I have received a lot of messages in recent days asking about the cost of straw bale construction. The basic question is: what does it cost per square foot to build a bale home? It is all but impossible for me to answer this question because there are so many factors involved in calculating cost. What region is the home built in? What design features does it have?
Perhaps the most important question is: What kind of interior finishes will be used? Most people don’t realize that the real budget killers are things like plumbing fixtures, cabinets, and lighting. These items can take an inexpensive house over the top quickly.
The actual cost to build a bale house compared to an exact copy in conventional construction is a bit easier to consider. I tell folks to plan on about a 20% increase in price. This is because the labor the install the bale walls is quite high and the other trades like electricians are impacted by the bales as well. Consider that you will likely see an energy savings of about 75% over a conventional home for the life of the home. This savings more than makes up for the higher initial cost of construction.
About the Author
Andrew Morison is a specialist in straw bale and green construction. He has shown thousands of people how to build their own straw bale projects through his comprehensive series of instructional straw bale, concrete foundation, and plastering DVDs. You can check these out at http://www.LearnStrawBale.com.com.
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December 18th, 2007 at 7:23 am
I am interested in buildin g a very small (200) sq ft straw bale getaway in my back yard nothing elaborate I am in SC what wxactly would I need to do to start other thatn finding and retieing bales?
Please reply
December 19th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Teri,
You will need to come up with some kind of design and plans. Even a small building can be difficult if not done with a set of plans to work from. You can buy a set of plans for a 200SF cottage at http://www.LearnStrawBale.com. Once you have plans, bales, and an understanding of how to build with them, you need a solid foundation and some good sleep!
Andrew
March 4th, 2008 at 10:03 am
If you do most of your own labor does that lower the cost? We want something that will be cheaper than conventional construction. Are there other ways to lower the cost?
Cammie
March 10th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Hi Cammie. Yes, the labor is a big part of the cost. Another large part is the plaster material. If you can use a native clay soil and mix it with lime (rather than using pure lime plaster or stucco) you will save money on materials. The other thing is to plan for material use before you start. Design your building to use the material you have smartly. In other words, if the most expensive material is the drywall (obviously hypothetical) then design the layout of the walls to use full sheets so you don’t throw away the material scraps that have cost you so much! Another huge piece is to design the building as a simple structure. The more unusual the design, the more expensive it will likely become. If you have second story walls bearing on an open floor plan below, you will require engineering and expensive beams. That is one example of many that can influence price. Good luck.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
se puede tomar el workshop en espanol??
saludos
April 28th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Por desgracia, no hablo muy bien español. Tengo el básico: lo suficiente para màalrededor de la ciudad en Mexico, pero no lo suficiente como para enseñar. Este mensaje ha sido traducido por mÃÂ, no sabÃÂa las palabras de mi propia cabeza. Espero mejorar mi español en el futuro y ofrecer un taller para los que hablan español.
October 5th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Hi Andrew,
I am looking at a larger building that would be square. It would be partly a health spa and partly home, and bed and breakfast. How does cost change when increasing size? In other words is 200 sf the same cost proportionate to 1000 or 4000 sf? In other words does the sf cost change as the house gets larger? By roughly how much?
November 12th, 2008 at 8:12 am
My husband’s parents have added on to their existing house using straw bale construction. I love the fact that you naturally have well insulated walls and even roof. My husband and I want to build our house using this same technique. I was wondering if you knew of finance companies that will finance straw bale construction. We live in UT and the few companies that are in town have said they won’t finance because it is new.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Hi Kristi. First off, I would advise against using bales in the ceiling or on the roof for insulation. They are very heavy and so the framing has to be increased significantly to accommodate them. There is not enough increased insulation value to justify the extra cost and work involved in this.
As far as banks, there used to be several who would loan on straw bale construction; however, with the current financial down turn, i do not know if they are still actively funding straw bale construction.
Do a search at the top of http://www.StrawBale.com for “Financing and Straw Bale Construction” and make sure the SB.com button is marked. That will take you to an article I wrote about financing bale homes that will help you find what you need. I don’t see why you would not be able to get financing assuming you are “loanable” under current conditions. Good luck.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Hi Andrew,
I plan on building a straw bale home in the near future as my first home; however, I was wondering if installing floor heating and possibly a wood stove would change any of my plans on building?
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 am
Those items are a great asset in a bale home. You will need to incorporate them into your plans, but they will be easily added with little affect on your overall plan.
January 24th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Andrew,
I was under the understanding that Straw Bale homes built with my labor is much cheaper than traditional building techniques. I am looking to build a straw bale garage with an apartment above it. My first question is:
Can you or someone create a straw bale building plan to build a garage/apartment like this? http://www.houseplans.com/750-square-feet-1-bedroom-1-bathroom-European-home-plans-3-garage-(2828938)29
My second question is: Will it be cheaper for me to build with straw bale if I do the bulk of the labor myself?
Thanks in advance,
Bill
P.S. I purchased your straw bale video a few years ago and intend to purchase your foundations video. Have you updated your building procedures in the last 2 years?
January 24th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Sorry.. The link posted wrong.
Go to link below and it’s the on the right side and the seventh one down: Plan number is 56-551
http://www.houseplans.com/_garages-with-living-space_garages-with-living-space_191.asp
January 25th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Hi Bill. I suggest you contact Chris Keefe at http://www.OrganicformsDesign.com for help with the plans. Tell him I sent you and he’ll do great things for you!
