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Our straw-bale project
Riverside-Salem United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ

28September08 -- Co-Pastor Cathy Rieley-Goddard examines fresh work on the shelter -- a new lintel made of an ash branch from a tree that was blown down in high wind last winter.

A version of this photo is posted to Co-Pastor Jon Rieley-Goddard's Buffalonya PhotoBlog

-- Photo by Jon Rieley-Goddard

06 November 07-- Some mud-slinging is appropriate, at least in straw-bale construction. This is the south wall, sporting its initial coat of straw+clay+sand.

-- Photo by June Licence

06 November 07-- The discovery coat of straw+clay+sand shows the contours and flaws on the south and east faces of the shed.

-- Photo by June Licence

 

 

06 October 07 -- We have one wall underway. The work is fun and builds community, as well as beautiful structures.

-- Photo by June Licence

We are working with Dave Lanfear of Bale on Bale Construction in Buffalo (baleonbale@msn.com) to build a straw-bale shed on the property.

Straw-bale construction has the following benefits:

  • Cost per square foot is comparable to stick-built house construction.
  • Straw bales are plentiful by-products of agriculture; using the bales redeems some of the carbon released into the atmosphere by usual agricultural practices that rely on fossil fuel.
  • The R-factor of straw bales far exceeds the fiberglass insulation used in stick-built structures.
  • Willing workers need few skills to be effective in helping on a straw-bale construction project. The materials are effective and at the same time forgiving.
  • Inside and outside walls are plastered with cob, a mixture of local clay, sand, and chopped straw. The floor is made of similar material that when treated with linseed oil has the feel of leather.
  • Straw-bale construction uses mostly green materials such as earth, straw, sand, and wood. Bamboo stringers tie the bales together; there is no need to use steel rebar for this.
  • Straw-bale construction is high on aesthetic appeal.

Our project is turning a decades-old picnic shelter into a shed that will be a grace-note onthe landscape.

We see the project as a demonstration project. We hope you will come to one of our work parties. Check the home page for times.

This project is the first straw-bale construction project on Grand Island that we know of. We hope that others will follow suit.

Dave Lanfear (www.baleonbale.com) is a gifted builder and teacher and a passionate advocate for straw-bale construction.

His motto:

Creating beautiful, healthy homes and buildings which inspire the human spirit and respect the balance of life on Earth.

03 November 07 -- Volunteers work on big-push day. The pair in the mouth of the shed are turning straw into chaff for the mixture that went onto the outside walls.

-- Photo by June Licence

 

 

06 October 07 -- Sometimes the work is very physical, when a straw bale needs to be reduced in size and retied at an acceptable level of compression.

-- Photo by Cathy Rieley-Goddard

       

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3449 West River Road, Grand Island, New York / PO Box 207 Grand Island, NY 14072

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