From Su Casa Magazine – Autumn, 2003
Su Libro
The New Strawbale Home, by Catherine Wanek,
Gibbs Smith, Publisher, Layton, Utah, 176 pages, 50 photographs, hardcover, $39.95

Book Review by Charles C. Poling, Editor

The New Strawbale Home probably answers every question a prospective home builder might have when contemplating straw construction. Author Catherine Wanek (a Su Casa contributor) has been a key figure in the straw bale construction revival, which began in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Arizona and New Mexico. With its claims for sustainability, low environmental impact, healthy interior environment, and community building, straw bale construction is as much a political statement and lifestyle commitment as it is a choice of building material. The New Strawbale Home cheerleads for these aspects of building with straw, but it also delivers information by the ton on how to do it. It's not quite a step-by-step how-to manual, but it's detailed enough—complete with floor plans—to get you pretty far down the road to stacking bales. And since strawbale has risen to its current popularity on a wave of enthusiasm and success among do-it-yourself owner/builders, this glossy book, which lacks the hands-on detail of a DIY manifesto, may provide a bridge to those who want information to evaluate but will hire a home builder to do the work.

Perhaps most impressive about the selection of homes in the book is the diversity of design and geographic location they represent. People have built with straw everywhere, from the arid Southwest to the drenched Northwest, from the Deep South to Canada. The homes range from familiar Santa Fe style ro Arts and Crafts, modern eclectic, and Adirondack lodge designs. The common trait seems to be plastered exterior walls and overhanging roofs— you've got to keep that straw dry! Even if you decide you don't want to build with straw, this book might be worth buying for the design ideas and floor plans.