The Beauty of Bales

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In general, roofs should slope at a minimum of 4:12 - preferably 6:12, to improve rain control and reduce snow loads. In drier climates the slope can be as flat as 2:12, with a simple shed roof.

Gable roofs can enclose a large volume of space. One of the easiest ways to gain space in smaller buildings without enlarging the footprint of the building is to raise a gable roof slightly to create a half-story or a loft. Dormers are a little more complex to build, but they amplify the interior space and add significant amounts of light. Shed dormers are easiest to build.

With straw bale buildings, one of the roofs main tasks is to keep as much water as possible away from the walls and base of the building. Generous overhangs are essential in wet regions, and in very dry regions with little rainfall, they provide shading from sun in summer, yet allow winter sun to enter. When walls are not too tall, keeping the eaves low will make the overhangs even more effective. For instance, where we live, a 32-inch overhang on walls approximately seven and a half feet high is not overly exposed to high winds and keeps the wall surface dry most of the time. Gable-end walls should have wider overhangs than eave walls, because the gables are higher. Gutters should carry water away from the building and keep roof runoff from splashing back against the base of the walls. In colder climates, due to the weight of snow an the extra stresses of freeze-and-thaw conditions, gutters need appropriate detailing.

Partial or wrap-around porches make great sense in many situations. A small porch, six feet in width, easily protects walls on the windward side in all but the most severe, driving rains. In addition to improved rain control, porches can dramatically increase the amount of useful space at a much lower cost than fully enclosed additions, providing screened living and sleeping areas, utility space, outdoor kitchens, storage, space for washers and dryers, and, when combined with clear glazing, a greenhouse or solarium. They need not reduce light in the buildings interior. Clear panels in the porch roof can replace solid ones; tempered glass panels from salvaged patio doors might be used. Where horizontal driving rain is common, enclosed porches with operable windows or sliding wall panels are appealing.

Least suitable for straw bale houses is unquestionably the "Santa Fe"-style of parapet roof, where the walls extend up past the roof to present flat surfaces directly to the weather. Such roofs offer none of the advantages we mention above, and are suitable only in the driest desert regions. Parapet roofs are functionally nonsensical - they merely imitate the style of another time and place. Parapets have their origins in masonry building methods such as adobe. In northern New Mexico, the "pueblo-style" parapet roofs can be traced back to when there were no other materials available and roofs had to be made flat and covered with dirt. Masonry materials also have a tendency to absorb and hold moisture, making them especially inappropriate companions for straw walls.

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