Building a Straw Bale House:
The Red Feather Construction Handbook
Nathaniel Corum

"This book is a timely and important tool for the empowerment of communities facing housing deficits. The Red Feather project is extremely important; it is truly making a difference."—Jane Goodall

For more than a decade the Red Feather Development Group, a volunteer-based organization, has built and repaired straw bale houses for Native Americans. Somewhere along the way—and this was certainly not the plan—they created an architectural phenomenon: This inexpensive, environmentally sound, easily constructed, and downright beautiful form of building has, for good reason, caught the public's imagination. Here, Red Feather provides a step-by-step, easy-to-follow manual for would-be straw-bale builders—indeed, they supply everything you'll need but time, energy, and lots and lots of straw. Informative sections on safety, design, tools, and materials, and case studies picked from over thirty-five Red Feather projects give a comprehensive overview to straw-bale building.

But this book is much more than a construction manual. It is also the inspiring story of Red Feather itself, a tale of community action and cooperation that suggests a can-do solution to the growing housing crisis on America's Native American reservations.


Nathaniel Corum is community design director for Red Feather Development Group. Previously a Fulbright Scholar in North Africa, he studied design at Stanford University and has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Editorial Reviews

Architecture Magazine:
"A lucid, rational volume that confers on hay construction a lifesaving gravitas. Corum's is the rare how-to book that adds its voice to the dialogue on the global housing crisis. . . .fascinating reading." (Nov 2005)

Library Journal:
"This small but serious book serves as a manual for straw-bale home construction, carefully detailing the relevant methods. . . . Concise and useful, this handbook is recommended for specialized collections or where there is demand." (Dec 2005)

Resonance:
"The Red Feather group's ethic of community involvement, from initial design-talks to actual hands-on construction, makes the heart swell and all, but the real treasure of Sraw Bale is the peek inside a century-old form of construction that could (and should) become a popular option for affordable, sustainable housing." (November/December 2005)

Columbus Telegram:
"Corum's colorful book takes the reader from the foundation up to the shingles. . . . An essential starting point for anyone looking into the straw bale home concept." (Oct 30, 2005)

Reader Comments

More Than Just a Handbook (rating 5 out of 5):

When Red Feather Development Group founded in 1994, its mission was to build and develop affordable and ecological sound straw bail houses for the American Indian community. In recent years, the work of the Red Feather Development Group has drawn interest as many environmental and green building groups have developed. Due to the increase of interest, the group has released "Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook". The handbook is a great guide for anybody wanting to better understand the principles of straw bale construction. With step-by-step construction directions and wonderful illustrations, "Building a Straw Bale House" makes the topic approachable and simple to create similar versions of the building technique. For example, the author provides the reader/builder with numeral step-by-step instructions for constructing the foundation, the correct mix for the interior finish coat, and radiant floor heating diagrams. Everything that may need to be known for constructing a straw house is available in its book, which that in itself is notable. "Building a Straw Bale House" succeeds in bringing an interesting construction type into the limelight, but the principle of its origin is even more admirable - providing affordable and sustainable housing to individuals.

- Stan from Cleveland, Ohio (02/26/2006)

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