure. 👍

[@OW...]

@@theupsideofdownsizing ..nice..

[@adoland5102]

Bill, it's looking really good! I wanted to ask what model track saw you're using and would you buy it again? Thanks, Al

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Hi Al. I am using a Kreg Accucut XL. I chose this model for a couple of reasons but the first being price. The XL version costs about $150 and does NOT include the saw bit rather a sled that is mounted to a circular saw. It does not have a typical plunge action. It performs very well and does everything I need. I did buy the optional clamps for an additional $14 which secure the track to the sheet goods. Not always necessary but does assure that the track stays put. I keep the sled permanently mounted to a Bosch 7-1/4" circular saw. I would definitely buy it again. What I wish it could do but can't is to allow a bevel to be cut. Since I do not own a table saw, this feature would be a great asset. Thanks for watching and your question.

[@TheBaconWizard]

I am struggling to understand where the load-bearing structure comes from... I don't see any timber uprights. Surely the weight of the roof isn't on the staw-bale walls?

[@davidsosna5913]

Sorry, Bill, what did I miss? At Southwest Truss, they "tacked" the mending plates on and then they went through the rollers. So were any more easterners put in?

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

That's all as far as the construction oof the trusses is concerned. Of course Timberlok structural screws were used in addition to hurricane ties to anchor the trusses to the box beam.

[@michelewalters9421]

Building Roots follower 196. Ok question time. What happens i 1 year, 2, 5, 10 years down the road when the bales compact and settle? Do the bales decompose? Thank you Michele

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

I'm glad you checked out their channel. Once the bales are plastered, and air is no longer reached, the bales will not decompose. There are straw bales homes 150+ years old with bales still structurly sound. Thanks for watching and your questions!

[@michelewalters9421]

@@theupsideofdownsizing thank you Bill and Ivonne (Yvonne?). I watch every episode but I some how have missed dimensions? 1 story? How many rooms? Will you be having to upgrade your solar? Will you be keeping your trailer as a B&B in the desert? This is just so interesting to watch your build. Ok so 19 days to get the walls up. Do you have a timeline for the whole build?

[@Young937phoenix]

Now I wanna build a 20x25 shop with a 12ft door and ceiling be 16ft high in so I can put a car lift in. I live in Ohio. Can I build one and leave the bales in the elements while I'm putting the walls up or does it need to be covered when I'm not working on it. I know Arizona is pretty dry.

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Even here in AZ, it's a good idea to have exposed bales tarped to prevent them from getting rained on ( or snowed on as the case my be) .

[@peterpenner5415]

Hey the best way would be to stucco your walls with a stucco machine You could spray it on If I could have a green card I could do it for you

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

How about I let you borrow Yvonnes Greencard until the work is done 😉 I've seen those stucco machines/guns and they're fast! Only problem is, you need a monster sized compressor to run one. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@AhkemG]

How many square metres is this house? (10m x 8m = 80m2?)

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

84 sq meters (7x12)

[@AhkemG]

@@theupsideofdownsizing if possible, could you share the house plan, we are planing to build ilke this house in our hometown in Turkey (approximately same square m2 /90-100s2)

[@dennischroninger1911]

What part of AZ do you live in?

[@theupsideofdownsizing]

Cochise County

[@rongray4118]

I did not just see the delivery driver deliver your trusses in that manner...I know I didn't...what a jerk.