Build It With Bales is a straw bale building classic, published in 1997. Though the book is a bit older now, it still has plenty of good information. (There are a couple of dated pieces of advice in there.)
The Last Straw has made a PDF download of the book available for free online (click here to view). Check it out if you’re interested — there’s some good reading to be had. (Thanks to the Natural Building Blog for the heads-up.)
I really like the idea of cob and straw bale buildings. I don’t totally understand how the shelves get formed, but I am still learning. I want to live off the grid. I need to practice some of this. Thanks for the articles and photos.
PJRS- author, poet- writer.
I really like the idea of cob and straw bale buildings. I don’t totally understand how the shelves get formed, but I am still learning. I want to live off the grid. I need to practice some of this. Thanks for the articles and photos.
PJRS- author, poet- writer.
Patricia: Do you mean the shelves in a straw bale house, or cob… or both?
You can read about installing shelves in a straw bale wall here: https://www.theyearofmud.com/2014/10/20/decorative-shelves-straw-bale-home/ — this same technique could apply where you want to install cabinets and counters, too.
As for cob, I don’t have anything written up that I can remember, but it’s a very simple process of building out the cob from the surface of the wall using “corbel cobs” — think very straw-heavy handfuls of cob with the straw running perpendicular to the wall surface. A shelf built this way is incredibly strong!
Patricia: Do you mean the shelves in a straw bale house, or cob… or both?
You can read about installing shelves in a straw bale wall here: https://www.theyearofmud.com/2014/10/20/decorative-shelves-straw-bale-home/ — this same technique could apply where you want to install cabinets and counters, too.
As for cob, I don’t have anything written up that I can remember, but it’s a very simple process of building out the cob from the surface of the wall using “corbel cobs” — think very straw-heavy handfuls of cob with the straw running perpendicular to the wall surface. A shelf built this way is incredibly strong!