Why Strawbale

Why Strawbale?
.......the first piggy answers

Buildings are designed to temper our environment; to keep us warm in winter and cool in summer; to keep out bugs, insects and other people's pets; to keep out the rain and snow; to shield us from wind and protect us from fire; and to make our homes quiet and safe. We ask our walls to do all of these things, plus more--we want the walls to hold up the roof and protect us from hurricanes and earthquakes.

Plastered straw-bale walls do these things simply and very well. Wood and steel systems often require that several complex components must fit together to do the job that a straw wall does simply and easily. A structural straw-bale wall system--bales with plaster--requires no special detailing to do the job we ask of it. The structure itself tempers our environment.

Of course we all know that straw is a good insulator. In addition, and at no extra cost, a plastered straw-bale wall provides abundant thermal mass. Thermal mass is almost as important as insulation in creating a tempered, energy-efficient environment.

A plastered bale wall provides a good barrier against air and water coming from the both inside and out. At the same time, bales can hold up the roof. Because bale walls are highly fire resistant, this structural system comes with its own fire proofing.

We would expect this kind of performance to come from a high-tech, state-of-the-art product, something manufactured from exotic materials, costly and difficult to obtain. But bales are a waste product--cheap easy to obtain without damaging our environment or wasting resources. When straw-bale is appropriate for a project, it is usually the most efficient system.

We like wood--in fact we love wood. It's a beautiful material. We try to use wood which has been responsibly grown and harvested.

We also like straw-bale walls. They're cozy and quiet. Light comes in beautifully through deep windows. When we build with bales, we try to design the other components of the building to be as environmently sound, efficient and beautiful as the walls.

Skillful Means
P.O. Box 207
Junction City, CA 96048

	Why Strawbale? .......the first piggy answers
	Buildings are designed to temper our environment; to keep us warm in winter and cool in summer; to keep out bugs, insects and other people's pets; to keep out the rain and snow; to shield us from wind and protect us from fire; and to make our homes quiet and safe. We ask our walls to do all of these things, plus more--we want the walls to hold up the roof and protect us from hurricanes and earthquakes. Plastered straw-bale walls do these things simply and very well. Wood and steel systems often require that several complex components must fit together to do the job that a straw wall does simply and easily. A structural straw-bale wall system--bales with plaster--requires no special detailing to do the job we ask of it. The structure itself tempers our environment. Of course we all know that straw is a good insulator. In addition, and at no extra cost, a plastered straw-bale wall provides abundant thermal mass. Thermal mass is almost as important as insulation in creating a tempered, energy-efficient environment. A plastered bale wall provides a good barrier against air and water coming from the both inside and out. At the same time, bales can hold up the roof. Because bale walls are highly fire resistant, this structural system comes with its own fire proofing. We would expect this kind of performance to come from a high-tech, state-of-the-art product, something manufactured from exotic materials, costly and difficult to obtain. But bales are a waste product--cheap easy to obtain without damaging our environment or wasting resources. When straw-bale is appropriate for a project, it is usually the most efficient system. We like wood--in fact we love wood. It's a beautiful material. We try to use wood which has been responsibly grown and harvested. We also like straw-bale walls. They're cozy and quiet. Light comes in beautifully through deep windows. When we build with bales, we try to design the other components of the building to be as environmently sound, efficient and beautiful as the walls.
	Skillful Means P.O. Box 207 Junction City, CA 96048