Couple building first straw-bale home in Linn Co

If the Big Bad Wolf drops by, Don Andrews isn't worried about him huffing and puffing on his new straw house. "No more than a person who builds a stick house," Andrews joked, nodding at the more traditional homes on School Avenue. "'Cause he blew that down, too."

Andrews, director of the nonprofit community service group Sharing Hands, and his partner, Cheryl Haworth, who retires this year from the FACT program at Greater Albany Public Schools, are building Linn County's first straw-bale house — at least as far as they and the county building department know.

The couple broke ground on their new home last fall. By the end of May, the foundation, wood framing and roof, along with part of the plumbing and part of the electrical work, had been completed. The hope is to be finished and moved in by Christmas, Andrews said.

Much of the work and materials is being done locally. The bales of wheat straw — some 325 of them — were purchased from Brownsville farmer Leroy Spurlin. Their plasterer, Geary Frost, lives just down the block.

The work of putting the bales together to make walls, however, was an international effort. About 20 volunteers from all over the United States and Canada converged on the Andrews-Haworth project May 30-June 4 for the work, part of a weeklong class organized through Strawbale.com.

Andrew Morrison of Ashland runs the web-based business and puts on workshops all over the world. Class participants pay to learn how to build the homes and put in a week's worth of work on a construction project. The project owners receive the labor in exchange for providing meals and a place to camp.

Haworth and Andrews joined one of Morrison's classes last fall and did a week's work on a home in Junction City, Calif.

Haworth, however, was sold on the idea of straw bale homes at least two decades before. Living in the heart of the nation's grass seed supply, she said, "I thought, how perfect! We should all be building straw houses."

A rich history

From reed huts to thatched roofs, humans have long used straw in construction. At that time in the mid-valley, however, little was known about its particulars. Haworth began reading, researching and visiting straw-built projects and convinced Andrews to sign on.

They liked what they learned. Morrison's work has indicated straw bale homes have roughly three times the insulation value of commercial framing and cost owners about 75 percent less to heat and cool. The compact bales are extremely resistant to fire, too: Picture trying to light a phone book as compared to a crumpled piece of paper, Morrison said.

A triple coating of lime-based plaster keeps the straw walls from exposure to mold or pests. Best of all, Morrison said, straw bale homes are made with a renewable resource, use less wood overall and make a place for what would otherwise be a waste product.

Haworth said she particularly appreciates the soundproofing qualities of the thick bales, which provide a sense of peace every time she enters.

"They just feel really quiet," she said. "It just has this cozy feel of enveloping you like a down comforter."

Up-front expenses

As for cons, a well-built straw bale home should save its owner money over time, but will likely cost more up front, Morrison said.

Andrews figures the overall cost of the three bedroom, 2,300-square-foot home will be close to $300,000, not including the land, which they already owned. Prices will vary greatly depending on the size and specifications of the structure and the amount of labor involved, not the materials, he said.

The bales take several days to install, compared with a traditional insulator who might be done spraying in an afternoon. For that reason, the couple chose to use bale walls for only the living portion of the home, not the garage; and only the first floor, not the second. Installing bales on multiple floors is possible, but requires a lot more time and labor.

In some areas, finding the necessary know-how among architects, contractors, building and planning departments and insurance agencies can be difficult, Morrison said.

"People say, 'Wait, you want to do what?'" he said. "It's a lack of understanding of what the process is."

Limiting, not eliminating fat

“FAT-free,” “low-fat” and “high fat” seem to have an overbearing presence in our world. People are fat obsessed. It’s impossible to try to maintain a “fat-free” lifestyle.

Fat in food does do your body some good. It is a necessary nutrient. Fat provides essential fatty acids, from which your body makes molecules it needs to function properly. It acts as a wall of protection around. Your vital organs like your heart and kidneys. It also acts as an insulator for the body. Fat carries essentials (fat-soluble) vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins cannot be absorbed into your body without fat. Although a diet high in fat is unhealthy, fat is the ingredient that makes most foods taste better, because flavor adheres to fat. Fat can offer a concentrated source of energy because fats have a tendency to pack together if they're not in water, so they become a source for greater energy storage. Fat protects your internal organs from going into shock. It insulates the body in extreme temperature conditions. It also acts as an emergency fuel supply in times of illness. Extremely low-fat diets suck the oil right out of your skin. You need a certain amount of fat in your diet for skin to look healthy.

So, which fats are okay to eat and which ones are not? For nutritional purposes, fats can be divided into three categories: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which is based on the amount of hydrogen each one carries. Saturated fats have no more room for any additional hydrogen. An easy way to remember what’s a saturated fat is to think of animals. All animal fats, such as those found in meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs are saturated. Chocolate, coconut oil and products made with lard are also saturated fats. These are considered the least healthy forms of fat because they are the highest in cholesterol. Saturated fats can also cause the body itself to produce higher levels of cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats have a little extra room for hydrogen (one more atom) and are somewhat better for you than saturated fats. They are oils like olive, peanut and canola. Peanut butter and avocados are also monounsaturated fats. People usually think avocados are so fattening, but they’re not as bad as you think. They’re better than eating a saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats have room for many more hydrogen atoms and are the healthiest form of fat. Corn oil is an example of polyunsaturated fat. Fish, soy, corn, sunflower and safflower oils are all polyunsaturated fats.

Eating too much fat results in some really harmful consequences. The obvious one is that fat makes you fat. Gram for gram, fat delivers more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein. One gram of fat is equal to nine calories. You have to be really careful with fat-free foods, though, because they tend to be very fattening. Taking the fat out

loses the flavor, so food manufacturers compensate by adding other ingredients, like artificial flavorings, sugar and syrups, all of which are high in calories. Some fats are definitely easier to spot than others are. Butter, cream cheese, salad dressings, mayonnaise and cheese are all obvious fat foods. Meats like sausage, pepperoni, bologna, bacon, corned beef and hot dogs, are aren’t so obvious but they’re all high in fat. ice creams, coleslaw, pasta salads and potato salad are also high fat. Watching the fat in your diet is important and balancing your intake among fats, protein and carbohydrates is the best combination of good health.

Trying to eliminate fat from your diet is hardly the answer to better health. As I said earlier, fat is essential to your health. The key is to successfully replace the bad fat with good fat. If you let your fat intake fall below 20 percent of your calories from fat a day, you may start eating more volume of food because you’ll have a harder time getting full. Fats digest really slowly and they take the longest to exit your body. Every time you put on weight, your body makes new fat cells. Once these fat cells just hang out in your body waiting to get plumped up again. That’s why so many people who lose weight on a diet and go back to their old eating habits put on the weight so easily again.

Moderation is the key to success. You have to consciously make an effort to reduce your fat intake, but it’s not impossible. If you’re still eating dairy, choose low-fat dairy products whenever you can. Remove the skin from chicken and avoid eating the fried version. Trimming the fat around the meat you eat will help cut down on your fat. If you do eat meat, try eating lower fat selections. Try substituting turkey for any of your meat needs. It’s much lower in fat. Fish is an excellent source of protein and there are so many varieties you won’t get bored. Use caution when eating pasta, because the sauces can be major culprits of fat. If you eat eggs, go for egg whites. The yolk is loaded with cholesterol.

Most experts agree that limiting your daily fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories consumed is the best approach to eating a healthy diet. Living a low fat lifestyle will pave the road for your total health.