52 Unforgettable Homes - WEEK FIVE: It’s the real deal. A timber-frame straw bale home. Passive solar design. All genuine materials – over 95% from local sources. No foam. No plastic. No composites. No particle board. It’s clean and green. Inside it feels cozy, comfortable -- and QUIET. The thick walls created by the 350 straw bales filling the frame are covered in clay plaster, giving it an old world adobe feel. The thermal mass of these walls keeps the temperature warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The energy savings are 75% over a normal home. The home is a celebration of wood -- hawthorne, hickory, maple, oak, and pine. The tall posts grow from the floor and connect overhead in a network of beams, rafters and braces joined in glove-like precision using chisels, mallets and pegs. No nails. Timber-frames are more durable and long-lived than any than any other framing system, hands down. 500-750 year old timber frame homes are not uncommon in Europe. The union of straw bale building and timber framing is a harmonious one -- Aaron Dennis, the owner/builder of this home is known for it. These natural building techniques work very well together in our cold climate. Building ones own home is a desire inherent in all creatures. We all have a dream of the perfect home we would build if we could! To learn more about timber-frame straw bale homes check out Aarons website: tugleywood/ 52 Unforgettable Houses in Ithaca NY. Every House Tells A Story. 52 Stories. 52 Weeks. Every Monday, take a peek inside a different home and see HOW ITHACA LIVES. Amazing. Unconventional. Historic. Quirky. Magnificent. Unforgettable. P.S. These homes are NOT for sale unless noted.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:32:14 +0000
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