Clutching at straws
Frenchvale straw bale house warm in winter, cool in summer.
The Harts of Frenchvale were warm and cozy this past winter in their straw bale house.
Now they’re looking forward to completing the finishing touches before another winter sets in.
“We still have cupboard doors to put on, baseboard to install, and we need to complete the master bathroom,” said Renate Hart. “We lived in a trailer on the property and it got pretty cold. But during this past winter we didn’t need two comforters on the bed, the house was very comfortable.”
At first glance, the nineroom house looks like any other. Now, the only way to see what is inside the walls is through the “truth window”, which is standard for any straw bale house.
“We’ve settled in, we love everything about the house. For me, I especially love the window sills and the cement floor, which is ideal if you have pets,”
“We pretty much built the entire house ourselves with the exception of the cement floor, plumbing and electrical. We know every nook and cranny. ” David Hart
Renate said. “As soon as I have everything in its place and get rid of the excess, I will be very happy with everything.”
The Harts repurposed a lot of furniture they acquired over the years such as oak dressers that are now kitchen cupboards, and an old locker that fits nicely in the laundry room.
“The only doors we bought were the closet doors in the hallway,” Renata said.
Typically, straw bale buildings are built by stacking rows of bales on a raised footing or foundation with a moisture barrier between the bales and their supporting platform in a timber frame.
The Harts used more than 300 straw bales that came from Boularderie.
The outer walls are straw bale covered with earth clay plaster and the dividing walls on the inside are Gyprock.
“I love that the house fits beautifully on the property,” she said. “We are surrounded by trees and several ponds that are home to a few families of ducks. I love being home so it’s David that does most of the grocery shopping and running errands.”
With a wink, David adds that he does whatever the boss says.
“I’m not really reflecting much on what we’ve done,” he said. “Once a task is finished I’m on to the next thing. Renata, she has the vision when it comes to the décor and how things should look. But we pretty much built the entire house ourselves with the exception of the cement floor, plumbing and electrical. We know every nook and cranny. ”
For the Harts, who moved to Cape Breton from Calgary in 1995 when David, a retired letter carrier with Canada Post was transferred, this is the fulfillment of their dream to move to the country and build their own home.
“There is always work to be done, and next we’ll have to get busy with the landscaping,” said David.