Top Five

• Cooling System
• The Value of Buying Locally
• Sustainable Design
• Green Building Supplies
• Organics. Good for you. Good for me.

Cooling System

Without too much reliance on a central cooling system or an air conditioning unit, there are so many ways you can keep cool in hot temperatures. There is, of course, a multitude of manual ways such as draping a wet sheet over the window, or putting frozen water bottles in front of a fan. But there are design features that you can add that will work as a natural convection. The basis for one of these is 'hot air rises.' But building vents on your south (hottest) and north (coolest) side of the house (North America) you can create this flow of air. Air molecules expand when hot; therefore, a larger vent will be needed on the South side to get the greatest efficiency of this system. In turn, a smaller vent will be necessary on the coolest (usually North) side of the structure.

Straw bale construction

If you are thinking about creating a structure with straw bale construction or want to know more about it, here are some things to consider. One of the large considerations you will want to figure out early on is the specific type of construction. You can either do a post and beam construction with the walls filled in with the straw bales, or you can use the straw bales as the weight bearing part of the structure with the roof resting on the bale walls.

When looking at cost structures, there are elements that can vary widely. If you are considering this type of structure, then you already know that these types of buildings cost considerably much less than a size equivalent conventional structure. But beyond that, cost of the bales, for example, varies depending on what season you choose to purchase them in. Transportation distance will also play a key role in the cost per bale. Texas is a great place to get straw bales from. 200 Million tons of straw are burned every year because, almost all of which is perfectly useable for construction purposes. As for the exterior applications, you can either do-it-yourself, which may take longer but will almost always result in lower cost, or you can hire a contractor. The material you choose for the outside will cost different amounts depending on what you choose. For example site soil will cost much less than stucco. Straw bale buildings have been built for as low as $10 per square foot and the higher end homes for about $100 per square foot.