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Straw Bale Construction Details
Although straw bale construction is,
to date, very uncommon in Kansas, it has been approved for this project by the
Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing and the Kansas Department on Aging.
Straw bale construction has gained acceptance in several parts of the United
States and Canada as well as many regions throughout the world. For example,
within the past few years, over 70 straw bale homes have been permitted and
built in Austin, Texas.
Czech Cottages will consist of three duplexes
(six units), built slab-on-grade, located near the downtown business district of
Wilson, Kansas. Each of the six units will have two bedrooms and total living
space of approximately 800 square feet. All units will have double-pane, low-e
glass windows, insulated exterior doors, central HVAC, an insulated slab and
extremely well insulated walls and attic spaces. |
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| The method of framing will be
modified post and beam. Using this method, walls will be framed with window and
door bucks that are constructed as structural supports and distributed
throughout the perimeter of the buildings. Posts (4 by 4) will be used at
corners and at locations lacking window and door openings at no greater than six
foot intervals. Box columns the width of the straw bales (18 inches) will be
used as the vertical sides of the bucks and extend from the foundation to the
beam. These box columns will consist of a structural frame of 2-by lumber
sheathed with plywood. In some cases, depending on roof loads, doubled 2-by-4s
will be used. Straw bales (dimension 14 x
18 x 36 inches) will be stacked like blocks between the framing members. The
bales will be impaled onto rebar rods protruding from the concrete slab and will
be held together, in part, by 3-foot long bamboo stakes impaled two per bale as
the bales are stacked. The exterior surface of the bale walls will be covered
with stucco netting that will be fastened to the concrete slab. The exterior
bale surface will then be covered with reinforced fiberglass cement stucco at a
thickness of approximately 1.5 inches. All interior walls, including the
interior surface of the bale walls, will be covered with sheetrock.
Another important feature of Czech Cottages is
that each unit will contain a "safe-room" built to United States Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards. The utility room of each unit will
be constructed to meet FEMA standards for use as a safe room during severe storm
events such as tornadoes. The safe room walls and ceiling will be constructed
with 2 x 4 studs covered with a 1/8th inch thick steel plate and two
layers of three-quarter inch plywood. The walls will also be covered with one
sheet of 5/8th inch sheetrock. The safe-room doors will be steel.
These rooms will stand independently from the rest of the building. Safe-rooms
are highly recommended by FEMA, particularly in Kansas and other states within
tornado-alley.
Attics will be insulated to R-50 using 10-inch
rolled fiberglass insulation with several inches of cellulose insulation blown
on top. By insulating the attics to this high degree, they will equal the
insulation provided by the straw bale walls.
By using the above-described construction
methods, Czech Cottages will provide residents with a high degree of comfort,
safety, energy-efficiency and affordability.
Straw Bale House Floor plan:
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