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from Natural Life
Magazine, May/June 2000  Straw
bale construction is in the midst of a remarkable revival across North America.
And a visit to David and Ann-Marie Warburton’s unique, three-year-old post and
beam straw bale home explains why. The two-story, three-bedroom 2,475 square
foot Warburton home combines high energy efficiency, low environmental impact
and serene simplicity on 3.5 acres in the Hockley Valley, an hour north of
Toronto, Ontario.The home suits the family’s lifestyle and desire to live more in touch with the earth. Their treed property includes 600 feet of frontage along the beautiful Nottawasaga River and provides plenty of room for two kids and a new litter of puppies, as well as two home offices. David is a self-employed garden designer/ builder and Ann-Marie telecommutes from her home office for Bell Canada. The couple’s first exposure to the use of straw construction was in New Mexico. Says David, “We were in a restaurant and got chatting with the owners. They were renovating the old building and had said, ‘Come upstairs...we’ve got something to show you.’ They’d torn off the walls and discovered straw behind them.” Sometime later, straw as a construction material re-entered their lives. The Ecology Retreat Centre, Ontario’s premier source of straw bale building workshops, is located just down the road from their property. Attending a Permaculture event there, they met architect Linda Chapman, who has been actively involved in straw bale construction since 1993. She has designed and built many straw bale homes across the country and, with the help of CMHC, has published two reports of research findings on straw bale walls. The Warburtons knew they didn’t want to build a conventional house on their property. So when Chapman suggested straw bale, they researched it and were pleased with what they learned. “There were no rude surprises,” is how David describes it. “We looked at logs, but found it to be more challenging. And straw bale hasn’t disappointed us. It was easy and efficient. And the house has a wonderful solidity. It is ... To read the rest of this article and others like this, subscribe to Natural Life's print or digital edition. Wendy Priesnitz is the Editor of Natural Life Magazine and a journalist with 30 years of experience. She has also authored nine books. Read her blog. |
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