Straw-Bail-Homes-Carol-Atkinson-Howden

Straw Bales are the Way Forward in Construction A study to research the potential for using straw in construction has led to a coveted Nuffield Farming Scholarship for a woman who firmly believes building with straw bales is the way forward. Carol with Yorkshire Agricultural Society Chief Executive Nigel Pulling in front of one of Carol's straw bale buildings. Carol Atkinson, who farms with her husband at Howden near Goole, already runs the Straw Bale Cabin, a one-bedroom holiday cottage. A second, larger cottage is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by May this year. She is sponsored by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society following her successful application to the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust. The Society, best known for organising the annual Great Yorkshire Show, is committed to promoting and assisting the developments in farming. Nigel Pulling, the Society’s Chief Executive said Carol’s study was not only interesting but could lead to new business opportunities for farmers. “Agriculture faces increasing challenges and her study should prove extremely valuable in highlighting a possible growth area. Straw bale building has the potential to provide farmers with a new income stream, as well as being good for the environment.” Nuffield Farming Scholarships are prestigious agricultural awards recognised around the globe. They promote leadership and the implementation of innovative agricultural practices through worldwide study. Carol will travel to the United States, Canada and Europe to look at how straw bales are used in construction and investigate how the idea could be more widely used in Britain. “I’m passionate about the potential for building with straw,” explained Carol. “There are benefits for farmers too, such as adding value to their crops, and wider benefits for the environment. It also means there could be more low-cost rural housing, it would boost rural skills and there would be a natural, non-toxic indoor environment. It’s good news all round really.” She said: “I’m really grateful to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for sponsoring me – it wouldn’t have happened without their support. This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.” Almost 200 people have stayed in the Straw Bale Cabin, which was the first of its kind in the UK, and has attracted widespread interest. But, says Carol, straw bale building is still little-understood in Britain, with less than 100 buildings nationwide. “They are permanent buildings, with lime rendering on the outside and clay plaster on the inside, and we have sheep’s wool insulation in the roof,” said Carol. “They’re warm, comfortable places that are totally natural and use local resources where possible – for example the clay, hemp, timber and so on. “There’s no reason why more straw bale buildings shouldn’t be constructed and my study will assist me in learning more about how this could happen. It’s more widespread in Canada and the US, which is why I want to visit, and seeing how using straw bales works in Europe will be interesting as their climate is closer to our own.”

A-HomeBrew-Micro-Hydro-Plant

Here is a great website I stumbled upon this morning that I thought I would share with my followers.

http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html

This guy has left the mainstream hustle and bustle of life and set up a homestead in the throws of Chile.

He goes into great detail of how he has diverted a stream to power his MicroHydro Plant, it really is a remarkable feat of engineering.

HomeBrewPower Yahoo Group On Carbon Neutral Power
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homebrewpower/

Low-Impact-Woodland-Home-Simondale

Below is a quote from the Simondale House Website. They have build a Low Impact Woodland Home In Wales UK. A True inspiration to anyone wishing to build their own Low Impact Woodland Home.

'You are looking at pictures of our family home in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passersby and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).

The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.

Some key points of the design and construction:
Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring...)
Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
Water by gravity from nearby spring
Compost toilet
Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. Oh and by the way I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around inbetween. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again. '