The first little pig had it right, this Wolff says
Woman working on energy-efficient house of straw
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Michael Sangiacomo
Plain Dealer Reporter
Akron- Don't bother making a joke about a wolf living in a house of straw. Marcia Wolff has heard them all.
She'll be the one laughing this winter when her new energy-efficient home constructed of compacted bales of straw is kept warm as toast for less than what most households pay for a newspaper subscription.
She expects to move into her new home, built on a private road so far west in Akron that it's almost in Copley Township, by her 51st birthday at the end of October. When the house is done, it will be difficult to distinguish Wolff's home from many others in the area. The giveaway is the width of the walls - about 18 inches.
"It just means we have wonderful window seats at every window," she said, walking around the construction site.
Wolff, who runs Design Council, an Akron interior-design business, has been suggesting straw-bale construction to anyone who would listen. Building her own house using natural materials found in the area is just her way of putting her suggestions into action.
The frame of the house is typical wood construction. The difference comes at the point when most houses would have drywall installed on the inside, siding on the outside and insulation in between. She is putting compressed bales of straw, held together with bamboo poles and strips of wood, and will finish off the inside and outside with four coats of a thick plaster of mud, sand and clay. The sand and mud come from the woods on the 5.5-acre property.
The finished product is a smooth wall inside and out. Before she is done, she will use almost 15 tons of the plaster over the 2,600-square-foot house.
Christopher Fox of Fox's Natural Building Co. in Akron and his youthful crew of eco-conscious college students have been working on the house since May. It's an unusual collection of workers who come from several states and live in tents on the property. Instead of playing rock 'n' roll, they listen to classical music while they work.
"This kind of construction in the United States goes back to the early 1900s," Fox said. "But there are straw houses in Europe that have lasted for 500, even 800 years. If you make it tight enough, it's rot-proof. As far as fireproof goes, because it is packed so tight, it's much harder to burn than an ordinary house. It would be like trying to burn a closed Cleveland telephone book. As far as trying to burn through the plaster, well, that's like trying to burn mud."
Wolff learned how to build her house at workshops sponsored by the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. The first workshop taught how to construct the straw bales (which are thinner and more densely packed than normal bales). Other classes taught how to use the bales to build a house, and a last course taught how to make and apply the plaster coatings.
Wolff did her homework when it came to building the house. She salvaged antique doors from an Akron building about to be demolished. She bought cabinets from Habitat for Humanity. Because of her frugality, she believes her house will cost only a little more than a home that was constructed the standard way.
"I want people to see how a house can be built so that it is energy-efficient and still be elegant and rustic," she said.
For further information, contact Marcia Wolff at 330-258-1100; the Cleveland Green Building Coalition (for future classes) at 216-961-8850; Fox's Natural Building Co., Akron, 216-225-0753; or HarvestBuild Associates, Columbia Township, 440-236-3344.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
msangiacomo@plaind.com, 216-999-4890
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Michael Sangiacomo
Plain Dealer Reporter
Akron- Don't bother making a joke about a wolf living in a house of straw. Marcia Wolff has heard them all.
She'll be the one laughing this winter when her new energy-efficient home constructed of compacted bales of straw is kept warm as toast for less than what most households pay for a newspaper subscription.
She expects to move into her new home, built on a private road so far west in Akron that it's almost in Copley Township, by her 51st birthday at the end of October. When the house is done, it will be difficult to distinguish Wolff's home from many others in the area. The giveaway is the width of the walls - about 18 inches.
"It just means we have wonderful window seats at every window," she said, walking around the construction site.
Wolff, who runs Design Council, an Akron interior-design business, has been suggesting straw-bale construction to anyone who would listen. Building her own house using natural materials found in the area is just her way of putting her suggestions into action.
The frame of the house is typical wood construction. The difference comes at the point when most houses would have drywall installed on the inside, siding on the outside and insulation in between. She is putting compressed bales of straw, held together with bamboo poles and strips of wood, and will finish off the inside and outside with four coats of a thick plaster of mud, sand and clay. The sand and mud come from the woods on the 5.5-acre property.
The finished product is a smooth wall inside and out. Before she is done, she will use almost 15 tons of the plaster over the 2,600-square-foot house.
Christopher Fox of Fox's Natural Building Co. in Akron and his youthful crew of eco-conscious college students have been working on the house since May. It's an unusual collection of workers who come from several states and live in tents on the property. Instead of playing rock 'n' roll, they listen to classical music while they work.
"This kind of construction in the United States goes back to the early 1900s," Fox said. "But there are straw houses in Europe that have lasted for 500, even 800 years. If you make it tight enough, it's rot-proof. As far as fireproof goes, because it is packed so tight, it's much harder to burn than an ordinary house. It would be like trying to burn a closed Cleveland telephone book. As far as trying to burn through the plaster, well, that's like trying to burn mud."
Wolff learned how to build her house at workshops sponsored by the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. The first workshop taught how to construct the straw bales (which are thinner and more densely packed than normal bales). Other classes taught how to use the bales to build a house, and a last course taught how to make and apply the plaster coatings.
Wolff did her homework when it came to building the house. She salvaged antique doors from an Akron building about to be demolished. She bought cabinets from Habitat for Humanity. Because of her frugality, she believes her house will cost only a little more than a home that was constructed the standard way.
"I want people to see how a house can be built so that it is energy-efficient and still be elegant and rustic," she said.
For further information, contact Marcia Wolff at 330-258-1100; the Cleveland Green Building Coalition (for future classes) at 216-961-8850; Fox's Natural Building Co., Akron, 216-225-0753; or HarvestBuild Associates, Columbia Township, 440-236-3344.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
msangiacomo@plaind.com, 216-999-4890
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