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Straw Bale Houses and other "Green" Buildings

OK. I heard about straw bale houses from a friend's real estate website and then started looking for videos on youtube etc. Well, I found a whole bunch and I asked my friend if these homes were for real. (I haven't ever seen one in either California or Utah... well, actually, I haven't ever seen one anywhere except the internet.)

I was wondering if any of you know about these buildings and could give more details on:

The cost vs. traditional homes
What about Termites? Mold? Flooding, Decomposition???
Where I might be able to see one of these homes first-hand (In Utah...)
Where would you find Buyers who are looking for this type of home?
How would this type of home fare in the resale market? (When 99.999% of the homes in your community are Frame or Brick.)

Thanks for the education. I asked my friend if he could tell me more about it and he said he thought that straw bale houses was someones idea of a joke that will not go away. (An Urban Myth?)

I would guess it is a bit more than that, since I have seen them on the internet, but I have also seen the Wyoming Jackalope online (and a statue in person, but never in real life...) so, there you go!

Posted by Benjamin Clark - Exclusive BUYER'S AGENT - Certified Negotiation Expert - SLC, UT on 10/05/2007 02:45 PM

Comments (4)

straw bale houses, green, urban myths, jackalope

Originally posted at: Buying a Home in Salt Lake City, UT: Straw Bale Houses and other "Green" Buildings

4 Comments on Straw Bale Houses and other "Green" Buildings

OCT

2007

Ben, I saw them attempt to build something like it on the Discovery Channel Show "Dirty Jobs" Its pretty fun to watch.. although thinking back, that might have just been a mud hut.

I'm writing in PA, a state with four full seasons, so we get all weather types here. Just so you know what climate we are in...

My brother in law lives in a straw bale house.

The cost was less than a stick built EXCEPT....

The stucco guys had never done it before, and mucked it up royally, and it had to be re-stuccoed, not once but twice.

No bug issues yet - it's about 7 years old.

They live on top of a hill, no flooding issues. If there were flooding issues at their house, I would be looking for an ark to purchase.

I don't know about resale. My b-i-l actually rents the home, but helped in the construction process. I haven't heard of any others in the area. It's supposed to be a great insulator, blah blah.

Do you know if the straw is in direct contact with the ground, or do they use concrete footings for the bales? What are your thoughts about the resale value of a straw bale house, especially being one of the only ones known of in an area. Isn't your buyer pool much smaller?

I mean, even if it were much cheaper to buy than a traditional home and in fact, had the additional benefits of insulation value, etc., wouldn't the majority of buyers think "I'd rather buy a house like all my friends have."?

Do you think it is possible for it to ever become mainstream, or is it just another geo-dome fad for those who "dig" it?

I definitely think it's a fad. And not a hugely popular one!

Here in rural PA, the buyer pool is indeed very very small.

The straw bales are not in contact with the ground. He has a block basement, and then post and beam with straw bales stacked between.

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