Straw Bale House – TUC Radio

Articles about my straw bale house home. I am 8 miles from the nearest town on a three mile dirt road. There is no water, electricity or other utility. We are collecting rainwater, pumping drinking water from a spring 2 miles away and are using an outhouse. “Out” is over 200 feet away – a long way when it snows!

Maria’s Straw Bale House – gallery

By MariaMay 12, 2016Straw Bale House

I got many requests for pictures of my straw bale house. Here are photos – from bale delivery to the passive solar floor, and the almost completed solarium, spanning six years.
Thanks to all of you who have supported TUC Radio. Looking around my new home there is so much evidence of your contributions. You have helped me buy everything this house is made of from straw bales and lumber to roll roofing and nails – a little over $15,000 over the past 5 years.

Neighbors are helping offload the bales of rice straw. They arrived from the Sacramento Delta, delivered by the farmer who grew, harvested, and baled them.

If rain gets into the bales they may begin to compost, [ . . . ]

Living here: July 16, 2013 – update from August 2012:

By MariaJune 16, 2013Straw Bale House

BEFORE and AFTER – This is my Sun Shed, for solar electric and solar hot water, a wood stove inside also makes hot water for a shower and a utility sink for laundry. A small electric pump brings hot water into the radiant floor of my straw bale house. All the difficulties building this are forgotten. The expanded electric system is now running a Sunfrost refrigerator and all of TUC Radio as well as my personal electric use.
One year summary: There was hot water from the sun year round, except for 2 weeks. In one year I used 16 gallons of gasoline in my generator to replenish the solar electric system when the sun did not shine. During that [ . . . ]

My Strawbale House

By MariaAugust 31, 2012Off Grid Living, Straw Bale House

My Strawbale House
I got many requests for pictures of my straw bale house. Here are photos – from bale delivery to the passive solar floor, and the almost completed solarium, spanning six years.
Thanks to all of you who have supported TUC Radio. Looking around my new home there is so much evidence of your contributions. You have helped me buy everything this house is made of from straw bales and lumber to roll roofing and nails – a little over $15,000 over the past 5 years.
The land
I am 8 miles from the nearest town on a three mile dirt road. There is no water, electricity or other utility. We are collecting rainwater, pumping drinking water from a spring 2 [ . . . ]