Straw bale house construction question...

okay I have a wood framed house vintage 1973. Is it beyond the realm of reality to "construct" an additional outer wall of straw bale against the current outside siding? (I, at the moment, have hardy board)

colonial times, but I'd be a-feered a-fire! Will your insurance company go along with it?

How does it work? Have you seen other examples?

Ah, found some info--there's a DESIGN AND PLANNING link on this site, too:

http://www.strawbalehomes.com/Strawbale%20FAQ.html

All of the straw bale homes that I'd seen are insured, but It's not necessarily easy. Many owners have just transferred their existing policy from one house to the other. When talking to the building department or insurance company, the way one communicates the type of home is important. If you say I live in a straw home, most people think the straw in exposed & your living on a dirt floor.

If you describe the home as a post & beam frame on a continuous concrete foundation, cellulose insulation, exterior stucco & interior plastered walls you are telling the truth.

In the past I'd worked with American Family Insurance, who insured over twenty four straw homes in Durango Colorado. One day just stopped, no fires, no damage. The insurance executives that live back East, have never seen an adobe, log, rammed earth, or straw home just dropped the policies. We transferred our policy to Allstate insurance with no problem, they understood that the wall insulation was straw but were more interested in the homes distance to the fire hydrant.

That said all of the above insurance companies have insured straw homes, depending on the local office. The ones that I have found that are locally used is USAA in San Antonio, 800-531-8111 they are educated about straw bale homes.

Nationwide Insurance, Travelers Insurance Company, Hartford under writing, Safeco Inc., Oregon Mutual, Mutual of Ingham Claw.

The International Straw Bale Building Registry by Sustainable Source is a compendium of mortgage lenders & insurance companies around the world please register if you have a straw home & for more lender & insurance companies in your area.

study after study proves it

Here's another site, with PICTURES and PLANS!!! http://www.balewatch.com/

It does seem like an interesting idea. If you do it, take pics!



Here's another neat site, with questions/answers--watch out for the saw tooth grain beetles! http://www.strawbale.com/

Here in New Mexico, retrofitting conventional construction with straw bales is a growth industry.

I don't know where you are, but I would advise hiring professionals, or at least taking some classes and building a wall or two before you try the retrofit yourself. It's not as simple as it looks.

And why are you proposing to add straw bale?

I would do it down the road as a long term solution for controling heat and cooling in my house. As an energy saver.

You'd want to pay attention to the wall/bail interface for moisture. Even with eaves, it might take some kind of barrier at the upper areas.

Also, a solid foundation for the bails would be worth paying attention to.

I know zero about bale construction. Although there is a hay bale construction group in my area, or so I've heard. I'll check it out.

http://www.skillful-means.com/menupages/projectslist.html

Retrofitting is a special animal. You really want to make sure you cover your bases. But as long as you conform to building standards for bale construction, having an existing wall shouldn't pose a problem, above and beyond the obvious things like windows and penetrations.

I would assume you are thinking of this so you can better insulate your home. If this is the case I would then assume your house, built in the 70's, is minimally insulated, R11 in a 4" wall.
Today most house wall need to be insulated to R19, which requires a 6" wall, or 4" with additional insulating sheathing on the exterior.
I won't get into the issues you would encounter with adding a "wall of straw" around your house but would mention the needed additional foundation support, new window, door, and roof extensions. And still you would need to construct a whole new exterior shell to cover the straw.
All you really need is the new exterior shell to cover you existing siding and to accomplish this I would recommend:
Staple a layer of high density foam--thickness to be determined by cost and required additional insulation value--to your existing siding. You will need to "fur out" your window and door openings to accommodate the added thickness and provide a nailer for new window and door trim.
You could then find a siding with long enough fasteners to cover the foam board.
I have seen many projects cover the foam board with a stucco finish.
My best suggestion would be to contact a local contractor with as many references under their belt as possible and explore options that may be most applicable in your area and for your requirements