Strawbale House

A Somerset strawbale house now replaces a neglected dwelling. The owners of this Somerset hillside plot invited O2i Design to help them with this innovative two-storey timber-framed straw bale house. They aimed to create a virtually self-sufficient home. Anthony said, “We were looking to build and came across an old stone cottage on Plotfinder.net. With a view to die for, we knew right away it was ideal … and when we engaged Duncan Pyle from O2i Design Ltd, we knew that we were on the right track.” The house is the owners’ remarkable achievement and a real testament to their vision to achieve a low-impact home. The building’s green features include :

• A timber frame and straw bale walls rendered with lime
• Passive solar heating and roof-mounted solar panels
• Log burning stove and heat recovery ventilation system
• Rainwater harvesting and composting toilets

This self-build strawbale house was a Finalists in the Homebuilding and Renovating Awards 2011 (self-build category) & The Telegraph Eco Home Winner (as voted for by readers). You can see more about the project here.

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