Our timber frame/straw bale home, under construction in 2012

I like straw bale building. I also really like timber framing. But even more than those two alone, I like them incorporated in one building design. There are numerous advantages to building a timber frame and using straw bales, and their benefits are enhanced by using the two in collaboration.

Advantages of Building a Timber Frame and Straw Bale House

I recently decided to explore this idea a bit further, after having spent some time thumbing through The Natural Building Companion, a very exciting book in the world of natural building treatises. This book is particularly intriguing because it deals with using natural materials in colder, wet climates, a setting that is often ill-covered in other building books. The authors present a lot of interesting details in using timber frames and straw bale insulation effectively, maximizing the inherent strengths of each material.

As I am now a guest writer for Mother Earth News, I took the opportunity to explore the idea in a more in-depth article about the advantages of timber frame and straw bale houses. Check it out. I hope to have more opportunities to design with these harmonious materials. I didn’t mention in my article… but they just look so dang good together, too.