Plunger Pile Floor System

Source: Country Plans.com

Stephen and Nena MacDonald’s post and beam strawbale house

“Build our house out of straw?” When our neighbor suggested the idea as a solution to our housing problem, both my wife, Nena, and I reacted similarly. “You must be kidding!” Even when he showed us a copy of Fine Homebuilding with an article in it by Gary Strang (1985) on a studio built out of straw bales, we were dubious. It was just too weird (images of rotting hay, mouse hotels, and pig stories readily came to mind). The idea was too simple and straightforward to be believed.

Try as we might, however, we kept returning to the idea of it. It did seem to fit our condition: Using straw bales was 1) low cost…we were near broke, having used the last of our meager savings to buy a small piece of land; 2) a way to stay cool (and warm)…having just moved to southwest New Mexico from Alaska, I was scared to death of the heat; 3) fast and physically easy to build…I just couldn’t face the slow, heavy work of adobe; and 4) ecologically sound…besides being energy efficient, a straw-bale building uses a renewable resource (often viewed as a waste product) that was locally available. Done right, building with straw uses very few trees.
In the end, we decided to go for it. Seven years later, we have no regrets.” – The Last Straw

Our humble little house in this out-of-the-way, very rural valley, has gotten on the map. For awhile there we had visitors almost daily. We should have put out a guest book for all the far-flung people that have come by to see and ask questions. Folks from all over have stopped by (including one from Japan). And in such diversity. Rich and poor, young and old. Ranchers and farmers. Architects, contractors, and engineers. Househusbands and wives. Young “new agers” just starting out. Conservative retirees. Migrant workers and people working with migrants… Looks like another hot day in the valley. Already it’s in the high 90s. During the night we keep the windows open to capture the night’s cool. The mass of our concrete floor helps store it. Thick walls and ceiling keep it in. Inside, the straw bale is holding steady at 75 degrees F. – The Last Straw

Steve O. MacDonald’s Rules of Thumb
1. Keep it small
2. Keep it simple
3. Build it yourself
4. Stay out of debt
5. Use local materials
6. Be energy conscious
7. Make yourself a home
- The Last Straw

Image source: Natural Building Gallery
Original article about their house: Permaculture Drylands Journal in 1988
Steve MacDonald is the co-author of Build it With Bales, along with Matts Myrhman. It’s now out of print, but well worth locating a used copy.

Q: I’m thinking about building a 120 sq. ft. structure as a home to get around the building codes. In my area, sheds of this size don’t need building permits. What are your thoughts?

A: I am not at my desk at the moment so not able to view the code, but I’ll take a stab. To get it permitted as a residence under the IBC or IRC you need to have basic services such as water, power, waste disposal, etc. Without these things there is no building dept that will issue a permit for this as a residence. This specific provision is to allow non-occupied structures to be built that are very small. Obviously the intent of the provision is to make it easy for folks to build a shed or unoccupied structure. You guys are not the first to have this discussion. Also, it would make little sense to hook up to utilities or put in a septic for something so small. The minimum costs of those services would lead you to a different conclusion.

Once you add services, it will require a permit. That is my opinion, not what I am reading in the code. Again, there is no building dept that will let you slide without a permit if services are intended to be hooked up.

It is easy to do it under the radar and covert it once anyone who cares is looking the other way. Some places require you to file for a permit for something like this, they just won’t do any inspections. Boulder would strike me as one such place, or most places in the Bay Area, etc. It would fall under planning ordinances even though a building permit would not be required. Does that make sense? They would still want to know about it even though they would not inspect it.

As far as the word “accessory” goes, it applies to any zoned property that allows such, no matter if another primary structure is in existence or not. The word “accessory” is not exclusive of any use, such as living or non-living uses. It is simply an accessory use to what is intended to be the primary use. For example, if a property is zoned residential, sure you can build a shed as an accessory structure without a house there first. However, many zoning/planning dept will not let you build a granny unit as the only structure, acting like it is the primary structure and use. They would require a development plan showing your total build-out ideas. The question here is about uses, not about whether you can put up ten 120 sf sheds and call them all residential. If you are working in a place where there is a weak planning dept you will have an easier time getting away with stuff folks in cities are unable to do. You can’t offer anything like this as a solution that would work anywhere due to a supposed hole in the code. It is not a building code issue as much as it is a zoning and planning ordinance issue. Not everyone can do this, and to lead them to believe otherwise would not be honest.

