From the earth

Cathy’s fascination with straw bales as a building material began years ago when she stayed in a straw-bale house at Verlorenvlei in the Sandveld (between Elandsbaai and Redelinghuys). “I fell in love; it was solid and timeless, as if it had always been there.”

She decided to take a course on how to make these ‘bricks’ – a mixture of lucerne, clay and lime – with a view to putting her knowledge into practice one day in the future. In summer, straw bales are abundant in the Overberg and the clay soil on the couple’s farm is a lovely ochre colour, perfect for the technique.

“The idea of building our own straw-bale house really appealed to us; that way, we could create a home that was ‘on the earth and from the earth’. It allowed us to utilise our own natural resources and has many advantages, including wide windowsills for stacking books or simply sitting and gazing at the mountains. It’s also wonderfully cool in summer and so cosy in winter.”

Once all the plans were in order, the foundations were dug and filled with concrete. In the meantime, they made the straw-bale bricks and stacked them in a pile to dry out ready for construction.

The only builder in the area that Cathy could persuade to tackle the straw-bale construction was Jerome Dickson. “He was the only one willing to take on the project; the rest were a bit scared.”

But where there’s a will, there’s a way – and eight months later the family could move in. The girls were already at school in Hermanus where the family had been living temporarily and from where Cathy project-managed the construction.

For much of the year, Basil works abroad so Cathy rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in – not that she minded as she got to watch her dream take shape. >>