A number of years ago we began construction of a vaulted straw bale sleeping cabin. The bones of it were constructed during a 5-day workshop, and then it sat for a few years. We named it the Dogwood Chalet after a lovely dogwood tree that grows right next to it.
Sarah painting on the dogwood flower onto the back of the chalet.
Using Tidy Cat bins a clothes shelves built into the wall.
After the walls were completed, the floors were sealed.
Salvaged oak flooring incorporated into the sleeping cabin.
The completed dogwood chalet.
Ryan working on his bottle rosette window near the peak of the vaulted wall.
The dogwood chalet vaulted strawbale cabin.
The bottle rosette window lets in just a bit of light.
Mud plastering the outside walls of the straw bale cabin.
Interior finish work.
Bales are vaulted to form the side walls.
Place the slate roof on the chalet.
The entire inside of the vaulted straw bale cabin was painted with lime wash.
A thin layer of lime plaster was applied to the outside of the straw bale building.
Drying the moisture that accumulates from mud plastering.
Painting on lime wash to the inside of the cabin.
One day in a storm, a large tree fell over, poking a branch through the roof and knocking the entire building nearly over. Fortunately another tree held it up. We brought in a bobcat and pushed the entire building upright again.
I point this out because we have demonstrated (over and over again), that you can mess up nearly every step of building sustainably – but if you have some folks who are good at finish work, the process is pretty forgiving.
We eventually built the front and back walls (out of beer bottles). Ryan Evans constructed a very nice bottle window rosette to let in a bit of light. We later added a front porch onto the building, giving it a nice view into the woods.
The inside walls were finished with earth plaster and lime paint. A oak floor was installed. We also experimented with “Tidy Cat” cubbies, creating storage out of discarded cat litter buckets.
In 2016 Sarah Holtzclaw painted a beautiful dogwood flower on the back, completing the cozy little staw bale sleeping cabin.