Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book.)

In 1994, when Chelsea Green published The Straw Bale House , the response from many people was a loud, "Huh?!"

Those days are gone. With more than 100,000 copies sold, and straw bale projects underway in most regions of North America, we've entered a new era. Even building-code officials and insurance companies now look favorably upon straw bale buildings, with their extraordinary energy efficiency and wise use of agricultural waste for construction materials.

Bergeron and Lacinski's new book is the first to look carefully at the specific design considerations critical to success with a straw bale building in more extreme climates-where seasonal changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity create special stresses that builders must understand and address. The authors draw upon years of experience with natural materials and experimental techniques, and present a compelling rationale for building with straw-one of nature's most resilient, available, and affordable byproducts.

For skeptics and true believers, this book will prove to be the latest word.

Thorough explanations of how moisture and temperature affect buildings in seasonal climates, with descriptions of the unique capacities of straw and other natural materials to provide warmth, quiet, and comfort year-round.

Comprehensive comparison of the two main approaches to straw bale construction: "Nebraska-style," where bales bear the weight of the roof, and framed structures, where bales provide insulation.

Detailed advice-including many well-considered cautions-for contractors, owner-builders, and designers, following each stage of a bale-building process.

This is a second-generation straw bale book, for those seeking serious information to meet serious challenges while adventuring in the most fun form of construction to come along in several centuries. more

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Michel Bergeron, Paul Lacinski, Paperback, Amazon, DeepDiscount.com

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Smarter Choice Serious Straw Bale: A Home... Paul Lacinski, Michel Bergeron / 2000 / 371 pages Books	DeepDiscount.com 4,386 reviews *smarter certified	$27.00 Free Shipping Coupon 2 coupons available Code:No Code Required Detail: Free Standard shipping on any order at DeepDiscount. Expires:Aug-31-2010 Restriction:Unknow Code: Detail: Free USPS shipping at DeepDiscount.com Expires:Nov-20-2010 Restriction:Unknow	See it
Serious Straw Bale: A Home... Pages: 371, Edition: 1st, Paperback, Chelsea Green Publishing Company	Amazon 11,621 reviews	$19.80 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it

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Recent Reviews

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-05-2009; Interesting; Well ... Book is, anyway interesting. Question is how practically can help during building straw bale home. Experiences of the other people are fine, but, I have a feeling that some important answers are missing. Inspiring, but not...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-05-2009; At last, some SB info for extreme cold climates!!; I'm glad I finally found this book! Almost all the information you find on straw bale assumes you're building in a nice dry-hot climate, or tries to scare you away from wet/humid climates. Virtually nothing except some Canadian...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-24-2008; Really good book.; Really good book with plenty of technical information, drawings, schemes. I would recomend that item for architects interested in this technology. It's one of few books on the market which are really "serious" about straw bale. It's not...; read full review | report as inappropriate

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jun-02-2008; Meaty.; I hope to build a natural house some day and am still in the research stage, looking at various alternatives. Straw bale is of course a serious contender. I am not a builder or a handyman; as a lay person I found this book satisfyingly...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-05-2009; Interesting; Well ... Book is, anyway interesting. Question is how practically can help during building straw bale home. Experiences of the other people are fine, but, I have a feeling that some important answers are missing. Inspiring, but not...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Apr-02-2007; Uneven but mostly good information; I recommend this book with certain caveats. There is certainly some good information in the book and led me to some ideas that never occurred to me before, but the information is uneven, more than a little poorly organized and requires...; read full review | report as inappropriate