The houses made of straw

Frelinghuysen — The big, bad wolf may huff and puff as much as he likes, but he isn’t going to blow down the house of Sr. Miriam MacGillis. Even if it is made of straw. MacGillis, farm director at Genesis Farm in Frelinghuysen, lives in one of two buildings on the grounds that were made using straw bales. The bales, which are tightly packed and stuccoed over, provide 18 inches of nontoxic insulation as well as a sturdy basis for walls. The buildings on Genesis farm were built in the 1990s, but machine-manufactured modular bales of hay have been used at least since the early 20th century in this country, mostly in Nebraska and the Midwest but as far north as Maine, Genesis says. From Friday to Sunday, the farm held a hands-on workshop in which students learned how to construct a straw-bale building. “We believe it can go mainstream,” said MacGillis of the technique. “Especially now, when there is so little affordable housing, our forests are depleted, and the population is growing.” With straw-bale construction, she says, “Local farmers can be the producers of housing.” While MacGillis lives simply and her cottage is minimalist, she says that her home, which is powered by solar energy and “completely off the grid,” is totally comfortable. “You can be comfortable and have a beautiful place to live,” she says of straw bale homes, “and make it as big and as fancy as you want.” Straw-bale houses are three times more energy efficient and three times less flammable than “stick” constructed houses, said Jim Weinrich of Frankfort, land and building coordinator at Genesis. He and Ron Hornung of Stillwater, a retired builder and instructor at Sussex County Community College, were presenters at the workshop, demonstrating how to build using straw bales. Because it rained on Saturday, students could not build and the bales of straw had to be carefully kept from getting wet. In order to prevent decomposition, straw bales used in construction need to be kept dry, tightly packed and covered with stucco to keep air and water from acting on the straw. Hornung said his interest in the technique grew out of his environmental concerns, and he has supervised two straw-bale projects. “The insulation value of 18-inch walls is significant,” he said. In addition to cost and environmental benefits, said Weinrich, ease of construction is a factor: “You can do a lot yourself. It depends on your energy factor. You don’t need fancy tools.” In one project, he said, “Twenty women who were all over age 65 put up the walls in a day.” “It’s a lot of fun to do projects in the community,” said Michael Kolber, a Newton resident who teaches at Lakeland Regional High School but was at the workshop as a student. “I’m here to be outside and to learn about alternative construction,” he said. Kolber said he’ll be retiring in a few years and absolutely would consider building a straw bale house as his retirement home. For more information, call Genesis Farms at 908-362-6735.