What’s Wrong With…

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I got a message on Facebook the other day from my friend Lisa. She knows me well and this little video pushed all the right buttons for me. A child speaking in public is awesome enough but to realise he is on 11 years old just blows my mind. Then the topic of his conversation was close to my heart too – the state of our food system. I’m an active and conscious consumer and his words just made my heart sing! Then he said he was home schooled and I just clapped my hands with joy as my son is also home schooled and it makes me wonder if that’s got anything to do with his passion, his awareness, his life experience. How many kids do you know like this?

This child warns against things that most people don’t even know exist. He knows, he went out there and found out all about it – some of it first hand. If only we would all lift our heads from the sand and make a stand for the future, for our kids. Buying local, non-manipulated, close to natural state, organic and pure food to eat ourselves and give our kids from the person who produces it should be the most natural thing in the world.

Building Green with Straw – Render and Finishes

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Building Green with Straw – Render and Finishes

For a lot of people building green with straw, the issue of rendering is the one that causes them the most stress.  Do your research and considers all the different types of finishes for the walls of your home.  There is a lot of information about render types and finishes and it will be well worth seeking out examples of each to see which you prefer for your green home building project.

Building Green with Straw - RenderingOnce concrete was considered the most appropriate render material for straw bale construction, but today you can consider sand and lime render, earthen renders using soil from your own site and the mix you choose is as diverse as the houses they cover.  Volunteer your time to help someone else render their home and you will find that your confidences, skills and knowledge will grow very quickly.  Voluntary labour sharing is a highly recommended activity when building green with straw.

Green Home Building: Finding Your Straw

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Green Home Building: Finding Your Straw

There are such things as ‘straw merchants’ out there who supply straw to industry, agriculture, gardening centres and of course the green home building industry.  The straw bales for your home need to be dry, uniform and tightly packed.  Find a reputable supplier who understands what you need.  This will make construction much easier in the long run.

Green Home Building

Strawbale Building Workshop - Brade Hodge Australia

This is yet another opportunity to visit people who are in the construction phase of green home building and look at the type of straw they used and gain useful contacts with their supplier and transport companies.  We did all of the ordering and arranging over the phone and then one day while looking for some recycled building materials in a rural area of our state we came across a farm with many large sheds full of straw and realised it was the very place that was holding OUR straw for our green home building project!

Attending a straw bale building workshop in your local area (or further afield if necessary) is also an excellent way to gain skills, information and make valuable contacts that will be useful to your green home building project.

Building Green with Straw – Take Your Time

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Building Green with Straw – Take Your Time

Building Green with Straw - taking time

When building green with straw as with any building project especially green home building, because you are more likely to be heavily involved with the process it is important to take your time – even if you are not planning to D.I.Y.  Don’t rush through the process and make sure you are really happy with all the elements you have selected.

Not rushing will help ensure that you don’t have to live with mistakes or omissions and in the end will help you create a building that you know reflects your ethics and values as well as your desired lifestyle.

Part of this is to realise that when building green with straw, no detail is too small.  It’s important where the switches and power points are, it’s important how high the window ledge is, it’s important where on the wall the window is because that determines what you see when you look outside.  Walk around your home and see where you might like to have a lamp, hang a picture or sit to look at the view – then build all these things into your design.  Realising that the floor cleaner chord doesn’t allow you to reach down the hall is a disappointment that can be remedied if you take your time to really think about all the things you wish to do and build that into your green home building plans.

Take your time when building green with straw and you will be able to enjoy much of it for years to come – just like my cat!

Green Home Building but How Green?

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Green Home Building – but how green?

Green Home BuildingGreen home building and in particular, building green with straw uses many other materials and it pays to research your options as many very common materials are not particularly eco-friendly (such as those treated for termites) or people friendly (such as those containing harmful chemicals and glues).

In this way, it is also possible to take into account the manufacturing processes of the materials you use, the ‘embedded’ or embodied energy in materials such as steel and aluminium, the distance a material has travelled, what happens to it at the end of it’s life.  When green home building it’s vital to look at the whole story of the materials you use – it’s more work but it’s worth taking the time to do your research.

Professional Services for Building Green with Straw

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Professional Services for Building Green with Straw

Building Green with Straw - Professional Services

Image via Google Images

Finding local professionals to draw up your plans who have experience with green home building and in particular building green with straw may be difficult depending where you live.  Once again it is worth researching your options, asking questions and even getting online to ask for referrals to experienced professionals.

