Why Build with straw?
This question is often raised, along with the other question "haven't you heard of the three little pigs?" Fair enough, but seriously there are good reasons to build with straw. Straw is a excellent insulator. This does not mean that per inch it is better than fiberglass, just that because of the width (450mm) there is a lot of insulation to be had. The typical strawbale wall offers a R-value of around 20. That is an excessive R-value that you would not normally insulate to with fibreglass but since the bales are units, that is what you get. You need to treat the rest of the house with good insulation and building practices to reap the benefits of course.
Vermin
Many people ask about mice and termites. Are they a problem? Well in realit..no. For one thing you try and source STRAWBALES not HAY bales. This means that there is not large amounts of protein in them for the mice to eat. Secondly, the walls must be completly sealed with render for fire reasons anyhow. So in practice for the first season yo may have a mouse or two cleaning up what is exposed from building, but after that you have no more mice than any other house.
Fire
Another question often raised is what about the fire hazard. Well during building, before the straw is rendered, yes definately there is a higher risk of fire due to loose straw. However once the house is built and rendered, it actually is very good. CSIRO have given it a 2 hour fire rating which is sufficent even for bushfire prone areas.
Living in straw
One of the great benefits we have found is that inside the straw bale walls you have a real sense of security. It is obviously physcological but due to the wall thinkness which you can see on the window sills and the isolation of noise from the outside world, you feel very protected. Add to that the warm in winter and cool in summer effect and you fall in love with the livability. We have installed earthern floors as well that adds to these effects.