Living in a strawbale house

Starting with a steel frame incorporating roof, wall and floor planes, straw bales were then packed tightly between the steel structure. Lime plaster was then hand applied over the straw bales, giving the house its highly sculptural form.

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The lime plaster breathes and moves, with new plaster applied every few years to fill cracks and renew the surface where needed. It creates a very dry indoor environment, so many indoor plants have been introduced to increase humidity. 

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Built by the original owners, Jacqueline & Dan have undertaken major renovations of the kitchen and bathrooms, replaced existing flooring with beautiful blond Victorian Ash, added HVAC systems, and created a new entry / boot room / laundry area.

 

The renovations included making a few new openings in walls, which involved removing straw bales after breaking through the plaster. These straw bales were then used as mulch in the vegetable garden - the best use of demolition material we have ever found! The lime plaster being just lime & sand just breaks down naturally.

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As with her interior design practice, Jacqueline's focus was to use environmentally sustainable materials - natural (timber, wool, ceramics); local/Australian where possible; low/no VOC; durable; and long lasting.

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The home is completely off-grid, with energy supplied by the sun and water supplied by rain. Extra winter heat is created using an efficient wood burning stove, filled with fallen timber from around the property.