BTW, check out my blog at http://afghan.jeffruppert.net. It is self-explanatory. Things have changed in my world.
Jeff Ruppert PE
(Jeff is one of the most influential people in the strawbale building movement. He moved to Afghanistan about two years ago to help rebuild the country, and his blog is really interesting.)

Island cottage north of Vancouver, British Columbia. Submitted by Kim Hadley. (click to enlarge)

Shack on Ulriken near Bergen, Norway. (click to enlarge)

Ranger’s cabin, Indian Henry meadows, in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. Submitted by Eric Nagle. (click to enlarge)

Cabin built of slab wood by Dave Sinaguglia near Hartford, CT (click to enlarge)

This is a fantastic site with hundreds of beautiful cabin photos! I’ve had the pleasure of living in places very similar to those in the photos. Thanks to Ziggy at Year of Mud for finding this great website.

Image source: Free Cabin Porn

As one of the top natural builders who influenced the direction of my life, we’ll be discussing more of Ken Kern’s building ideas. This is the stuff that fueled my imagination and passion for affordable housing when I was a young man. It was obvious to me 35-40 years ago that modern building materials are not affordable to the average person and so I’ve been intent on finding lower cost alternatives ever since.

“This is one of the finest books on low-cost owner-built homes that I have read. Mr. Kern specifies the general principles of low-energy consumption and low-cost living with an artistic expression of living spaces. In particular, he specifies ways to build your home to evolve with your life and ability to invest more in your home with passing time. His philosophy is to avoid going into deep debt, by constructing only the necessities to begin with, then enlarge the structure in a planned and integrated way. He has many original ideas and he was also an experimentalist. He researched his low-cost philosophy around the world to find new solutions to many construction problems. He plans and constructs his homes with natural heating and air conditioning integrated into the structure. Ken Kern was a heroic architectural pioneer in the field of low-cost owner-built housing.” – Google Books

Amazon.com

I was always amazed at how easy it was to break a house and for as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to build my own house that will last. I’ve spent the last year or so looking into alternative building methods. A few months ago I found out about earthbag building and was very interested. As I’m sure you know the military more or less builds using sandbags in combat zones so this form of building is something that is very familiar to me and something I know a bit about.

My question is I’m now at the point in my life where I plan to get out of the Army and move back home to north Texas with my wife. I have the opportunity to use some of the money I’ve made over here to buy 10 acres of land outside of city limits. I’m wondering if there happens to be any thing I should worry about as far buying land to build an earthbag home goes. I know if I buy building plans from you which I plan to do I can get them approved for the building permits I need but I didn’t know if there was any thing else I should be looking for when it comes time to buy the land. Thanks, and keep up the great work on your blog. Websites like yours give me hope for the future.”
Joshua

Thanks, Joshua. I suggest buying land where there are few if any building codes. I hear there’s lots of land like that in Texas. The building codes can jack up the price of an 800 sq. ft. house from $4,000 to $80,000. No kidding. I’m working on a design now that will cost somewhere around $5/ft. using pallets, dirt and juniper poles.

So it’s way more than just the engineering fee (which isn’t that bad, really) — it’s the crazy codes that require extremely costly building methods like lots of extra steel and concrete that will really cost you.

Also, look for land with water, trees and good soil for gardening. An old run down farm house could be a hidden gem if it has good soil and a good well. Trees on the land will enable you to heat with firewood for almost free. I suspect fuel costs are going sky high, especially if war breaks out with Iran, and so the cost of food and everything could skyrocket. The key is being self sufficient and eliminating buying stuff from town.

Check out our blog post on juniper and cedar poles. These are the sort of resources that can save you a ton of money.

Earthbag is almost identical to the houses you’re describing in Afghanistan and Iraq. My friend was over there so I know how they’re built. It’s essentially cob with stone added. Earthbag is even stronger because the soil is tamped, there’s barbed wire, gravel throughout the mix, etc. Check our blog for bullet resistance of earthbags and blackpowder cannon tests.

Alligator juniper: Juniper and cedar are abundant and extremely durable building materials.

This eastern red cedar is 60 years old.

Juniper and cedar poles like these are often available at auctions and farm sales.

