[RightWhale]

Concrete is great stuff. There was concern that concrete wouldn't survive the interior Alaska climate, but a couple project buildings in the 30s and 40s showed there wasn't a problem after all. Not a huge problem anyway aside from the really short pouring season.

[Katya]

I have neighbors that built a straw bale house...it's gorgeous and very fire retardant as the bales are encased in concrete with a stucco finish, that supplies little to no air. The walls are very thick, like old stone houses, and they save a bundle on heating and air conditioning now. The materials in essence were unbelievably cheap since they used wood framing minimally, and bales of hay in that quantity cost them under two bucks each.