Comments on: Natural Building with Slipstraw http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/ Learning to live green and live together Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:26:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Maggie http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/#comment-1494 Maggie Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:20:19 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=258#comment-1494 Yeah, it takes a lot of labor to do natural building but Andy is right that there are lots of people who will pay for the learning experience, if you're in the right place. Plus, with work parties, people can come and work for just a half hour or they can stay for the entire day if they're into it. (I'm more of the half-hour worker myself.) Many forms of natural building will let you work slowly in little bits so if you want to do a little yourself one day and then have a big work crew one weekend and then let it sit for a couple of weeks, that can be an option. But labor is definitely something to think about when you plan any building project. Yeah, it takes a lot of labor to do natural building but Andy is right that there are lots of people who will pay for the learning experience, if you’re in the right place. Plus, with work parties, people can come and work for just a half hour or they can stay for the entire day if they’re into it. (I’m more of the half-hour worker myself.)

Many forms of natural building will let you work slowly in little bits so if you want to do a little yourself one day and then have a big work crew one weekend and then let it sit for a couple of weeks, that can be an option. But labor is definitely something to think about when you plan any building project.

]]> By: Andy http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/#comment-1462 Andy Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:06:22 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=258#comment-1462 Jessica, people actually pay money to help out on cob/strawbale projects often. It's funny, I have helped out on many that are just looking for help, but there are some which say they are a workshop and charge $150 for a day, but are nothing more than the "come-help-me-because-i-cant-do-this-all-myself!" ones. Jessica, people actually pay money to help out on cob/strawbale projects often. It’s funny, I have helped out on many that are just looking for help, but there are some which say they are a workshop and charge $150 for a day, but are nothing more than the “come-help-me-because-i-cant-do-this-all-myself!” ones.

]]> By: Jessica http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/#comment-1454 Jessica Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:49:31 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=258#comment-1454 The real question is, where do you get friends who would want to come help with a project like that? I'm quite certain that if I attempted it, I'd be on my own. To many of my friends are opposed to manual labor and/or getting dirty. Sigh. The real question is, where do you get friends who would want to come help with a project like that? I’m quite certain that if I attempted it, I’d be on my own. To many of my friends are opposed to manual labor and/or getting dirty.
Sigh.

]]> By: Maggie http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/#comment-1440 Maggie Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:11:29 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=258#comment-1440 This project is in Bloomington, Indiana. There are also some cob and straw bale houses in the area and I have played with both techniques, as well as another that used slipstraw but wove it around upright sticks to make a thinner wall without the 2x4 frame. This stuff is a lot lighter than cob (no sand, much less clay) but it's a pretty similar concept. I have seen some beautiful cob structures, especially from folks who use glass bottles. There was a fair amount of cob at Lost Valley, in Oregon, where I studied permaculture. However, cob seems to hold up better in drier climates; it can develop cracks if it gets wet and dries again. I think slipstraw might do better but I'm not sure. You're right about straw and hay although I have never seen straw that was completely seed-free. That comment was something I overheard as I was walking by so he could have been talking about sliphay or whatnot. I'll double check on that. This project is in Bloomington, Indiana. There are also some cob and straw bale houses in the area and I have played with both techniques, as well as another that used slipstraw but wove it around upright sticks to make a thinner wall without the 2×4 frame.

This stuff is a lot lighter than cob (no sand, much less clay) but it’s a pretty similar concept. I have seen some beautiful cob structures, especially from folks who use glass bottles. There was a fair amount of cob at Lost Valley, in Oregon, where I studied permaculture. However, cob seems to hold up better in drier climates; it can develop cracks if it gets wet and dries again. I think slipstraw might do better but I’m not sure.

You’re right about straw and hay although I have never seen straw that was completely seed-free. That comment was something I overheard as I was walking by so he could have been talking about sliphay or whatnot. I’ll double check on that.

]]> By: Andy http://greencouple.com/2008/06/30/natural-building-with-slipstraw/#comment-1426 Andy Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:02:02 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=258#comment-1426 Awesome! That is a different technique than I have seen before. I lived right next to a cob house the past year, which is the same materials except you throw the chunks of cob onto the wall and then poke it with a stick to weave together the straw pieces instead of pounding them. On the other side was a strawbale house which is made with a regular timber frame and then full bales of straw 18 inches thick are stacked around the frame, ground down to be a little more flat, and then plastered over. Both very neat techniques that can be made with all local materials. I spent a few days this past week helping someone make a cob bench on the side of the street by their friend's house. It's really fun to get your hands and feet dirty in the process and really get into it! And here's a really neat one: http://abg.smugmug.com/gallery/2343207_ba8FL/1/122659491_3GyQq/Medium It's a cobbed wall with glass bottles throughout it. I saw this on a permaculture farm in New Zealand, and it's actually a composting toilet outhouse. Just for some clarification, straw doesn't have seeds by definition. It is hay which has seeds. From your pictures it looks like the method they used was halfway between strawbaling and cob that I have seen. Was this in Ohio? Awesome! That is a different technique than I have seen before. I lived right next to a cob house the past year, which is the same materials except you throw the chunks of cob onto the wall and then poke it with a stick to weave together the straw pieces instead of pounding them. On the other side was a strawbale house which is made with a regular timber frame and then full bales of straw 18 inches thick are stacked around the frame, ground down to be a little more flat, and then plastered over. Both very neat techniques that can be made with all local materials.

I spent a few days this past week helping someone make a cob bench on the side of the street by their friend’s house. It’s really fun to get your hands and feet dirty in the process and really get into it!

And here’s a really neat one: http://abg.smugmug.com/gallery/2343207_ba8FL/1/122659491_3GyQq/Medium
It’s a cobbed wall with glass bottles throughout it. I saw this on a permaculture farm in New Zealand, and it’s actually a composting toilet outhouse.

Just for some clarification, straw doesn’t have seeds by definition. It is hay which has seeds. From your pictures it looks like the method they used was halfway between strawbaling and cob that I have seen. Was this in Ohio?

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