Is it too moist on hawaii to build a straw bale house?
Question:we are planning to buy land there&& i want to build a simple house.i have been looking into straw bale&& cob houses...but i think it'd be too moist.... is it?
Answers:
Theoretically you could do a straw home there in the right location--on Maui for example the south side of the western mountains are desert-like, while just a few miles away they get 100 inches or more of rain. That said---no one lives in that area, and it would cost too much to ship in the straw.
Would certainly depend on where you buy your land, and the climate -rainfall and wind- that would impact how you build your house. Cheapest will still be expensive, as materials still have to be shipped in. Perhaps a post and beam construction, tends to be easier, with outside walls but limited interior walls to cut down on costs. You also have to look at other issues like water--depending on where you live in Hawaii, you may or may not have access to municipal water, and if not, wells are not always reliable. On the Big Island, where land is probably cheapest, many people rely on rain catchment systems (cisterns). You also may have expense of a septic system if no sewer is available.
If you have not been to Hawaii, and also haven't looked at real estate listings, you need to look online as the price shock is amazing.
Straw bail is a desert environment application, not a tropical one, it will rot and support vectors very quickly.
Another thing I forgot at first, the advantage of straw bail is their very good insulating properties, in Hawaii, they don't even bother to insulate much as the temperatures are so mild.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but any home you build will have to conform to modern housing codes. You will need to get a building permit, and I doubt the Planning Department will allow you to build any kind of substandard structure.
you could try a prefab or modular home they are a lot cheaper.
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