Introduction
The Strawbale Association of Texas (SBAT) was founded in January of 1996 in response to an overwhelming turnout for David Eisenberg's presentation for the Sustainable Building Coalition (SBC) earlier that month. As an organization, SBAT has developed as a vital link for owner-builders and others interested in straw-based construction resources and methods. Its membership includes a number of professional contractors as well as other enthusiasts of sustainable building techniques. It is from such a pool of pioneering spirits that this handbook was conceived.
The process of building one's own home is one of the the most involved and demanding process in which a person, couple, or group can find themselves. Whatever the materials one may use, a home is made up of choices. Wherever choices aren't made deliberately, they will be made by default. In the first essay, Working Together, Duncan Echelson discusses some the pro's and con's of working with professionals in the building trades and ways of pursuing a desirable outcome.
In addition to the strawbale wall stacking that has become somewhat of a tradition in strawbale home building, there has been an increasing demand for other people-friendly processes which put professionals and non-professionals in close contact. In the second article Frank Meyer discloses his secrets for using Austin-area road base as a flooring material that readily lends itself to the workshop approach. Earthen flooring techniques have seen a revival due in part to this need for participation and in part to a need for alternatives to less sustainable flooring materials such as hardwoods and concrete.
Strawbale construction easily lends itself to the use of stucco as an exterior, and sometimes interior, wall finish. There has been a significant number of people in recent years who have held stuccoing workshops and work parties in the central Texas area. Knowing the basics of stucco mixes, tools, and application techniques, along with some hard work among friends, makes doing a satisfactory stuccoing job accessible to a lot of folks. Herb Nordmeyer is a second generation master of plastering chemistry. In the third article Herb offers an introduction to stucco mixtures, applications, and techniques.
The popular use of cereal grain straw and other grasses for building products is still in its infancy, at least in this country. Resource development in terms of supply and demand will dictate whether or not strawbale construction remains a method limited to those with the means or courage to build or have built a home that our parents told us a wolf would blow down. The supply, marketing, and other changes that must take place for these products to come into mainstream use are discussed in the final article of this handbook in Jim Walker's article A Market for Straw.
This publication is dedicated to and produced for those who seek to involve themselves more in the building process, as well as taking more of the decision making process into their own hands. How one negotiates with place and the life around us is key to the fulfillment of one's desires. In a general sense, attitude is everything. As a primer to the articles which follow, I am including an outline for building a home which highlights the areas of consideration in which decisions must be made:
My thanks to Marc Richmond-Powers, Herb Nordmeyer, Duncan Echelson, Jo Wilhelm, Frank Meyer, Jim Walker, Catherine Brown, and others whom I'm unable to recall for their suggestions and contributions.
Norman Ballinger