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The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes

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Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company

List Price: $24.95
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Average Customer Ratings:

While enthusiasts of straw bales praise the exceptional energy efficiency of bale buildings, and the wise use of resources involved in utilizing an agricultural byproduct as an affordable construction material, the real reason straw bales have excited builders and homeowners nationwide goes beyond energy conservation, resource recycling, and affordability. People love straw bale homes because they are so often extraordinarily beautiful and inviting.

In the past two decades, the bale-building renaissance has attracted some of our most gifted architects, artisan builders, and craftspeople. Certain qualities of straw as a material--and the hands-on process of constructing walls with a completely natural substance--have appealed to both very experienced builders and those who find this to be a uniquely accessible form of creating shelter. The characteristic thick walls and wide windowsills of straw bale houses, the possibility of incorporating curves and even arches, and the rousing experience of family "wall-raisings" have become well-known. Combined with older styles of plastering and earthen floors, these very contemporary buildings have a timeless quality that's easy to recognize yet hard to achieve with conventional manufactured materials.

These are buildings with personality—plus!

Athena and Bill Steen, co-authors of the original Straw Bale House book published by Chelsea Green in 1994, have now created a book that celebrates in gorgeous color photographs the tactile, sensuous beauty of straw bale dwellings. Their selection of photos also demonstrates how far bale building has come in a very short period of time: In addition to handsome homes, small and not-so-small, this book shows larger-scale institutional buildings, including schools, office buildings, the Solar Living Center, and a Save the Children center in Mexico.

In addition, this book includes an introductory essay by the Steens noting the key lessons they have learned in years of building with bales: insights into the design and construction process, and critical advice about design elements that ameliorate the impacts of moisture, weather, and wear-and-tear over time. Each photograph is also accompanied by narrative text highlighting a given building's special features and personal touches.


PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 693.997
EAN: 9781890132774
ISBN: 1890132772
Label: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 117
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Studio: Chelsea Green Publishing Company


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book.)
• The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book)
• More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
• Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook
• Small Strawbale


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Nice pictures -
If you're looking for a "construction" type book, this is a little lacking in that department. I was much more impressed with other books that the Steens have done.

Get a copy! -
If you want to convert your friends to strawbale... if you are sick of the Three Little Pigs comments... get this book. I did and one of my friends stole it so now I've had to buy it again - that's how good it is! Nearly everyone I show this book to is entranced by one or more of the houses... and many people love LOTS of the buildings. I love this book. It's portable, which is an asset, but mainly it's inspiring... thanks Athena!

Nice Photos -
This book is almost a coffee table book. The photos are beautiful and include everything from small,simplistic homes in Mexico to high-end beauties in California. You won't find much info here but you can get some good ideas for your own home. If you want specific info on building (especially in colder, wetter climates) get "Serious Straw Bale-A Home Construction Guide for All Climates" by Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron.

Straw-Bale Wannabe's Delight -
To be frank, the chance that I'll actually build and live in a straw-bale house is very slim. For those of us who like to look -- and figure we can pick up a few enviro-friendly ideas along the way -- this is the perfect book on straw-bale. The color photos are very high quality, detailed, and appealing. "Recipes" for green-friendly plaster and paint are a fun feature. And practical information about straw-bale is useful as I consider "Well maybe one day ... ?"

DATA WOULD SAY..."Please, I want some more." -
A wonderful little book that will go right beside it's big sister, "The Straw Bale House"... my bible while I was building my own straw bale home, which is just about at the stage of finishing. So, the timing couldn't have been better for me! But, MORE...I wanted to see MORE! Straw bale is a wonderful (if not labor-intensive) building method with infinite possibilities for being beautiful...this little book shows some of that to you!

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