Hello everyone,
We are still at the very beginning of planning our future house.
The bank is currently reviewing the possible loan amount, and once that’s settled, we will take a closer look at the zoning plan / building permit and start considering the general design of the house. After that, we will begin searching for a home construction company.
The first important decision will be about the material for the shell of the building:
- Solid construction (e.g., masonry or concrete)
- Timber frame with appropriate insulation
- Timber frame insulated with straw (straw bale house)
We are quite fascinated by the idea of a straw bale house because there are hardly any other building methods with such a good ecological footprint during the construction phase. The insulation provided by the 40 cm (16 inches) thick straw bales alone is very effective and should meet KfW40 standards (yes, we want KfW40, so please no discussion about that here).
According to our current research, the costs are not much lower than other options, but it does offer the opportunity for a lot of DIY work, which we are excited about!
The house will have one full story and an attic with a rather low knee wall (50 cm (20 inches), maybe a bit more). The zoning plan/building permit doesn’t allow for more.
Does anyone here have experience with a straw bale house or something similar?
Best regards,
Specki
We are still at the very beginning of planning our future house.
The bank is currently reviewing the possible loan amount, and once that’s settled, we will take a closer look at the zoning plan / building permit and start considering the general design of the house. After that, we will begin searching for a home construction company.
The first important decision will be about the material for the shell of the building:
- Solid construction (e.g., masonry or concrete)
- Timber frame with appropriate insulation
- Timber frame insulated with straw (straw bale house)
We are quite fascinated by the idea of a straw bale house because there are hardly any other building methods with such a good ecological footprint during the construction phase. The insulation provided by the 40 cm (16 inches) thick straw bales alone is very effective and should meet KfW40 standards (yes, we want KfW40, so please no discussion about that here).
According to our current research, the costs are not much lower than other options, but it does offer the opportunity for a lot of DIY work, which we are excited about!
The house will have one full story and an attic with a rather low knee wall (50 cm (20 inches), maybe a bit more). The zoning plan/building permit doesn’t allow for more.
Does anyone here have experience with a straw bale house or something similar?
Best regards,
Specki
M
Myrna_Loy14 Apr 2021 08:38Clay plaster is no longer considered exotic. In the field of timber frame renovation, it is almost standard practice.
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
It’s a myth that you always have to go with the flow. Our master carpenter is currently planning his own house, for example with walls plastered with clay. Certainly an unusual choice, though not as extreme as a straw bale house (which we also briefly considered as an option). These are not just dreamers or eccentrics planning and building such things. They are doers! “Keep doing the same” ultimately leads to a sad, empty place—not something for (our) children. That was more referring to 1200 euros per m² (110 sq ft) including a 1500 m² (0.37 acres) plot of land. I can fool myself; I don’t need this forum for that 🙂
H
hampshire14 Apr 2021 10:38haydee schrieb:
I would clarify what the straw bales are treated with.
Mold, fire protection, mice Treated against mice – sounds very eco-friendly...
[
QUOTE="Bookstar, post: 489008, member: 20319"]
That really reads like a nice fairy tale.
[/QUOTE]
Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is the believer and who is the skeptic.
Bookstar schrieb:
That was actually referring to about 1,200 euros per m² (approximately 111 US dollars per sq ft) including a 1,500 m² (16,150 sq ft) plot of land. I can fool myself, I don’t need this forum for that 🙂 With consistent self-build and purchasing many materials without markups – as I understand it, I don’t find that unrealistic.
Plausibility estimate:
Price per m² (square meter) 1,700 euros (approximately 157 US dollars per sq ft) at the time of construction four years ago
Included are 595 euros (35%) labor costs
Of which 445 euros (about 75% of labor costs) are replaced by self-performance
Included are 765 euros (45%) material costs
Of which 195 euros (about 25% savings) are saved by skipping markups and direct purchasing
No cost differences for machinery and other expenses
Friendly architect 🙂
Price per m² = 1,700 - 445 - 195 = 1,060 euros (approximately 98 US dollars per sq ft)
@Sebastian Acht: Congratulations on your great house and respect for the achievement.
Bookstar schrieb:
That was more referring to 1200 euros per m² (approximately 111 sq ft) including a 1500 m² (approximately 16,145 sq ft) plot of land. I can fool myself, I don’t need this forum for that 🙂 In my quoted text above, I did not refer to construction costs at all. In particular, I am not mocking anyone here (at most unintentionally :cool 🙂. Therefore, I don’t understand the context here. And it should be clear to everyone that mostly non-professionals are expressing opinions here :p.
S
Sebastian Acht14 Apr 2021 22:06To clarify briefly, I am self-employed and naturally purchase from building material suppliers. Specifically for house construction, I was able to negotiate somewhat better terms with my regular supplier. However, since my company deals less with timber construction, the prices for construction timber were not much cheaper than elsewhere. For example, I only had to pay €2,100 for 21 tons of clay plaster. I am also fully aware that such a low construction price can never be passed on to the typical homeowner. Additionally, my helpers, who are also self-employed, kindly requested only minimal wages. Furthermore, I live with my family outside of an urban commuter belt; undeveloped land costs €18.50 per square meter (about $18.50 per square yard). I personally installed the connections for water, sewage, and electricity up to the street. Fortunately, during this time the road was completely rebuilt and the utilities were directly connected. One might consider this a tall tale or whatever, but I know exactly what the bottom line is in the end.
P
pagoni202014 Apr 2021 22:25If you feel like it, maybe you could share some progress photos? Great project, my compliments!