Why Straw & Steel?

Nearly 120 years ago settlers of the American West brought straw-bale construction to the world out of necessity. More than 2,000 straw-bale buildings survive to this day in the Sandhills region of Nebraska, including the 1928 Pilgrim Holiness Church. Necessity is truly the mother of invention as using straw-bales to build a home offer many advantages; the renewable nature of straw, low cost, easy availability, naturally fire-retardant and high insulation value... so long as you manage the walls moisture levels to prevent rot.

Some 50 years ago an American builder used galvanized steel framing to construct homes in the Gold Coast, Australia. This Yankee ingenuity on Australian shores sparked more than a half century of Aussie innovation in light gauge galvanized steel construction; requiring less steel and zero maintenance. Today, the steel is cut to size in the factory (virtually eliminating waste) and put together like a giant erector set by a small crew over the course of an afternoon. The steel structure is pre-engineered (eliminating the need for an engineer or architect), clear-span (allowing for flexible floor plans) and highly economical to purchase, construct and maintain.

Much like our American-Australian family, serendipity has brought us to build a home based on these American and Australian building technologies. Straw-bales are an industrial waste product produced in great quantities in the Sacramento region and nearby Woodland California is home to a light gauge roll formed steel manufacturing facility. The pre-engineered steel buildings provide a solid frame in seismically active California while the in-filled straw-bale walls require less technical know-how to construct and far lower building requirements to meet while still providing excellent insulation.

TL;DR: Straw and steel offer very economical construction and maintenance costs while resulting in a building with a long life expectancy (75+ years).