There are many catch-words used these days to describe energy efficient homes built with natural materials and respect for the land: green, eco-friendly, passive solar, low impact, non-toxic. The property described here is all of these things plus the energy of the artist-owner-builders and all the volunteers and craftsmen whose good will is embedded throughout. Hummingbird is not just a “must see” place but a must “feel”. People feel it all the time- like the repair man who recently asked “Is this a straw-bale house? The whole place felt different as soon as I drove in- it felt good.” and the B&B guests who wrote comments such as ” The house felt like a living thing…the curved stucco walls an embrace.” and “When I stepped into Hummingbird I felt a peacefulness.”

Now this property is looking for enthusiastic new owners. For those who would choose a life in the thoughtful lane, we hope you will visit.
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A friend of mine just finished baling his house (Wohoo!!) and has over 100 bales left over. He is willing to sell them for $3 each. That’s $1 less than he paid for them. If you’re interested, please respond here and I’ll make sure he gets in touch with you. The bales are in Ashland, Oregon.

Beautiful 6 acre property in the Applegate Valley or Southern Oregon located in the hills between Medford and Grants Pass, Oregon. The custom built straw bale home is 1500 SF with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. It was built by the owner who was also my lead carpenter and lead baler at the time.
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Here is a small blurb about a bale home for sale near where I love. It is South of the Oregon/California border, but still fairly close as West Coast distances go!

Beautiful Straw-bale home in Shasta County California for sale. Such a home is rarely available. Passive Solar designed with super low electric bills. The home has roughly 5000 sq.ft of covered patio area. In addition to the home, there is a 20×30 detached shop/garage. The property is roughly 10 acres set up for horses or other animals. It is only a short drive into the city, even though the country feel is evident as the property is located outside of City limits in the Country. Price Reduced to $319,500!

Call the broker, Bobby Lee Williams at (214) 548-7910 and visit the owner’s website at www.strawbalecitadel.com for more information.

There is a new website out there that helps people find straw bales all over the united States. They can deliver as well and have a price break for those buying in bulk. The website is very well designed and I hope will prove to be a great asset to us bale builders and home owners looking to build with bales.
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Here is some information on a straw bale house for sale on 3.13 acres near Onoway, Alberta. This home is commuting distance to Edmonton. Please click the link above for the website of the owners to gather more information. The we page has a picture and details about the house.

I received messages from a few folks interested in building in Southern Oregon over the last week or so. Many are thinking about the future and some are interested in building soon. All are looking for the perfect place to build. I want to put out there that I have 8 home sites still available in the Straw Bale Village in downtown Jacksonville, Oregon. The Village is a beautiful place with the feel of the country and just minutes from downtown. There is a 600 square foot straw bale community building, children’s park, creek, community garden and orchard, hiking trails, over six acres of open space, and all the amenities of living in town (natural gas, City water and sewer, DSL and cable, etc…). Lots cost $175,000 or $195,000 and both prices have a special offer of an additional $20,000 cash back to the buyer at closing as an incentive to buy sooner rather than later. If you are looking to build your straw bale home in Southern Oregon, my company is the one you want, and we have the land to get you going. We currently have six houses either complete or under construction in the Village. This incentive is in place to speed up the building process for those folks already living in the Village. The sooner I can sell the home sites, the sooner I can build them and the sooner the owners can have their peace and quiet! I hope to hear from you soon.

The owners of this unique straw bale house in Ashland asked if I could post infomration about it here. They are selling their home and I think this may be a great place for them to find the perfect buyer. The house is roughly 1736 square feet and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
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It is often difficult to tell the quality of any home, let alone a straw bale home once it has been in existence for a few years. With bale homes, there are usually not experience home inspectors who can help as in conventional homes as the details of straw bale homes are often beyond the scope of what inspectors know. For that reason, you may be left inspecting the home yourself. Here are some things to consider.
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As a licensed contractor, I have the opportunity to build houses for people who want straw bale construction. I also have the dubious task of trying to share with clients who do not know about straw bale construction why they should go that direction. The latter is very difficult and, in fact, a bit frustrating in my opinion. I have worked hard for many years to teach people about the merits of straw bale construction and yet find myself amazed at how many people have still never heard of the technique. These folks seem to struggle with the concept and nothing I say seems to help them relax into the idea. Here’s what I have learned (be forewarned, some of it is depressing):
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Just thought I would let you all know that I will be holding an open house at the Village in Jacksonville, Oregon this coming Saturday and Sunday. It is basically an event for real estate agents and their clients to view the property, check out the straw bale community building, children’s park, and other features of the land. The event will be from 10:00am – 2:00pm Saturday and Sunday.
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As of this past Friday, July 14th, the first two owners have officially taken possession of their homes in the Straw Bale Village. It has been a long process from land acquisition, project design, civil engineering, City process, infrastructure construction, home design, City architectural review, structural home engineering, City building department review, home construction and now, finally, completion!
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