Formany years, I've been a student of natural solar architecture and havewanted to apply what I've learned to my own passive solar design. Theold pioneer home in Mt Pleasant that we've restored & lived in forthe past 15 years bore numerous imprints of our labor and personality,but it still wasn't the energy efficient, independant design I longedto build. The adoption of Herby & Evens to our family in 2003,brought with it the possibility that we might be required to move. Bythe time their good health indicated we might stay in Sanpete County,we'd already emotionally prepared ourselves to move so we began lookingfor the "perfect" piece of property: One with lots of room for animals,but close enough for the kids to bike to friends. One a little closerto the cultural offerings of Salt Lake City but still a "safe" distancefrom the rat race of the Wasatch Front. One who's price, combined withthe cost of building didn't force us back into debt. One that had morepersonality than just another converted alfalfa field, soon to beoverrun with dozens of look-alike, vinyl-sided homes. After months oflooking at property from St George to Logan, we finally found one thatqualified in almost every detail, just west of Fairview Utah, only 6miles north of our previous home in Mt Pleasant.

InJuly of 2005, our offer on the land was accepted and by August we hadsold our beloved homestead in Mt Pleasant. We were committed

Wedidn't casually consider building a house from straw with an earthenplaster floor. You can imagine how many times we've been reminded aboutthe 3 little pigs! We refer interested readers to some of the moreinfluential books we've read on this subject: "The Straw Bale House" bySteen, Steen & Bainbridge. "Serious Straw Bale" by Paul Lacinski& Michael Bergeron. Other books that have had an influence on ourdesign and materials are: "The Natural Plaster Book" by Cedar RoseGuelberth & Dan Chiras. "A Pattern Language" by Ishikawa,Silverstien, Jacobson, Fiksdahl-King & Angel. "The Not So BigHouse" by Sarah Susanka.

Click here for pdf files of the main plan, bedroom (lower) level & elevations

Our 5.25 acres, standing at SW corner, looking to NE

Our quiet neighbors to the south

Construction begins, October 2005

Insulated, stay-in-place forms, ready for the mud

Liz & Dave, concrete into the forms

Liz & Dan, Sun room view in background

Dave & Andy, building heat storage wall.
Note the PEX tubing to spread heat through house.

Evens on concrete pumping day

Completed foundation & gathering winter weather

Sub floor framing partially completed, mid Dec.

Herby & Evens

2 Days after Christmas, between snowstorms, posts are up.

Andy finishing garage pier footings
over Christmas break

Dan, Liz, Dave, Meri, Andy, Erin & Mike

Posts bear on foundation. Insulated, cantelevered
floor supports straw bale walls.

7 January, completed beams

7 January, garage framing

14 January, just before my faithful weekday crew: Dan & Liz
head to Mexico for a 4 week natural earth-plaster seminar.

17 January Truss raising day. Thank goodness for the hired crane!

18 January It's really starting to take shape now!

4 February Straw arrives on site.

Straw is stored temporarily in garage

Much thanks to the bale moving crew. This is a few of them

Before sunrise, 14 March, Dare we hope that was the last snowstorm of the season?

Bale step & window frame detail

Sill framing

Knee braces, window frame & view to the east

The first course of bales were pegged to the floor with re-bar

Dave & Dan placing last of 7 courses

Weed whacker is a useful tool for shaping bales

Bale wall fits between beams & window framing

Window openings are trimmed & shaped by metal lath

Hardwood staves inside & out are sewn together with tie wire

Partially completed bale walls on garage

Completed bale walls, viewed from our property from the east

Getting muddy, with encouragment from parents!

Discovery coat goes on house

Two devoted volunteers, enjoying "mud therapy"

Susan & Dan mixing mud in kitchen

Watch a video presentation of
one of our plastering parties!

Installing last of the large solar windows

View from southeast showing solar windows and sunroom below

View from our quiet neighbors to the south

Plaster test board. The small hole on the large sample
was from full force water spray for 10 seconds.

Liz & two volunteers hand apply 1-step infill coat

Dan applying clay finish plaster in garage.

Daughter, Meri & friend Jose. This is the last
of the infill coat. Hurray!

With the infill coat on, the beauty of
the bale walls is coming through.
Only one more coat to go!

May. Gypcrete covers the whole main level
This is one we wouldn't have wanted to try ourselves!

One of three baby swallows that
call our home, home.

Completed winder stair framing.
Fun to frame, but quite a challenge.

View out sunroom window showing the beautiful stone wall
created by Branch Cox & Andy Worrall.

Volunteers from the boys ranch in Spring City.

Applying slip coated burlap to the
plywood gap seal.

August 2006, Dave plaining the 2 12" thick solid pine
window sills.

August 2006, Last of the wood sills about to go into the west
facing dining window (on the right).

Mid September, after we finally got the wiring, insulation &
mechanical done and inspected, the gypboard is finally going on.
Note the 6" spacing of the studs on the curved walls.

Talk about a dramatic change in the appearance.
This is another job I'm glad to "job-out".

View through kitchen, west into dining area.
Notice the cool arch top door Susan found on the internet .

The view from the entry has lots of interesting architectural elements
The upper and lower wood stove flues will angle
over to the two ceiling penetrations visable here.

South face of house showing "glass space heaters".

October 21, The unique, characteristic beauty of strawbale walls finally comes through

Susan burnishing finish plaster with official yogurt lid trowel

Last of the earthen floor going down in sunroom.
Red clay, washed sand, paper pulp, wheat paste, blood meal.
Hand trowelled 2" thick over 6" of compacted road base.

Hand made leaf tiles grace the sides of the masonry wood
stove surround.

Hand made leaf tiles are also seen in various locations in the slate floor.

Leaf motif is carried into the cabinets with this
cutout. Cabinet fronts are solid beech.

Still a long way from "done" but we moved in
January 27, 2007. At least we're saving money on rent.

Susan & daughter, Tessa enjoying new kitchen.
Countertops are granite, wood & colored concrete.

Window in yet uncompleted master bath.
The opening is for a recessed cabinet by the commode.

Kids bathroom on lower level has classy
tile job in the tub/shower.

Dining area. This bale wall has its casein milk paint finish which not
only seals the plaster against stains, deepens the color and gives it a little gloss .

Sun room/Dave's office with its freshly completed earthen plaster floor.
Flagstone floor done by Andy Worrall

June 08 Sunroom, viewed from east end, showing custom-built wood burning
"Rocket Stove" with water-circulating heat exchanger for in-floor radient heat.

June 08 Beech handrail with very natural birch balusters.

June 08 Newell posts are beech w/carved walunt overlay

June 08. Painting depicts a significant even in early Mormon
history and has been installed in the last three
houses we've lived in. Hopefully this is the last time!