“Juniper is an evergreen shrub/tree with irregular form, twisted trunks and branches. Found in dry, rocky, and open habitats. The juniper is long-lived. American Indians used the bark for cordage, sandals, woven bags, thatching and matting. They also ate the berries fresh or in cakes. Junipers are also called cedars.” — Native Plants

“Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a slow-growing, narrow-leaved evergreen growing in a narrow pyramidal form to 45 feet. Native to North America east of the Rocky Mountains, and isolated populations in Oregon, this common tree was revered by Native Americans for its many and varied uses. The wood of red cedar is very durable, and was used for lance shafts, bows, and other items. Flutes made from red cedar wood were highly regarded by the Cheyenne. Cedar boughs were used for bedding. The Menomini wove mats of cedar bark. The mats were used for roofing temporary structures, for partitions, floor mats and wrappings, and for various purposes in the canoes.” – Cirrus Image.com

“We in Central Texas are very fortunate to have access to one of the most beautiful, durable woods for use in building – ashe juniper. Commonly called “cedar”, this often-maligned tree is a blessing for those of us in the natural building world. It can be milled into beautiful slabs for uses such as window sills or headers; or better yet, it can be used in its beautifully flowing irregular shape for arbors, garden gates, balustrades, trellises and much more. Using natural, unmilled wood, or roundwood is not only unique and beautiful, but it is a sustainable thing to do in that it uses a regional material that is generally considered a waste wood, transportation fuel and costs are minimized, and milling energy is avoided.” – Frank Meyer, Design-Build-Live (Top strawbale/earth floor building guru and musician.)

Image source: Reflection’s Flora and Fauna
Image source: Cirrus Image.com
Image source: Pickett Auctions.com

Cabinet by James Krenov, one of the most famous US cabinetmakers, is author of four premier woodworking books and former director/instructor at College of the Redwoods' Fine Woodworking School for 20 years.

Walnut rocking chair by Sam Maloof

Writing desk by Spero L. Kripotos

Woodworking bench for making fine woodwork

“…form is only a beginning. It is the combination of feelings and a function; shapes and things that come to one in connection with the discoveries made as one goes into the wood, that pull it together and give meaning to form.” – James Krenov, James Krenov.com

“Good furniture must convey a feeling of function but also must be appealing to the eye. I never make conversation piece furniture… [and since] I’m not subject to the manufacturing syndrome, I don’t have to change for the sake of change. I just keep on improving.” – Sam Maloof, Maloof on Design

Image source: FS After Hours
Image source: Wiki: Sam Maloof Rocker
Image source: Fine Woodworking.com
Image source: Workbench Design.net
The best source I know of for learning advanced woodworking techniques is Fine Woodworking Magazine. Taunton Press has a DVD set with 36 years of previous articles. What a deal. I’ve read hundreds of Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding Magazines, and had a number of their books.

Post and beam pallet wall for a dirt cheap earth lodge (click to enlarge)

Rex:
My goal is to learn to build houses with local materials in order to help people in my area build sustainable debt free homes. I’m in love with your Earthbag Lodge plan as I had previously designed one very close to that concept before seeing it. My other main goal is optimal climate control with earth and the freedom that brings.

For the lay person, such as myself, deciding whether a living roof vs. a more conventional metal roof system is best in terms of interior climate control, insulation, etc. Are the benefits of an earthen roof worth the process? A living roof seems more difficult to waterproof without the costly membrane. I have lots of dirt, juniper poles and pallets. Straw bales are out of the question as they are $10-12 a bale around here. I LOVE the earthbag concept. I’m just brainstorming a bit more as I reconsider what is available in bulk and free. Thanks for all the time. The part of Texas I live can get very cold in the winter and is very hot in the summer. I’ve been talking to several friends and really turning them on to the idea of self preservation and taking back our housing needs from the commodity black hole. Keep of the fine work!

Owen: Utilizing low cost and free materials where you live is the way to go. Even though I’m a huge fan of earthbags, you always want to consider different options and decide what makes the most sense for you. Since you have lots of free pallets and rot resistant juniper poles then consider building a double pallet wall on an earthbag foundation as shown in the drawing above. This method may be a little faster than building entirely with earthbags and use fewer bags. (I’m assuming you have access to a chainsaw and posthole auger to speed the work.)

The whole process of building a roof that can withstand the heavy load of a living roof, and the time and effort for waterproofing, insulating, making the living roof AND maintaining the plants over time, which is a huge amount of work in itself, would tip the scale for me to pole roofs or framed roofs with lots of insulation, and metal roofing to collect roofwater (super important in dry areas). I suggest a double pole roof that is supported by a post and beam frame. This would be way faster to build than a living roof. It would be low cost, owner built and provide lots of space for insulation. You can achieve zero energy housing with both systems, so my vote is for a more conventional insulated roof with metal roofing.