OUR STRAWBALE HOUSE PLANS

We have a strong desire to build in the most environmentally-friendly way possible using natural low-embodied-energy materials wherever possible. Straw is largely a waste product (as distinct from hay which is used a animal feed) and is therefore a very sustainable way to build. It also has excellent thermal insulation properties which is important as Central Victoria can be pretty cold in the winter - Australia is not all hot weather and barbecues!! There is a huge amount of information on straw bale building on the web.

We have kept the size of our house quite small and employed passive solar design principles as best we can. There are many elements to this but the most important is to provide plenty of glazing on the North face (when you live in the Southern hemisphere). Combined with appropriate eave shading this allows the low winter sun to warm up the house whilst blocking the high summer sun to prevent over-heating. More detail of the house is available on each of the pages below.

PLAN VIEW
NORTH ELEVATION   EAST ELEVATION   SOUTH ELEVATION   WEST ELEVATION