Living outside major metropolitan areas can create issues around access to suitably experience professionals.  This is where speaking to others engages in green home building can put you in contact with reputable, experienced people who can assist you with your building green with straw project.

There are a number of quality books available that will guide you through this process and if you visit the Building Green with Straw Store in the sidebar you will find quality publications to inspire you and guide your progress.

Building Green with Straw – Do You Need a Contract?

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Building Green with Straw – Do You Need a Contract?

There are a lot of things to consider when green home building and although a lot of it is fun and creative, some of it is a legal requirement.  So when sourcing materials and contractor there may be an additional consideration.  It may be necessary to enter into formal agreements if work carried out is above a certain cost.  In some areas any work quoted above a set amount must have a formal contract drawn up, so check your local/state regulations to find this out.

Building Green with Straw - contacts

Do Your Research regarding Contracts

If you contract a specialist tradesperson to plan and construct your roof and guttering for example and the quote for the works comes in over the threshold amount set for your area (say $12,000.00) then you must consider having a contract drawn up for the works.

Building green with straw or any other natural building material carries the same legal requirements as any other building project.  Planning permits, building permission, insurances, contracts and final approvals are all needed and if you do it yourself, or even sub-contract someone to do it for you taking the time to research what is required will pay great dividends.  If you approach your green home building project in a logical manner, ensuring you have everything in place prior to commencement then your building green with straw experience will be something you will fondly remember for the rest of your life.

Building Green with Straw – Trades and Licenses

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Building Green with Straw – Trades and Licenses

When talking to local tradespeople about assisting with elements of your green home building project (plumbers, electricians etc.)  it is essential that you find out what work they are licensed to carry out.   Building green with straw will need the same kinds of tradespeople as any other kind of building project.  Be sure to sight their certificates and insurances prior to engaging them.

Building Green with straw

Make sure they carry qualifications and insurance

Some ‘handyman’ tradespeople are able to handle home maintenance and the like but may not be licensed to construct roof framing for example.

Your plumber may have all the correct certification to handle working with water but despite having the knowledge and ability to work with gas plumbing may not have the correct paperwork to meet your safety requirements.  When building green with straw it is essential that you employ qualified and insured trades people, especially if you are planning to DIY or self build.

It may be difficult to find people with experience in building green with straw but once you bring them to your site, share your vision and explain the differences and similarities of your project, you will find tradespeople more than willing to gain experience with green home building.

Insurance Considerations for Green Home Building

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Insurance Considerations for Green Home Building

green home building

Check Your Policy (image Photobucket.com)

If you are planning building your green home yourself you will need to take out additional ‘owner builder’/ construction insurance.

Many of the major  insurance companies do not cover construction or major renovations in their usual home insurance policies so you may need to seek out a company that specialises in what you need – especially if you are considering your green home building project as a DIY or self build project.

You will find they include things such as theft of materials from the site, some basic public liability insurance and damage to the partially constructed building from vandalism or storm damage.

Many home and contents policies have clauses that exclude major renovations that involve ‘de-cladding’ or ‘de-roofing’ the insured property.  Check with your insurance provider to see if your plans fit within their policy guidelines.

Green home building and building green with straw are very worthwhile exercises and you will want to ensure that you have taken all reasonable steps to ensure you have covered all the bases should fate step in and you need to make a claim.

Lending and Finance for Green Home Building

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Lending and Finance for Green Home Building

Green Home Building, Building Green With Straw

Straw Bale, Sun and BBQ - A spring To Cherish

When considering the option of green home building or even building green with straw or other alternative building materials, it may also be prudent to contact your bank or lending institution to find out whether or not they lend to people building green homes.  Some institutions put extra clauses in their agreements or set additional lending criteria or limits on loans that are to be used for building green with straw.

Many people in rural areas (larger properties, out of town etc) can have difficulty getting finance for homes, especially green home building projects.  On the upside, many lending institutions now have ‘green’ loans that specifically target green home building projects.

As more people approach lending institutions and successfully negotiate finance the way will be made easier for others to follow.   As increasing numbers of  people embark in green home building and especially alternatives such as building green with straw this will become a more mainstream way of doing things.