New
Straw Bale House
at Solar Haven
- Design and Construction Details -
(with maximum economy in mind)
Basic Design: "Load-bearing" straw bale design; adobe earthen floors, earth and lime plastering on walls (internal and external), conventional gable roof (prefab metal trusses with purlins and 26 gague R-profile metal roofing), 30"' overhangs, recycled cotton batt insulation in attic space (R-32), radiant foil installed underneath purlins
Design Work and... Initial Drawings, Finding Materials, Hiring Workers, Supervising, Documenting : Jim Phypers, President, CEO, and Chief Custodian - "Solar Haven Contracting", Tucson, Arizona
Professional Drafting of Plans: 1200 square feet at @$1.15/square foot -$1380
County Building Permits (Tucson): $1200
Labor:
Some volunteer -- several people have inicated their willingness to volunteer their time to help us build
Additional volunteer labor force through the use of weekend, hands-on "workshops" in strawbale, earthen floors, and earth plastering (cost of professional instructors offset by small fee paid by participants for the straw bale workshop)
Hired
Materials... lumber, fixtures, windows, etc): donated, purchased from used lumber, salvage, and demolition companies, scrounged from scrap piles and dumpsters at new house construction sites
8 - 4' x 4' Windows
3 - 6' Siding Glass Patio Doors
2 - 36" solid-core doors
2 - 30" hollow-core or solid-core doors
2" x 4/6/8" used lumber for bucks and top plate
Toilets, sinks, and tub/shower
Kitchen sink, cabinets
Gas stove
Foundation/Stem Wall: hired local labor, concrete blocks, rebar, concrete to fill space between stem walls and grout all holes in concrete blocks
Earthen Floors: adobe "pavers" (4" x 16" x 16") stabilized with cement
Plastering: adobe earthen plastering and lime stucco plastering
Straw Bales: 310 new "construction grade" bales put up during weekend bale raising workshop
Heating: in-floor/slab hydronic radiant system using existing components (domestic water heater moved into greenhouse, manifold system and pumps already in use, Thermomax solar hot water collectors already purchased and installed on the greenhouse roof), 1200 feet of 1/2" PEX hot water tubing (purchased new)
Cooling: swamp cooler, purchased used unit
Water System: use existing rain catchment system, storage tank, pump and pressure tank
Electric System: use existing PV system (solar panels, battery bank, and inverter)
Septic System: use existing system, extend lines up to new house (40 feet), Mindy will do as she did before
Carpentry Work: Local and Tucson capenters, volunteers
Electrical Work: local electrician
Plumbing Work: local plumber
Solar Haven Main Page / Straw Bale House Page
© 2002-2010 by Jim Phypers