Last stone is the dark one - just washed a placed.
A House of Straw
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In 2000, I built a simple, passive solar, load-bearing straw bale house near Tucson, passing 23 inspections, for about $50,000. Most of the savings was on...
- Earthen FloorAugust 19, 2012
- Thermal Mass vs InsulationJuly 29, 2012
- Hi! My husband & I are deciding to build a straw bale house in Reddi...ng Ca...have you heard of it? It is about as hot as Arizona. Anyway I am in the researching phase right now. How long did it take you to build your home? Any key helpful tips for first time builders? See More
Hi Carolyn, I have a question about your lime plaster recipe: when y...ou add ferrous sulfate fertilizer is it only fo the color effect or it has other benefit? Also do you think this recipe will fit to cover a adobe outside wood oven? Can lime plaster stand heat? See More- want one of these!
Stove and frig back in the kitchen and the floor in the whole house is done! Two years of Sunday work.
A House of Straw added 3 photos to the album Repurposing the Old Toilet.
A House of Straw added 10 photos to the album Enclosing the Porch for a Closet.
A House of Straw added 8 photos to the album Earthen Floor becoming Flagstone.
The earthen floor in the bedroom is now flagstone - it is lots of work, but its not sticky, like the earthen floor!
A House of Straw added 3 photos to the album Shade for Passive Solar Sunroom.
Removing the Earthen Floor (23 photos)
Enclosing the porch for a walk-in closet and removing the earthen floor, 2012-2013 and perhaps beyond . . .
People ask me how thick the plasters are. In the renovations I'm doing, I opened up this wall, so you can see a cross-section. The plasters get thick and then thinner, to even out the bales and make a straight wall. They add thermal mass to the interior, so the house holds its temperature.
Enclosing the Porch for a Closet (22 photos)
I am back doing construction now - enclosing a portion of the porch to become a walk-in closet off the bedroom. The 'boys' helped pour the slab floor over Christmas. I am going to flagstone the floor, not do earthen floor.
A House of Straw shared a link.
Cleaning my house - maybe I'll even wash the windows. Alternative Home Tour is next weekend and I'll be open on Saturday, November 10. It's a great chance to see what's going on in alternative housing around Tucson. Hope to see you! Tix are now available for $10 and locations are posted on website: http://solarinstitute.org/innovative_home_tour/index.html
Earthen Floor becoming Flagstone (14 photos)
It took two years, from Oct 2012-Oct 2014 and now the earthen floor has become a flagstone floor.
The one thing I would not do again is the earthen floor, except that it saved me lots of money during construction. After 11 years in the house, I am digging it up and replacing it with flagstone. Here are my thoughts on the earthen floo...
Plumbed to my drip system with a RV water pump. Works beautifully - even runs when dry with no complaints.
