Author Archive for Jeff
Sill Pan Design Detail – TLS #51
Included in TLS #49 (Myths and Realities, Spring 2005) was a discussion of ways to deal with moisture at the bottom of windows. David Eisenberg shared a written design detail for a pan under the window to carry water away from rather than down the wall. We wanted to share a drawing of this detail and David kindly provided one for us [...]
Lime Mortars DVD Review
This article is original content and has not appeared in The Last Straw. St. Astier Natural Limes, a producer of hydraulic lime products from France, is offering a set of DVD videos called The Master Stroke DVD Tutorial Series. The Master Stroke is a 4-disc series beginning with lime mortars. Other discs cover plastering and [...]
A Straw-bale Home in Idaho – TLS #55
This article originally appeared in TLS #55 and was the feature article in that issue. by Wayne Bingham and Colleen Smith – Idaho, USA Our interest in straw-bale construction grew out of our concern for energy efficiency. Our research into building energy efficiency grew into an awareness of sustainable building practices. An urge to build [...]
Planted Filter: A Modern Reed-bed System – TLS #58
This article originally appeared in TLS #58. by Rene Kilian – Denmark Save money on your black and grey water while protecting the environment! All properties without sewage facilities in rural areas of Europe must meet minimum standards for wastewater treatment. It can be expensive joining on to the main sewage lines. A planted filter’ [...]
A Bit About Bale Walls
Currently in rough draft form, this information is the beginning preparation for an article or perhaps two that will appear in a future issue of The Last Straw journal with the theme “All About Bales.” Your comments and input are welcome. by Joyce Coppinger, Managing Editor/Publisher, The Last Straw Journal Wall Structures The structural methods [...]
Basics and Benefits of the Use of Straw Bales for Building
This article does not appear in The Last Straw and is original content. Prepared by Joyce Coppinger, Managing Editor/Publisher, The Last Straw Journal 402.483.5135, <thelaststraw@thelaststraw.org> www.thelaststraw.org INSULATION The R-value used for straw-bale walls is R-30. Most conventional stick-built construction has an R-value of around 15 with as high as R-30 in ceilings. Testing under controlled [...]
Fire in a House With Straw Bale Walls
This article is original content and has not appeared in TLS. This story is a reluctant one about a house comprised of both wood-framed and straw bale walls lost to a fire. The structure was built over a longer period of time than most main-stream homes. The different phases incorporated the most appropriate materials at [...]
Sealing an Earth Floor – TLS # 55
This is the second of a two-part article on creating a poured adobe or earth floor. See Earth Floor, TLS#52, for the first article describing how to prepare for and install a poured adobe floor. By Tom Lander – New Mexico, USA Now, weeks later after your floor is 100 percent dry, it’s time to [...]
Native to Place: Sustainable Design Can Forge Stronger Communities- TLS #59
This article appeared in TLS #59 by Tim Beatley – Virginia, USA Reprinted with permission from Residential Architect magazine, November 2005. We live in disconnected times. We occupy space but know little about it. Instead of joining communities or neighborhoods, we buy houses and make real estate investments. Sustainable design offers us the chance to [...]
Sustainable Living in California – TLS #59
This article appeared in TLS #59. Turko Semmes is a licensed general contractor from San Luis Obispo County, California, and one of the foremost experts in straw-bale building techniques. A graduate from the Architecture Department of Cal Poly State University in 1978 with a degree in Construction Engineering, he has been self-employed since that time, [...]
Better Quality, Ecological Correctness through Sustainable Design – TLS #59
This article appeared in TLS #59. by Ken Haggard and Polly Cooper – California, USA Adopted from an article that appeared in Home Power Magazine. Like many other architectural firms in California, San Luis Obispo Sustainability Group architects had been designing building that utilized passive solar for many years. Like many other architectural firms around [...]
Where to Draw the Line – TLS #50
This article appeared in TLS #50. by Chris Newton – Queensland, Australia Can you design and build straw-bale homes for a hot and humid climate? Living in Queensland, Australia, I am frequently asked to identify an invisible line on the map where “she’ll be right” applies on one side of the line and “don’t go [...]
Straw-bale Sound Isolation and Acoustics – TLS #53
This article appeared in TLS #53. The topic of this issue is Moisture. It contains an extensive article about Moisture Basics and Straw-Bale Moisture Basics (by John Straube, edited by Bruce King) it also includes articles on moisture meter accuracy, moisture sensors, seismic resistance, and plaster testing. by Rene Dalmeijer – The Netherlands In June [...]
Earth Plastering Guidelines for Finishes – TLS #43
This article appeared in TLS #43. by Gernot Minke – University of Kassel, Germany Note: This article is excerpted from Earth Construction Handbook (by Gernot Minke, WIT Press, Southhampton, Boston, 2000) which contains further information about weather protection, physical and mechanical properties of clayey soils, treatments and additives and modern earth construction techniques worldwide. 1) [...]
Birth of the Power Trowel: Pumping Without Spraying – TLS #42
This article appeared in TLS issue #42. This issue includes articles about experimentation and development of bales made from various types of materials. Articles about methods and equipment for spraying bales with plasters appear in #43 Spraying Earthen Plasters in Colorado), #33 (Stucco Pumping Iron). by Peter Mack – Ontario, Canada Very early on in [...]
Figuring the Hidden Costs in Your Building Plans – TLS #41
This article appeared in TLS issue #41 by Chris Magwood and Peter Mack-Canada This article is an excerpt from the book Straw Bale Building: How to Plan, Design and Build with Straw (New Society Publishers, 2000), and is reprinted with permission. Hitting a Moving Target. There is never a single point during the planning process [...]
Finishing Bale Walls with Siding – TLS #57
This article appeared in TLS #57. Loose Strings: Technical Discussions by Jeff Ruppert – Colorado, USA T e c h T i p s A little known fact in the bale building realm is that a handful of people scattered across different continents have experimented with the idea of finishing their bale walls with wood [...]
Build Your Own Simple Bale Wall Moisture Sensor – TLS #57
This article appears in issue #57 of TLS. There have been other articles about moisture sensors in recent years. by Habib John Gonzalez – British Columbia, Canada This article appeared in a slightly longer version in TLS#22/Spring 1998. Here are the simple steps and materials needed to build your own bale wall moisture sensor: 1. [...]
Newsflash! Straw-bale Infill Meets U.S. Building Codes – TLS #54
This article originally appeared in Issue #54. This issue includes a table of straw-bale building codes, guidelines and mandates in the U.S., and links to straw-bale codes, guidelines and supporting documentation; and an extensive review of the status of straw-bale codes and permitting throughout the world. by Sigi Koko – Pennsylvania, USA The bottom line [...]
Bale Preparation – TLS #50
This article originally appeared in TLS issue #50, 2005 by Tony Caniglia – Colorado, USA This technique was developed to reduce the amount of fill with loose straw or straw/clay required when the bent (rounded) sides of the bales are butted together. The purpose is to remove the bulge on the ends of the bales [...]
