For many of us, building a house is one of the biggest decisions of our lives. But navigating through the world of possibilities is not always easy. Pioneering natural construction for more than a decade, building with straw has really become part of our DNA. As straw homes offer a completely unique experience, there are many reasons to love them.
Here are the ones that come top of our list:
1. When you enter, you instantly know something is different about the place, but can’t put your finger on it. It just feels really good inside. It’s simply a place where you can rest and breathe freely. No smell of chemistry, just a hint of the sweet scent of straw.
2. The inside of a straw home feels like a cozy cocoon. It feels warm throughout, no drafts. You’re kept toasty in winter and cool in the summer. Nothing like polystyrene “refrigerator-style” homes.
3. Straw walls are complemented well by clay plaster and are the perfect way of adding your own personal touch to your home. Working clay, you can play with different tints, textures and patterns to create a space like no other. You can even mix in colourful sand, shell or pieces of silver mica to make it shine! A clay finish gives the space warmth and softness with an incredible depth of colours.
4. They are breathable! Natural fibres have a great capability to transport humidity from one place to another. This way the water vapour can circulate in and out of the home as needed.
5. We love the deep walls with their comfortable sitting niches. You can grab a blanket and tuck yourself in there!
6. The straw and clay work together as a team to keep the house at optimal humidity, which just feels ideal and is a huge relief for allergy sufferers!
7. Natural materials are surprisingly fire resistant. Straw has a 4% silica content which is a natural flame retardant. The straw in walls is also highly compressed, which means a lack of air to fuel a fire. And the surface charcoal layer that would be created in a burning process is yet another natural preventative mechanism.
8. They have the most beautiful acoustic properties. Imagine walking into a home where you can hear the quietness.
9. You can install a ‘truth window’. Many homeowners show off the inside of their wall through a window which gives a peek into the sustainable inside which is plastered over elsewhere.
10. We love being part of the global straw bale community which is busy pioneering a more sustainable future for all.
How about you?
If you’ve ever visited a straw home, let us know what comes on top of your list on our Facebook or Instagram, tagging us with the hashtag #10ThingsWeLoveAboutStraw.
