Comment Re:Nothern Weather (Score 1) 123
I do think that the straw bale houses are a good Idea, but the cost per square foot is going to be heavily affected by how nice you want your house to be inside and outside. You don't need Central Air, but people want that, you don't need Central Heat, but again people want that. Carpeting, mouldings, cabinents, appliances, etc, can add a lot of cost to a house.
As far as straw and leftover cornstalks being waste, that is and is not true. Quite a few farmers will bale some corn or bean stalks up for stover, which is something that cattle will eat. But they generally don't like to leave nothing on the field, they like to work the stalks or straw back into the field, to help replenish the soil. Wheat straw is also sometimes used for animal bedding.
The straw bales Houses are pretty simple, to make, are fire resistant, and because of the insulation value, should be very economical to heat and cool. Imagine using some of the large square bales which are two to three feed wide, that would be a very insulated house.
As far as straw and leftover cornstalks being waste, that is and is not true. Quite a few farmers will bale some corn or bean stalks up for stover, which is something that cattle will eat. But they generally don't like to leave nothing on the field, they like to work the stalks or straw back into the field, to help replenish the soil. Wheat straw is also sometimes used for animal bedding.
The straw bales Houses are pretty simple, to make, are fire resistant, and because of the insulation value, should be very economical to heat and cool. Imagine using some of the large square bales which are two to three feed wide, that would be a very insulated house.
