Straw bales on Big Island

If anyone would be able to answer a question I would be most grateful.
What is the availability of straw bales on the Big Island? And what
is the average cost per bale? It can be any material, rice, wheat,
etc. Thanks again.

Cheers,

Ned

> Though it just occured to me -- are you maybe planning to build one of those
> trendy straw bale houses? Probably not a good idea in Hawaii.

Ok, now you got me, why would this not be a good idea in Hawaii?

Cheers,

Ned

nedflanders@psu.edu (Ned Flanders) wrote in message
news:<1063304402-sch@news.lava.net>...
> > Though it just occured to me -- are you maybe planning to build one of
those
> > trendy straw bale houses? Probably not a good idea in Hawaii.
>
> Ok, now you got me, why would this not be a good idea in Hawaii?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ned

Fifteen dollar a bale should be a good reason why not to build with
straw, perhaps dampness would be another if the bales aren't rendered
properly, have you considered building with rammed earth using
crushed lava as a base.
Aloha Ed

Ned Flanders wrote:
>>Though it just occured to me -- are you maybe planning to build one of those
>>trendy straw bale houses? Probably not a good idea in Hawaii.
>
>
> Ok, now you got me, why would this not be a good idea in Hawaii?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ned
>

What about bamboo or thatch.
If available, these are proven tropical building materials.
Split bamboo walls give privasy and breath. Same for thatch
walls. Make your own twine with coconut husk...Get with the
environment!
-t

Michael J Wise wrote:
> sillender wrote:
>
>
>>You'd be living in a decaying compost heap.
>
>
> With rats.
> Don't forget the rats.
>
> Aloha mai Nai`a.

mmmmm rat, tastes like mongoose, only smaller...

-t

> "Oh, but there will be rats!" Uh, yeah... there will be, and are, rats.
> The rats don't particularly care what construction materials you choose...
> at least, I've never heard them express any preference. Ditto for the
> cute little mice, and the big roaches, and the geckos, skinks, spiny orb
> spiders, earwigs, crickets and ants. :)

Oooh -- and centipedes, and those new stinging nettle caterpillars. Yow!

Actually, straw bale houses are a great use of cheap, plentiful, local
building materials, where straw bales are cheap, plentiful and local.
Trouble is, straw on the big Island is none of those things (I wouldn't be
surprised if they ship it from the mainland).

I like the suggestion one person made about rammed earth construction,
especially because of its thermal insulation qualities (and imagine the
colors you'd get with our various hues of red dirt). Trouble is, there's
whole swathes of the Big Island where dirt ain't exactly plentiful, either
(eg Puna and Kona).

There was an article in the Hawaiian Island Journal some months ago about
alternate housing that's becoming popular in the wilder and woolier paerts
of Puna: "tensioned membranes" (ie stretched tarps) with bug screens and
elevated floors. The point being how little real house you need in the
tropics.

Ramed earth or cut sod from earth, either way you still would get bugs
working their way into the soil. They are pretty
smart little critters.

nedflanders@psu.edu (Ned Flanders) wrote in message
news:<1063069504-sch@news.lava.net>...
> If anyone would be able to answer a question I would be most grateful.
> What is the availability of straw bales on the Big Island? And what
> is the average cost per bale? It can be any material, rice, wheat,
> etc. Thanks again.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ned

Thank you one and all! I appreciate your insight. Just as a
reference, here in Pennsylvania, 87% humidity is our average; 100% as
I type this:) And as pointed out, as was my suspicions, Hawaii lacks
the resources to provide this form of construction. Straw is
available for twenty-five cents per 80lb. bale here in Pennsylvania.

Cheers,

Ned

Straw n. 1. A stalk or stem of certain species of grain, pulse, etc.,
especially of wheat, rye, oats, barley, more rarely of buckwheat, beans, and
pease.

Not much of those here, I can't see using bean or pea straw for much either.

dave

"Ned Flanders" <nedflanders@psu.edu> wrote in message
news:1063069504-sch@news.lava.net...
>
> If anyone would be able to answer a question I would be most grateful.
> What is the availability of straw bales on the Big Island? And what
> is the average cost per bale? It can be any material, rice, wheat,
> etc. Thanks again.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ned
>

"davon96720" <res6yim6@> wrote in message
news:<1065991805-sch@news.lava.net>...
> Straw n. 1. A stalk or stem of certain species of grain, pulse, etc.,
> especially of wheat, rye, oats, barley, more rarely of buckwheat, beans, and
> pease.
>
> Not much of those here, I can't see using bean or pea straw for much either.
>
> dave
>
> "Ned Flanders" <nedflanders@psu.edu> wrote in message
> news:1063069504-sch@news.lava.net...
> >
> > If anyone would be able to answer a question I would be most grateful.
> > What is the availability of straw bales on the Big Island? And what
> > is the average cost per bale? It can be any material, rice, wheat,
> > etc. Thanks again.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Ned
> >

Your source left out rice straw, which is what I thought may possibly
be available in Hawaii.

Cheers,

Ned