Anything done with your own labor will be less expensive. The key is in your ability to do it right. I don’t mean that to come down on you, I’ve just seen a lot of people do it themselves to save money and end up losing lots of money in the process because of mistakes. That said, if you feel confident, you can definitely save money. The plaster is still expensive (depending on what you use) so that can add up; however, it’s the labor that costs the most. For help with the contracting of the project, I suggest you check out my “Be Your Own Contractor Training” at http://www.BYOCTraining.com unless you have experience with contracting. Contracting is a place where beginners can lose big without experience or training. In terms of the DVD, it is still accurate depending on your approach. If your labor is relatively inexpensive, then I would go with the methods I suggest. If it is not, then consider using Hardyframes for your building shear. (www.HardyFrame.com). One thing for sure, is I recommend you run the mesh vertically if you do use it. It’s much easier to work with this way and supplies a stronger shear resistance.
You might want to consider attending a workshop this year before you build as well. I have several dates in 4 different locations so far: New York, Michigan, Montana and Texas. I’m working on some others as well. You can check them out at http://www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com. Hope to see you there and good luck!
January 26th, 2010 at 9:08 am
I have that same old impossible-to-answer-question too: how much $/sq ft.
I’m drafting a business proposal and NEED HELP! I’m in health care, not business!!! My plans are for a birth center on a reservation in the SW. I really want to keep costs down so that it will be somewhat of a demonstration project on green construction, use of local materials, etc. So cost will be a HUGE consideration if this type of thing is to be replicated for other programs/facilities.
Planning NO free labor, no free or recycled materials, (I’m hopinng for lots of freebies and recycled materials, but don’t want to plan a budget on them) simple design (okay, an octagonal hogan foot print- maybe not so simple) and straightforward, simple interior/fixtures/finishing work, do you think the basic configuration could be done for $100/sq ft? It won’t need to be wired for special things like O2, but it may have an inordinate number of sinks for such a small building… I have factored costs of kitchen and bath stuff elsewhere, so how about just building costs…
Is $100/sq ft do-able? I was also thinking of just acid staining the slab floor to keep that cost down… easier to clean too!
What do you think?
January 26th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Hi Katie. If you are not including the cost of the kitchen and bath then you will likely be close with $100/SF. If you plan to include those items/rooms in the estimate, then you will need to be higher. I typically plan for $1000 per fixture (sink, toilet, shower, etc…) when considering pluming. That’s rough install through finish trim out. If you use earthen plaster, you can save money by using locally harvested materials. If not, go with Hydrated Lime plaster which can be fairly inexpensive as well. Your roof cots could be high because of the shape of the Hogan and thus the more intricate roof framing requirements. That said, you will be close to your target, assuming those things above, with $100/SF.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Great info! I love the earthen bath idea. I’m referencing our conversation in my paper and sending you great big e-hugs! Thanks so much! I hope to call you for a consultation in a couple years after navigating the labrynth of tribal land use applications… ay yai yai.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:08 am
You’re welcome and good luck.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Project: Art Studio
Considering Straw bale construction
Question: Can Cement siding be used instead of plaster, i.e. Hardiplank?
January 28th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Hi Amelia. That type of siding can be used, however, it’s not easy. You’ll need enough studs (2′ on center) to support the siding and that means a lot of notching of bales or filling in stud bays. In addition, you’ll need to do a skim coat of plaster on the bales behind the siding for fire protection as the straw won’t be tight up against the siding. This is because you’ll need some type of ventilation space between the bales and the siding as Hardiplank does not breathe well. ALl in all, you’ll probably find it easier to simply plaster.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Hi, i heard about building straw houses from a source i can’t legally say…but i’ve been wanting to build a shed for quite some time…a workshop kind of thing…and all it need is a single power cord run from a breaker which i can do in a day to power anything in it and no plumbing or anything like that.
how much would i be looking at cost wise? and also about how many bales would i be looking at purchasing?
March 16th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Hi Mark. It depends on the structure. It could be $4000 to $10,000 and 150 bales or so. Hope that helps a bit.
June 29th, 2010 at 4:09 am
I have been on your mailing list now for a few years and am hopeing to finally be starting to plan my straw bale home in the next year. I am starting to do some budgeting and was wondering how much the my home would cost to build, I am looking at 2 Medium size bedrooms and 2 large living area’s on an open plan with kitchen and Laundry on the lower level, with an exposed timber beam frame with 4 bedrooms upstairs and a central cathedrial space in the middle over the kitchen and family area. A friend of a friend has a house similar to this in straw bale but much larger than I’m looking at and I don’t have her contact details anymore to ask her the cost of her home.
As I said just doing some pre-liminary costings at this stage for the contruction only (not including fittings) but would appreciate any help you could give me. All the costings above seem to be in square foot and in Australia we work in meters so it doesn’t help much and I have no idea how to estimate the square meterage of the type of house I’m looking at. Also was wondering who you recomend for building in Australia and if you do workshops here?
June 30th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Hi Heidi. I sent you an email response to this a few minutes ago, before I got this blog entry. If you have any other questions, please let me know and I look forward to talking more about a workshop in Australia!