In A Snap Group Has Built A House Of Straw; Public Invited To Huff And Puff

The phrase “low-income housing” typically doesn’t conjure images of thick, textured walls, cozy window seats and radiant-floor heat.

That may change Saturday, though, when the public gets its first look at the new city-sponsored straw-bale house at 2527 E. 8th.

Yes, straw - the same agricultural waste that gardeners use to insulate rose bushes, archers shoot arrows into and 4-H’ers scatter on the floor of livestock stalls.

Earlier this year, SNAP - Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs, a non-profit agency dedicated to providing safe, decent, affordable housing - set out to demonstrate that building with straw bales makes sense for several reasons. Besides putting a waste product to work, the century-old construction technique can yield homes that are attractive, energy-efficient, quiet, even fire-resistant.

Armed with a thick packet of statistics and case studies, SNAP convinced the City of Spokane to contribute $65,000 toward the three-bedroom home’s $78,000 budget. In return, SNAP agreed to rent the residence to low-income families for the next 30 years.

More than 1,500 hours of volunteer labor went into preparing the site, stacking bales, applying plaster and stucco, landscaping, and finishing the interior.

Ever since bales began going up in late August, work has been punctuated by curious passers-by eager to peek in on the progress.

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., volunteers will be on hand to provide tours and discuss the home’s unusual features. Videos of the bale-raising workshop also will be shown.

Except for one small patch of tastefully exposed bale in the living room, there’s little evidence that the 1,000-square-foot home’s walls are packed with straw.

“This really blew away a lot of people’s stereotypes of what a straw-bale house would look like,” observes SNAP project coordinator Julie Dhatt. “It made (the building technique) credible. It’s no longer hokey, or some really weird alternative.”

Construction supervisor Holly Millar agrees. “It looks like something that belongs in an architectural magazine instead of your typical low-income housing.”

In retrospect, Dhatt says the novelty of straw-bale construction was a strong magnet for attracting volunteers - particularly aspiring do-it-yourselfers who dream about someday building their own straw home.

But coordinating volunteers - especially unskilled workers - was more demanding than Dhatt and Millar anticipated. “I’d like to do straw bale again,” says Dhatt, “but I’d prefer a general contractor come forward and build it with his subs for a set price.”

That would raise the cost of straw-bale construction to a level comparable to conventional homes. “This technique isn’t cheaper,” acknowledges Millar, “but you end up with a house that’s more comfortable and a lot cheaper in the long run.”

What contributes to the demonstration home’s efficiency and comfort are the 18-inch-thick walls, which provide more than twice the insulation required by code, and muffle exterior noise.

The home’s concrete floor resembles the color of leather, and tubes of heated water running beneath it make the floor warm to the touch.

Skylights and compact-fluorescent fixtures should cut lighting costs.

The home will rent for $311 a month, including all utilities.

“One thing this project taught me,” Dhatt says, “is that you can’t go back.

“Once you’ve learned about alternative building materials and techniques, you can’t just forget you even knew and build a house that’s not environmentally friendly.

“So,” she predicts, “a lot of what we’ve learned will be incorporated into future SNAP projects, even when they’re not straw bale.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OPEN HOUSE The straw-bale house at 2527 E. 8th will be open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The home is located two blocks east of Altamont. Visitors are welcome to bring canned goods or other simple house-warming gifts for the low-income family that will move in later this month. For more information, call 456-7106, ext. 120, or 532-6225.