Just a quick reminder to those of you who have a straw bale home to register your home on the International Straw Bale Registry Project through www.GreenBuilder.com. This is a great resource for other people who are looking to build their own straw bale home. I often contact people who have listed their homes on […]
Archive | Codes and Building Officials
Straw Bale Construction in Earthquakes
I am not going to use pictures in this post as we all know what the recent devastation in Japan looks like. I want to start by sending Gabriella’s and my love, prayers, thoughts, and hope to all those effected by the recent earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand. Clearly the tsunami in Japan was […]
Update on Green Building Codes and Standards
I received a great update this morning on the existence and development of green building codes and standards in the United States from a product developer (I’ll call him Bob) with the International Code Council (ICC) that I’d like to share with you. Here’s what he shared with me (I’ll give some comments a long […]
New Green Construction Code Released by the International Codes Council (ICC)
The International Code Council (ICC) has recently released the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). This code is intended for commercial buildings and will be integrated into the existing International Codes. This is not the same thing as LEED design, and is a new code in place to govern the green details of commercial construction. The […]
Tax Valuation Appraisals
I just received an email from a man whose home was recently appraised by the county tax office for the first time after final completion. The property tax assessment turned out to be really high and he asked if there was any history of successful contesting of such assessments in my history. I didn’t have […]
Straw Bale Home Appraisals
Getting a straw bale home appraised is one of the harder aspects of construction. Why? Because there are not very many, if any, comparable sales of straw bale homes out there. So how do you jump this hurdle? There are a couple ways to do it. The first and most promising way is to make […]
Naming Names: Who Will Loan on Straw Bale Construction & How the Current Market Conditions Affect Your Chances of Getting a Loan
Obviously the real estate market has taken a huge loss around the world and things continue to look bleak. How this affects people wanting to build a straw bale home depends a lot on their local conditions. The first and most obvious place of impact is in the mortgage industry. The industry has tightened the […]
Congressional Hearing on Straw Bale Construction
Below is the link to the recent briefings on Straw Bale Construction at the US Congress. This is a potentially exciting move for the world of straw bale construction. I know how slowly the US Congress can move, so my breath is bated although not held! The presenters: David Eisenberg, Sandy Wiggins, Laura Bartels, and […]
New Research on Straw Bale Walls
I was recently told about some new research results that have posted on line. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has just published a report authored by Colin MacDougall called “Effect of Mesh and Bale Orientation on the Strength of Straw Bale Walls“. The report is co-authored by Chris Magwood and Steve Vardy. The […]
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
You’re not the only one. I have a poster on my wall that I want to share with you all. It helps me remember that when my first efforts fall short, I don’t give up. It gives examples of influential men who started out as less than influential! I have always been someone who pushes […]