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bajarich
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Straw Bale Houses
A friend of mine in Tucson wrote a book on straw bale construction. I have recently seen other books on straw bale houses and am wondering how they
would hold up in Baja. The bales are held in place by cables and heavy chicken wire and its all fastened down to a concrete foundation. The roof
structure is also fastened with cables. The exterior and interior are then stuccoed over to keep out the elements.
We stayed in his demo unit once and it was very nice. The walls were 2 feet thick and it was much like an adobe house.
Does anyone know of any straw bale houses is Baja?
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Bruce R Leech
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Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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the rats and other critters just love to get inside those walls. also in humid claimants the straw starts to mold right away and rots away in a few
years.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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DENNIS
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There is an active church on the grounds at La Joya beach camp, Punta Banda, made of straw bales. Been there a while, maybe ten years, not sure.
Discovery channel once did a segment on straw bale construction. They built an office at a nursrey in San Juan Capistrano. Included in this type of
construction is waht they call a Story Window. Actually a small door in a wall which can be opened to show the straw to non-believers.
It seems to be a method which, if done well, has a lot going for it. Insulation in hot climate, for example.
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Timbercrete
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Where would you get the straw bales? I don't think I rememeber seeing any place that grows hay, let alone a quality bailer.
\"He, who farts in church,
Must sit in own pew\"
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DENNIS
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No idea.
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bajalou
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Timbercrete
Where would you get the straw bales? I don't think I rememeber seeing any place that grows hay, let alone a quality bailer. |
.
Straw has nothing to do with hay. Straw for these bales comes from the wheat and other grain fields - has no nutrients for insects or rodents and if
a building is constructed properly, should last many decades.
San Felipe has many straw bale homes, the earliest built about 12-13 years ago, but in some parts of the US, they report bulidings 100 yrs old.
Any where they have grain fields, they can produce straw bales.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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DENNIS
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I dont know why it would necessarily have to be straw. I've seen bales of used clothing and raw cotton which may be suitable substitutes.
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
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Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Timbercrete
Where would you get the straw bales? I don't think I rememeber seeing any place that grows hay, let alone a quality bailer. |
you cant use hay. it needs to be Good clean tightly bailed straw such as wheat straw bailed right after harvest. there is not much in Baja Ca. but
lots in Mexico.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
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Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
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They built one behind Cielito Lindo, I saw it in the building stage. That was about 4 years ago. The roof was on, the windows were installed, haven't
been down there since. I believe Dave and Juanita were building it.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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bajalera
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Would it withstand the winds and rain of a chubasco?
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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Dave
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Probably
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajalera
Would it withstand the winds and rain of a chubasco? |
But not the Big Bad Wolf.
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David K
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Dave & Juanita LIVE in it! U2U to 'Porky Pig' here on Nomad or contact them through the Cielito Lindo blog site... Link on my web site's 'Links to
Specific Baja Locations'
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Porky Pig
Junior Nomad
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Location: Cielito Lindo, Baja
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Our straw bale house
We have built and lived in our bale house for 6 or 7 years. The combine went thru the wheat?? and we had them cut the stalks for us and bale it. Not
sure about all of those details, but it was locally baled. Because the bales were loose, we built the house with cement pier and beam and used the
bales like filler. This is a simplified explanation. We are very happy with the house and it is very comfortable.
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geck01
Newbie
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Registered: 10-21-2006
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Hi,
there is a home on Los Tules, about half way between Cabo and San Jose. I don't know if they did it wrong or what but apparently it is falling apart
from the inside out. Maybe the humidity in Cabo fall? Got mice too. Mice don't need food where they nest,just a lovely soft spot. Food is always
somewhere close, like your pantry. In Pescadero they are building rammed earth homes. Haven't checked one out yet.
Does anybody have any ideas about how to get rid or prevent the black mold that grows in Palapa style roofs?
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajalera
Would it withstand the winds and rain of a chubasco? |
The several that were in San Felipe in '97 survived Nora with no problems.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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geck01
Newbie
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Registered: 10-21-2006
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bajalou, How do you spray it on without getting your lungs in shreds? A power sprayer that you could stand back from?
Thanks
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Porky Pig
We have built and lived in our bale house for 6 or 7 years. The combine went thru the wheat?? and we had them cut the stalks for us and bale it. Not
sure about all of those details, but it was locally baled. Because the bales were loose, we built the house with cement pier and beam and used the
bales like filler. This is a simplified explanation. We are very happy with the house and it is very comfortable. |
David, do you still have the photos of the construction of your house?
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
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Location: South of the broder
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| Quote: | Originally posted by geck01
bajalou, How do you spray it on without getting your lungs in shreds? A power sprayer that you could stand back from?
Thanks |
Believe it was Hose A who recomended spraying for mould.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Porky Pig
Junior Nomad
Posts: 78
Registered: 2-8-2004
Location: Cielito Lindo, Baja
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Our bale house
Any one wanting to build a straw bale house has to do more research than reading about them here. As a primer as to what we researched prior to
building our house, if you have loose bales, use a pier beam construction. Tight bales let you stack the bales then "cinch them down" to avoid
setteling. The use of chicken wire to cover the bales is questionable. We use wire outside and no wire inside and cannot tell the difference. The
outside should be cemented, usually in 4 coats. The inside in gypsum plaster to let any moisture leech out. Do not build a "Starship" house using old
tires as the tires break down and you have a chemical smell.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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Google ---- Straw bale house
A ton of info
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