[Greenbuilding] need help pricing out a stud frame wall versus straw bale

RT archilogic at yahoo.ca
Mon Apr 16 17:00:38 CDT 2012


On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:13:18 -0400, michael hollihn  
<michaelhollihn at gmail.com> wrote:

> i have two clients curious about straw bale but would like to see price
> comparisons of straw versus 2x6 stud frame.
> does anyone have this information?

Straw bales are cheap like borscht.

The biggest cost will be for labour and the most labour-intensive aspect  
of straw bale walls is the plastering.

The cost for the labour will be dependent up who is providing the labour  
-- a crew that is experienced at stacking and plastering bales or people  
who have never held a plastering hawk in their hand ?

ie Even with something as conventional as foamed plast-ecchhh! ICFs (or  
even stick-framed walls for that matter) there can be a vast difference in  
the amount of time it takes an experienced crew of 3 to erect the walls  
(ie a week or less) and an inexperienced crew of a dozen to do the same (a  
month or three).

Further, the amount of futzing needed to stack the bales will also be a  
factor in determining labour costs and that will be determined by the  
design details (ie conventionally stacked bales or tilt-up stressed skin  
panels or prefab wood-framed/bale infill modular panels etc.) and their  
placement  WRT to the timber frame.

Other specifics that would affect the cost would be type of plaster, type  
of cladding if any, foundation type etc.

That is to say, without more specific specifics, it would be difficult to  
do any sort of meaningful cost estimate/comparison but generally-speaking,  
turnkey SB (ie no owner participation/sweat equity) will cost more than  
stick-framed.

-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada

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