More Straw Bale Building by Chris Magwood

Author:Chris Magwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Published: 2010-07-20T04:00:00+00:00

Post and Beam Details

Post and beam designs must be carefully adapted for use with straw bales to ensure that the two elements integrate well. First decide where to place the framework. It can be set interior to the bale walls, buried in them, or set exterior to them.

12.11: The top plate for a load-bearing building is usually a simple affair: two side rails, some blocking, and a plywood base. It will be built on the foundation prior to the bales being raised. The cavities will be filled with insulation and the box topped with plywood once it is in place.

Internal frames, left exposed inside the building, can add to, or detract from, the finished appearance of your home depending on the materials you’ve used. Internal frames can be created completely within the bale walls (ensure enough space is planned for plastering behind them), flush to the face of the bales, or set back into the bales.

In many internal frame scenarios, the plaster must make a seam with the post. Because the plaster won’t make an airtight seal at this junction — due to shrinkage during curing — a vapor barrier (with diamond lath covering it) is attached to the back side of the post and extended two inches over the straw before the straw is installed. The vapor barrier is thus keyed into the plaster and creates a continuous air barrier even when the plaster shrinks from the post. The same procedure can be used to tie the ceiling vapor barrier into the wall around the beams. Some caulking applied after the second coat of plaster has cured will further help to minimize air leakage at the post/plaster seam.

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