The Straw House is a two-bedroom passive solar strawbale home and studio in an intentional community in WA. Built by a pair of creative permaculturalists, the house looks over abundant gardens and is surrounded by fruit trees, ponds, and lush greenery. It incorporates passive solar design - large north-facing double glazed windows that let the winter sunlight spill onto the tinted concrete slab, and summer shading and south-facing windows that channel the cooling summer breezes.
An attached greenhouse heats up in winter, and a door to the lounge room means that heat can be let inside on cool mornings. In summer the attached greenhouse becomes a shaded breezeway. Cool tubes are installed under the slab floor, bringing in cooler air in summer and allowing ventilation in winter when the fire is lit.
A large pantry made from recycled materials houses preserves and bulk food.
An off grid solar system charges the house and the electric car, and for cloudy winter days, a salvaged wood fire Everhot stove keeps the place toasty, and boosts the solar hot water system when the sun isn't shining.
Recycled and repurposed materials are used throughout - the kitchen island bench top was salvaged from a house demolition in Perth. The large north-facing window was free from a renovation at the Perth museum. The dining table was made from some jarrah slabs that the owners bought with the block. The window frames were all made from recycled jarrah, and the double glazed windows were bought for a steal from a local glazier who was keen to clear out his shed.
The walls are made from local straw, and rendered in clay from on site. The interior walls are made from cob - a mix of clay, straw and local sand. The studio building is made from light earth and features a jarrah staircase bought on marketplace.
The straw house is warm in winter, cool in summer, and serves as a hub for artists and permaculture enthusiasts to nourish themselves, connect, and recharge.
