The First Little Pig Was Actually Right

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Dave here again. Time to debunk the myth that Pig #3 with his bricks was the true hero of the fairy tale. I believe the myth was perpetrated by brick industry lobbyists. Anyone who has spent a sweltering summer in a midwestern brick city knows that the main thing this building material does is absorb heat and let it off at night so that things never cool down. A real boon to the air conditioning sellers. It also has little insulation value in the cold of winter. Those in the Northwest know the value of wood construction. Unfortunately, wood tends not to be sustainably harvested as witnessed by the 10% of virgin forests remaining in the US. Don't get me started on luan from the rainforests of Amazonia. Straw is really where it's at. It is sturdy. Contrary to mythology, no big bad wolf is going to blow it down. Some of the oldest homes west of the Mississippi are made of straw and have been withstanding nicely the prairie winds of Nebraska since before the Civil War. Straw also withstands fire. The few remaining structures intact after the devastating Oakland firestorm of 1991 were straw bale homes. Straw bale structures stay cool by themselves in summer and hold in the heat better than anything else (except maybe adobe) in winter. Plus, STRAW IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE. What a concept. If it is not used in construction, it tends to be burned in the field adding carbon to the atmosphere. For all these reasons when Ali and Bill decided to build a barn on their Cazadero property back in the 90s, in an area aptly named Hell Hole Canyon, they chose to build with straw bales. The name Hell Hole Canyon came from the areas propensity for forest fire. Ali bought the spread after it burned once before. Since it is so remote and potentially dangerous in a fire (no real escape routes), the local fire fighters let her know not to expect them if the worst happened. So if a fire does roar through the canyon again, the barn will remain afterward. Straw bale construction has another blessing. It creates community. When the barn was built, large crews of friends assisted in the effort over the course of the summer. It was spirited and fun. Melisse and I were among those who were part of the effort. It was a true barn raising. The straw bale community has many such stories. So when you reread The Three Little Pigs again, feel free to edit your version to more accurately reflect the true value of straw.

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Photos

Truth window
This is a tradition with any straw bale structure. It shows what is inside the stucco

Ali
The back wall is 2 stories tall for Ali's mural work

Note the bas relief
You can be very crative with the outside wall while stuccoing

Comments

[Jill]

The Barn
I love the texture of the outside of the barn. It looks straight from a Wallace and Grommit skit - like gray playdoh or like a thick ceramic barn! It also has a lot of nice windows - is there a lot of light inside the barn?

[Deborah]

Strawbale
Always wanted to build one of these. Looks like we'll be moving to Manitoba in 2011. Maybe this will be the catalyst for finally taking it on. Hope you are doing well! (Hi, Melisse!)

[Deb]

Hay!
And what about how well hay soaks up oil in water??? I'm starting to think about the Gulf of Mexico...which we call a lake. When the water temperature is 90 degrees and all that oil is everywhere...is this our future?