If you’re trying to learn more about straw bale building, there are a lot of great resources out there. Here are a few to get you started.
We’ve written many articles about straw bale building in Mother Earth News. Here’s our article on Expert Advice on Straw Bale Building, which answers some the basic questions people have about this type of construction. For a few examples of straw bales homes you can check out these profiles:
Other Online Resources
You’ll find many articles about straw bale homes in our sister publication, Natural Home magazine.
The Last Straw is a quarterly publication about straw bale building. Find events and additional resources listed here, as well as information on the journal.
To find straw bale homes in your area, check out the International Straw Bale Building Registry. It includes helpful details about the homes and how they were built, as well as information about which homes are open for tours.
The Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building has helpful information on straw bale building codes, and free plans for straw bale emergency shelters.
Books
More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw
by Chris Magwood, Peter Mack, Tina Therrien
Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates
by Paul Lacinski, Michel Bergeron
The Straw Bale House
by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, David Bainbridge
— Megan Phelps, senior associate editor
