This strawbale house was built in central Colorado as a summer home. It consists of two bedrooms, one bath, great room, dining and kitchen, along with outdoor, screened-in porch.
The goal was to take advantage of the southern exposure to help heat the house during winter, hence the great room windows face a few degrees from true south.
Using strawbale provides good insulation and is a completely natural and local product. Strawbale is then plastered over with adobe for a solid, thick southwestern feel. Straw is cellulose and naturally wicks moisture away and out, as well as being fire retardent.
Cellulose insulation was blown into the attic and between ceiling rafters in the living room and icynene foam was sprayed in key areas to provide maximum heat retainage during winter.
The house has great crossflow ventilation for summer and rarely, if ever, uses A/C to cool. For heating, there are two alternatives. The first is a radiant heat system throughout the slab, heated by propane. The second is an efficient woodburning stove set in the greatroom fireplace. It actually does a superb job of heating the house with the help of fans.
