Hay Houses and Straw Buildings: Happiness is a Hay House
(Page 5 of 7)
July/August 1979
By the Mother Earth News editors
Last fall, to prepare for our second winter here, we restuffed the spaces under the eaves where the hay had settled. We also decided that the time had come to get our stained-glass work out of the living area proper . . . because our little daughter, Chris, was starting to get around the house on her own.
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As it turned out, we had no trouble building an adjoining 9' X 12' shop . . . again, using the pole-and-hay technique. We replaced a window with a door that leads to the "crafts" area . . . and we heat the extra room-with a small gas stove-only when one of us is out there. What a joy to have so much room to work! And, by moving the shop to other quarters, we effectively increased our living area . . . so the 30-foot-diameter house with its 12-foot center ceiling and lack of interior walls feels more spacious than ever.
As another tribute to our daughter's new mobility, we closed off our wood stove by using the six center posts to support a chicken-wire fence . . . and installed a hinged gate to simplify the firetending chores.
When we built our hay home, we planned to occupy it for no more than one winter and summer . . . but it's proven to be so comfortable that we no longer feel rushed about completing our stone dwelling. Many people must go heavily in debt for a place to live, but we have ours . . . right here where our construction work is. And-besides our stained-glass-window business-we've taken part-time jobs to pay for our building materials as we go along. We've even bought a small saw-mill to make lumber-not only for our house-but for many projects to come.
If we'd rented a place in town until the "permanent" house was built, we would have been forced to take out a mortgage to cover our construction costs. So, even though the hay structure hasn't been as "temporary" as we originally intended, it has enabled us to live comfortably and do what we want to do.
And although we've enjoyed our $400 home (the greenhouse and shop combined cost another $100), we still anticipate the day when we'll look out from our great stone house and see an open area up here . . . knowing that the hay has gone for mulch and compost, the poles have been used for other projects, and we've recycled as many of the other materials as possible.
Hay structures help you beat the high cost of livestock shelter, too!
Other Straw Bale Buildings
When you need to shelter some livestock or poultry inexpensively-and in a hurry-consider building a hay or straw shed. Such structures have been around since the first thatched roof, and can be emergency livestock housing problem solvers, or (with well-constructed frames) can last for years . . . although the sides and/or roof may have to be repaired or renewed from time to time.
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