Straw House Deloraine with Patrick Casey
Q: Why did you choose to build a high performance home over a standard, conventionally built structure which would have been substantially cheaper and faster for a comparable size and finish level?
A: Bring in a home that is comfortable all year round without us ever having to think about turning the heating on or opening a window to ventilate just feels right. We’ve done the hard work up front: we insulated and made the building envelope airtight as best as we can. We prioritised design decisions for thermal comfort in the harsh Tassie winters without the need to rely on an able-bodied person to collect & chop firewood for the life of the building. We’re physically able to do that now, but we may not be in the future. We also want to spend that time doing other things, putting our energy elsewhere.
Q: What did you do to prepare for building your own home?
A: We attended a strawbale building course, got hold of all the strawbale books we could find, visited as many owner-built open houses as we could, and picked their brains. We volunteered on other people’s natural builds to learn what to do and what not to do.
Q: Looking at the permaculture principles, which ones influenced your process of buying land, designing and building your home, and establishing a homestead?
A: Catch and store energy. We choose a north-facing sloping block to grow food. The house is situated the same way. Every room is designed to receive the sun. We created an airtight envelope for keeping energy inside the building. Everything in this project is essentially centred around the sun’s energy. We also built our house mainly of straw & timber, which are all grown through photosynthesis. Also, Observe and Interact. We log rainfall, and have realised that we’re well below the long term average rainfall. This may be a trend for the future. Integrate, don’t segregate: we’re working to accommodate all the wildlife and marsupials. We also observe wildlife movements and habits, and can plan our landscape accordingly.
Q: Any setbacks? How did you overcome them?
A: When people unexpectedly let us down—said they’d be available and then weren’t. Trying not to panic, you know you’ve got a lot of pressure to keep on the timeline you want to follow. Do you furiously ring round to heaps of people, or just calmly ask?
Q: So you chose the calm and flexible approach?
A: (Laughs) No.
Q. What are some positive aspects of the experience so far?
A: Seeing the structure rise up out of the ground and then being inside it, surrounded by it, has been so rewarding. So has the continuous learning experience.
Q: Do you have advice for others seeking to buy land and build their home?
A: When looking at land, consider Yeoman’s scale of permanence. This refers to how difficult and how much time it takes to change something on your land. For example, the climate is very difficult and takes a long time to change, whereas the soil is relatively easy and quick to change. Other examples are topography and orientation. For home building, I would start small with your design and focus on what’s really important for you.
