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Timber
wall plate being placed on top of the straw bale wall
A load
bearing straw bale wall with the timber roof structure
Robert
plastering the south wall using the earthen plaster
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An
earthen bread oven in the forecourt constructed entirely
out of earth and straw on a bed of stones |
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The structure
had to be protected from
the rain during construction as moisture
is one of the biggest enemies of
straw bale construction.
On top
of the wall plate was constructed a traditional roof by the
neighbors using the traditional construction techniques. The
timbers for the roof structure were taken from the local forest.
The roof covering was made by the local crafts-man. Henryk
Romanowski using wheat straw thatch. The walls were plastered
with an earthen clay plaster outside and inside, which allows
for a beautiful finish of curved and sculpted walls.
Since it
rained all of the month of August when the straw is supposed
to be gathered from the fields, the arrival of our straw bales
was delayed by a whole month. With so little time before the
cold weather hit we were forced to abandon the finishing process
of earthen plasters and return to it next summer. We therefore
have workshops scheduled throughout July and August for earthen
floors and plasters to complete the house.
Maciej
and Halina Mackiewicz in front of their new straw bale guest
house.
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