IS A STRAW BALE HOME MORE EXPENSIVE THAN A STICK FRAME HOUSE?
It depends on what you are evaluating, it’s not an apple to apple comparison. Straw bale homes have a higher insulation value, greater mass, have better indoor air quality and have far less toxic chemicals off gasing then the traditional home we have been building for decades. If we were to build a stick frame house that would meet all of these high performing goals then the stick frame house would be nearly twice as much as it’s Straw bale comparison. Finding ways, techniques and exceptional management and experience gives Straw & Timber the best chance to get close to competing with the standard home market. The materials are cheaper on a straw bale home and labor tends to be more, it’s a hand build house. So the up front cost of building a Straw bale home compared to a standard code built stick frame home will likely be more. However over time the utility costs of a well designed straw bale home are significantly less. We should also consider the true costs of the materials that we
