Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 | Popularity: 28%
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.
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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.
Popularity: 28%
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Andrew Morison is a licensed contractor specializing 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.
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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 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 mí alrededor de la ciudad en Mexico, pero no lo suficiente como para enseñar. Este mensaje ha sido traducido por mí, no sabía las palabras de mi propia cabeza. Espero mejorar mi español en el futuro y ofrecer un taller para los que hablan español.