What Is Green Building?
(Page 4 of 8)
August/September 2005
By the Mother Earth News editors
After we moved into a construction trailer on the land, the boys caught my enthusiasm and volunteered more often. I also found a consultant to help me with the difficult jobs, answer questions and tell me how to survive all the building inspections. I finally had the help and support I needed.
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Windows and Doors
Once the roof was on, the basic structure of the house was completed, but there were many, many hours of carpentry to go as I filled in the gable ends and installed windows and doors. This took patience and more learning, along with hard work while I was balanced on ladders and scaffolds. But this was the spiritual part of the construction for me, as I began to relax with the work and enjoy my craft in the open desert on the long summer evenings. I almost regretted enclosing the house, shutting out the soothing, melodic sounds of nature.
More Natural Materials
One year after the wall-raising party, I was ready to have another gathering to coat the bales with plasters made from clay and chopped straw. Sixteen people showed up on a cold, wet day and worked in teams, chopping straw, mixing mud and covering the entire house in one day. Again, I was so touched by the hard work that people, many of them strangers, put into my house. This house was built by a community of people who love natural building.
Installing the earthen floor was like running uphill at the end of a marathon. It truly was only with the help of a steady stream of volunteers that I made it through this difficult work.
Homecoming
When my house passed its final inspection, I felt as though I had graduated from college and put on a Broadway production at the same time. I was tired, but I was a stronger, more joyful person with a great faith that life is ours for the creating, as long as we don't give up on our dreams. I still enjoy making things more than buying them — even houses.
We’ve been in the house almost two years now. The fun really began after we moved in as I covered the earthen plasters with pottery clays and the drywall with burlap soaked in clay and water. We love the solid, slightly uneven walls with their natural textures, and I especially enjoy my low mortgage and utility bills. We truly have a home, sweet home.
Carolyn’s House of Straw
Excluding the porch expenses, and using the exterior dimensions of 1,200 square feet, construction costs were calculated at $37 per square foot. Using the interior living space of 995 square feet, calculated costs were $45 per square foot. The 925-square-foot covered porch cost $7,000, or $7.57 per square foot. Carolyn borrowed $50,000 from the bank and pays about $425 a month toward her mortgage.
Things I Learned About House Building
- Live in an old beat-up trailer while you build. This way your new home will feel like a mansion. If your trailer is too comfortable, you'll take longer to build the house.
- Read all the how-to books you can, even if you don’t remember what’s in them. You’ll get the gist of things and know why you have to do something in Phase 1 of the house to prepare for Phase 5. You can look up the details when you get to that part of the construction
- Help other people build their houses before you begin. Even if it isn’t the same kind of house, you'll learn a lot. It’s good karma, and they probably will show up to help you, too.
- Spend time outdoors in all kinds of weather in your area before you begin the house. Learn how to stay warm in the cold, cool in the heat and protect yourself from sun, rain and wind. You’ll be working in all these conditions.
- Be sure you have a good consultant who knows how to deal with your inspectors.
- Avoid anything that demands a time frame; it will take a whole lot longer than you think.
- Have a backup plan for more money; the house will cost more than you think.
- Have lots of pencils and at least two measuring tapes. Have a place for each tool and put it there when you are done, so it will be there when you need it again.
- For every problem, there is a solution. Don’t panic, just find the solution.
- Yeah, go ahead and read the directions on the stuff you buy, especially those bags of lime.
- Even though part of the beauty of straw bale houses is their handmade unevenness, build plumb and square. You’ll be glad you did when it comes time to add the roof, doors and windows.
- Build with joy and gratitude for this experience. When people are helping you, dance and sing. When you are alone, listen to the sounds of nature around you and feel the internal rhythm of your work.
- A house built with friends and family is more than a house; it’s a home. The difference is huge.
- If we never march intently toward our dreams, ignoring our fears and doubts, we will never know what might have been. (I think I said that, but it might be half-remembered Emerson.)
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