Building Your Straw Bale Home
From Foundations to the Roof
Brian’s how-to guide, Building Your Straw Bale Home (2006), is a fantastic introduction for those looking to become straw bale owner-builders. Complete with diagrams, photographs, and step-by-step instructions, this book is designed for those starting their journey in building their own home. Whether you have building experience or not, this book can help any Australian to build your very own straw bale house.
This book is a good reference for anyone who has a desire to understand building construction or a desire to build a straw bale house to a high standard using well-researched methods.
– Bohdan Dorniak, President of Ausbale (The Australasian Straw Bale Building Association)
This book covers the construction process from site preparation through to foundations, concrete slabs, strip footings and stumps. Special techniques for straw bale construction and the integration of these techniques with those of conventional house building are also covered, including floors, timber wall-frames, ceilings and roof framing.
Written with first-hand knowledge of the challenges that face the owner-builder, Brian explores local council issues and requirements, the potential pitfalls of building and what to look for when ordering second-hand material, aided by a useful glossary of terms. The book concludes by covering the various safety issues that arise during construction, including fire prevention, equipment usage and the working environment.
Building Your Straw Bale Home is a how-to book for people interested in straw bale building. It is a practical book reflecting the author’s personal experience, with tips and wisdom learned from his own pitfalls and mistakes. With admiration, I present to you this practical text on straw bale building.
– Dr John Zhang, Hillbridge Design and Engineer
The online course has all the information you need to start your journey as an owner-builder!
One man’s journey from conventional construction to the methods and materials of natural builders may help readers work their way through the various stages of developing and completing their own project.
– Joyce Coppinger, The Last Straw Journal
Where to Get Your Copy
Building Your Straw Bale Home is now available to purchase as a Kindle eBook! If you would like to get your copy of this great introduction to building a straw bale house, here is the link to the Amazon page.
Also, if you subscribe to our mailing list we will email you the first chapter of the book for free!
Please note: Due to the continual changing of building codes and regulations, some practices in the book may be different from the current standards. Some of our Anvil Straw Bale methods have also changed over time, as we develop better ways of doing things. For more information, consider signing up to our Online Workshop, or contact us directly. We recommend you always refer to your engineering specifications, as these will be the most up-to-date requirements and specific to your build.