The west side of our straw bale house
I’ve posted a goodly number of images of the interior of our straw bale house ‘Strawtron’, but fewer of the exterior. Here’s a few photos to peruse and some explanation for our ‘exterior design’ choices. Much of how we designed the exterior was based on the local climate, orientation to the sun, functionality, and aesthetics. I think the function, look, and feel of the exterior of the home is as important or more (in some cases) than the interior.
Straw Bale House ‘Exterior Design’
Though I can’t really call this house “passive solar” (since it doesn’t have ground contact), it’s carefully situated in relation to the sun, with lots of south-facing glazing. The south side of the house was originally designed to feature an attached greenhouse — a rather tall one at that, hence the wooden header that you see above the south windows in the photo below. (Someone may add one someday, but since the house is for sale our work has officially ended at this point.) The door on the south side doesn’t make much sense there without a greenhouse or a deck of some kind.
Note the greenhouse header above the south windows here
A greenhouse would have the added benefit of protecting this rather tall wall from the elements. Northeast Missouri gets a lot of blowing rain, seemingly from all directions. Hard rain from the south is not at all uncommon, and this wall is by far the most exposed. It’s nice to think of the greenhouse not only providing heat in the winter and a space to grow plants, but as another layer of protection from the weather.
The balcony is great for watching sunsets, and it helps protect the west wall from rain
The west side features an ample roof overhang and balcony. Some of the worst weather comes from this direction, and of course some of the most spectacular and colorful views can be had on a summer evening when the sun sets. The balcony is not only functional (a place to sit and hang out, enjoy the views), but it helps protect the house from some of the harshest weather. If and when the balcony floor boards eventually decay, they can be very easily replaced. The actual framing of the balcony is composed of white oak and black locust, two woods that should last a very long time despite being exposed.
The north side of the house is fully clad in lapped white oak siding, which is much more weather-resistant than lime plaster. Again, a lot of harsh weather comes out of this often cruel, cold cardinal direction. It’s also the shadiest part of the house, which means a rain dampened lime plaster would not dry as quickly if it were to get wet. The wood siding should last a long, long time with little maintenance, and it dries quickly when it gets pelted by rain.
White oak siding is a durable cladding against the cruel north weather
The shade on the north side also means it’s perfect for summer cooking. This half of the house is not heated, so it’s not insulated… but it provides an extremely valuable space in the form of a cool, breezy, sheltered porch and summer kitchen space, separate from the rest of the house. Unfortunately, this north door is pretty exposed to rain and wind, but that was hard to avoid. You can’t have it all, I guess.
The east side has a lower living roof that sets the design apart
The east is the most protected, and the last side to see harsh weather. The two roof levels here are very much an aesthetic choice, a nod to the “Cascade of Roofs” in A Pattern Language. The upper gable is mostly well-protected with the exception of a rare east gale, and the earth plaster here provides an aesthetic contrast to the mostly white lime on the rest of the house exterior. Finally, the lower east roof is a fun place to sit and enjoy the living roof if you’re feeling adventurous, too. You can overlook the path and road from here and chat with passers-by from above.