Straw Bale Homes Protect Against Fire Where Conventional Homes Fail

Reader Contribution by Gabriella Morrison
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Protecting against fires has long been important to code officials, builders and homeowners alike. None of us want to see our homes go up in flames or experience the loss and grief associated with fire. Building codes exist to protect homeowners from fires, both minor and catastrophic. Even with those codes in place, we have seen that a well-built house can burn to the ground in a matter of minutes. To me, the reason for this is obvious. A conventional stick-framed home is nothing more than a series of chimneys behind a thin layer of fire protection. What many homeowners don’t know is that the majority of the fire protection required by code in a conventional home is in the form of drywall. That’s it! 1/2″ of gypsum board is all that is required to protect you from fire. Once that drywall barrier has been compromised, there is nothing to stop the fire from attacking the structural wood and/or steel framing in your home.

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