Natural building: Pioneers in Nebraska had it right
Build with what you have at hand. Use indigenous and salvaged materials. If the pioneers had too much waste from their crops—straw, for example—or if plants such as cattails and reeds filled the marshes and wetlands, or if the native grasses could use a bit of trimming, they found ways to use the “waste” or the overabundance of plants and grasses. They baled the waste, plants or grasses and built walls and thatched roofs to protect the structure, themselves and their livestock. Not wasting these precious materials but using them for shelter.
Live in only the amount of space you need. Living space wasn’t always about size and show; it was about being practical and about economy of space, too. Build and live in only the amount of space you need. Don’t waste or overconsume when it comes to building materials, energy and water (and the equipment and appliances that go along with them). You’ll have less to care for, keep conditioned seasonally and insure—saving you money, time and conserving all-round, too.
Accommodate only the furniture and furnishings, equipment and supplies that you need. You’ve seen the Solomon Butcher photographs of a family outside their sod home surrounded by all of their belongings. We probably won’t ever see that minimalization of stuff again—unless we have some sort of climactic or cataclysmic crisis. Spend 20 minutes of your time to view “The Story of Stuff,” an animation of the consumerist society, narrated by Anne Leonard, at http://www.storyofstuff.com. It might encourage you to reduce, reuse and recycle all kinds of stuff. And begin to understand that less can be more.
Select the site and place the building carefully. People who lived with nature and close to the land understood how their surroundings, the environment and climate affected them and the place in which they sought shelter. They understood the energy of the sun, the benefits of the good winds and the dangers and problems brought by the bad winds. And they built accordingly.
You don’t have to go far from Lincoln to find straw-bale homes that are situated on the land as it was found. There’s a two-story straw-bale home sheltering a family of five nearby, another two-story straw-bale home of a couple who live on a farm southwest of Lincoln, and yet another multilevel straw-bale home in metro Omaha occupied by a family of 10. The foundations of two of these homes are constructed of concrete blocks set into low-sloping hills. The bale walls sit upon these one-story block walls on two sides and on block footings on the other two sides; the bale walls are above ground. Windbreaks and trees along a small creek surround two of these homes. “Perhaps the greatest impact to the environment when constructing a building occurs upon selection of the site”.
Natural and salvaged materials are used in most of these buildings. In the homes mentioned above, framing timbers, concrete block, flooring, wrought iron and telephone poles so old they were made of dimensioned lumber were used. These materials were found in the same neighborhood or within a 25-mile radius of the building site. Most materials were free for the taking; some were purchased at a nominal cost.
The thickness of the straw-bale walls keeps the building cool in summer and warm in winter. Straw-bale walls can be 14, 16 or 18 inches wide, depending on how the bales are stacked (on edge, flat or on end) and the size of bale used. Small square bales 14 inches by 16 to 18 inches by 36 to 48 inches are the usual size in this state.
With an average R-30 insulation value, straw-bale walls keep the building about 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit year-round with no heating or cooling equipment. Simple back-up heating and cooling systems are needed in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. As with all buildings, humidification in the winter, when the air is dryer, or dehumidification of interior spaces in the summer, when there’s more moisture in the air, will help keep the building comfortable year-round.
Buildings need good hats and boots. Any type of roof or foundation can be used. A hip roof is a strong structure connecting to and protecting all walls of a structure with wide overhangs. The wide eaves carry rainwater and melting snow away from the walls; they also can provide protection from excess solar gain and certain weather conditions. Another good solution to cover the building is a shed roof on the north-facing side to protect the wall from weather, with clerestory windows at the peak adding natural interior lighting; a low-sloping wall on the south face can modulate solar gain and shed roof water and melting snow.
A straw-bale building needs a solid foundation, preferably designed so the walls are up at least 6 to 10 inches above ground. Walk-out and full basements, crawl spaces and all types of foundation styles and methods can be used so long as they accommodate the weight and width of the bales. The foundation wall should allow for the width of the bale and at least 1 inch on the exterior perimeter to accommodate the surface coating (stucco or plaster).
Codes approval and building permits can be obtained for nonloadbearing post-and-beam straw-bale buildings in most communities; a load-bearing design may require an engineer’s stamp to ensure the building is structurally sound, as the bales are not only for insulation but also support the roof and snow loads. Fire testing gives bale walls a one-hour to two-hour burn rate (depending on wall construction and coating), less risky than wood and steel. Liability insurance during construction and homeowners insurance once occupied is available.
Most bale walls are coated with stucco, lime or earthen plasters requiring no more maintenance than any other exterior coating. Before any coating is placed on the bale walls, the straw bales are trimmed uniformly and the stucco netting or wire is added to the walls inside and out. Some plasterers also coat the bale walls with a light clay slip to give the bales an even surface before the scratch coat, brown coat and final skim coat are added.
Vermin, varmints and pests can be found in all buildings. While we may have mice or some other pest in the bales during construction, they soon disappear. Buildable bales have no seed heads, moisture content of 14 percent or less, and they are dense, so there’s little oxygen. These guidelines not only help keep the vermin, varmints and pests away, the density of a buildable bale and the compression that occurs during stacking of the bales gives the walls some fire resistance and soundproofing, too.
Think like a pioneer of today. Build simply, naturally. Select sites, materials and methods carefully. Use heating, cooling, air-ventilation and building systems that require a minimal amount of resources. Forget the accumulation of stuff and the show. Live in comfort, ease, quiet and with nature.
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