New Strawbale Home, The [Hardcover]

Catherine Wanek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2003

Straw bale-the cozy, sculpted home that feels like an embrace.
(20030921)

Editorial Reviews

Review

An attractive new book...The New Strawbale Home...[has] color photos of 41 straw-bale homes from California to Vermont and from Canada to New Mexico, and contains lively interviews with their owner-builders and architects. (San Diego Union-Tribune )

Wanek's informative and handsome new coffee-table book profiles 40 residences across the United States and Canada, most built during the past decade's straw-bale renaissance. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram )

...a beautiful coffee table (or workshop table!) book both inspiring and practical. (The Last Straw Journal )

From the Inside Flap

Building with bales has begun to enter the mainstream, yet many people still wonder, "What does a straw bale house look like?" The New Straw Bale Home provides the answer, which is truly, "anything you want!" Innovative architects and owner builders are reinventing this century-old technology to create thick-walled modern houses of surpassing beauty. Their initial choice often stems from the desire to build an ecological and healthy home, and the result also saves on energy bills and encourages personal creativity. The New Straw Bale Home compiles floor plans and images from thirty cutting-edge homes across North America, from California to Quebec, New Mexico to New England. It showcases a spectrum of regional styles and personal aesthetic choices, including urban homes that enhance their neighborhoods, home office solutions, and country homes and hideaways. This practical book also discusses varying climate considerations and essential design details for problem-free construction and low maintenance. Chapters include information on budget considerations, code compliance, siting for energy efficiency, structural systems, and finishing touches. The New Straw Bale Home also offers valuable insights and hindsights of architects, contractors, and owner-builders, plus an extensive resource section. (20031201)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1 edition (July 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586852035
• ISBN-13: 978-1586852030
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Home Design > Energy Efficient Design

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photographs and the down and dirty details, November 14, 2003

By 

C. Nellemann (Carson City, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Strawbale Home, The (Hardcover)

This is the first "coffee table" book that shows how exquisitely beautiful straw bale homes can be. It also gives good information on how much they cost, various energy savings you can recieve from a straw bale home and other information on how the various owners and builders built and paid for their homes.

Most of the homes are in the higher-end spectrum and I was disappointed that I didn't see less expensive (but maybe not as fancy) homes included. However I did like the coverage of the co-housing communities who use straw bale building.

Overall, a lovely book that you will drool over if you like straw bale or any other natural building.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice picture book, not a build it manual, August 23, 2005

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Strawbale Home, The (Hardcover)

For your money you'll be getting what amounts to a picture book with several different types of strawbale homes across the US and Canada. There is a small starter section, with pictures, on general construction details.
For each house there will be at least two, sometimes four or five, pages of text and pictures about the owners homes and how they were built. Don't buy this book thinking it's a build it manual, that isn't the case as the information is more of an idea book type presentation. You'll get a little on costs, size and other things including square feet both inside and outside the walls (along with small floor plans of each home) and several very well done photographs.
I found these photos to be the best part of the book as they will either give you some ideas for your own home or at least they'll show you what's out there. Some of the ideas had a Santa Fe look but some had a sharp edged box with lots of glass look (and not much straw either). Most of the homes were not displayed from all angles, just from selected views.
If you're on a strict budget you won't want this book unless you can find a cheap used copy, it's much more of an idea book.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars price per square foot included in this book, April 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: New Strawbale Home, The (Hardcover)

Beautiful book with much needed info..a real treat for the eyes..the best is it gives the cost of contruction for almost all the houses shown...if you want to build a strawbale than this book is one you will want to include in your library..does not give alot of hands on constrution but it does gives you visual ideas of what others have done with their houses..