Monday, October 22nd, 2007 | Popularity: 39%
When these two trends are put together, you can see why many farmers are moving towards planting more corn and less grain crops. Less grain planted means less straw bales available and higher prices for that straw. Although this is not a major concern at this time, it is something to pay attention to when planning for a straw bale house. Be sure you consider rising prices when you create your budget.
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Weather cycles in many parts of the country are affecting the number of available straw bales. For example, drought in the Southeast has had a significant impact on the grain markets. As a result, more farmers are baling hay than producing grain crops. This means there is simply less straw available to builders and other end users and the price of those bales is higher than last year. A more global impact on straw bale availability and price is seen in the agricultural commodities markets. Prices for grain is rising in most countries and as a result, governments are actually buying less for international aid and long term stock pile reserves. This means that although the value of the grain is higher, finding a buyer may be more difficult. Partnered with this trend is the growing demand for corn based fuels like ethanol.
When these two trends are put together, you can see why many farmers are moving towards planting more corn and less grain crops. Less grain planted means less straw bales available and higher prices for that straw. Although this is not a major concern at this time, it is something to pay attention to when planning for a straw bale house. Be sure you consider rising prices when you create your budget.
Another option is something that was asked of me this last week: what about using baled cardboard? Absolutely! As long as the bales are tight and dry, any material can be used. There may be concern from the building department, but that is nothing that cannot be worked out. I have seen people build beautiful homes with baled cereal boxes. The bales, if tight and dry, will work perfectly to create beautiful and well insulated walls. I do not, however, have any data about the R-value of such walls. Get creative, be resourceful, and have fun!
Popularity: 39%
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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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October 22nd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
One of the great things about this kind of home building is that people with an interest in it tend to be highly adaptable. If straw bale prices continue to rise, these people may turn towards other options for creating an energy-efficient home at a lower cost. Trends may shift but the overall attitude of using easrth-friendly materials for home building is only likely to grow. Thanks for keeping us posted on these trends so we can adapat accordingly!
October 25th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Hello I have had an interest in straw construction for many years and have not pursued it until recently our area of missouri approved a grant for the construction of straw bale homes offering a $15000 construction reimbursment for the building of straw bale homes the problem were experiencing is difficulty securing construction monies from our local lenders who are commonly requesting 50% down on a note.
October 25th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Nathaniel,
What an awesome deal that is to get a $15,000 reimbursement! There is no reason you should have to pay any more than a regular construction loan down payment. This is a case of banks being nervous about lending on something they don’t understand. It may well be that the appraisers cannot find comparable sales. This is usually because people who build with bales do not sell their homes on the secondary market. They love them and stay in them. That actually becomes an asset for the appraiser, not a road block once they understand it. I suggest you connect with the folks at the following link and see if they have any resources for you. http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com/search.straw?lcou=United%20States&lsta=MO If they cannot point you to a local resource, contact Jeff Case and Bank of Oregon. He can often run loans on straw bale homes in many different parts of the country. He may be able to help you as well. Let him know you heard about him from me. I know he will do his best to take care of you. For what it is worth, he is the guy I got my mortgage from and he was great to work for. I also built his house! His number is (541) 842-5602 and his email is Jeff.Case@BankofOregon.net. Good luck.