Posted on 05/01/2007 6:50:50 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
BUENA VISTA, COLO.—You can huff and you can puff but you will never be able to blow down the walls of the Las Manos Bed and Breakfast in Buena Vista, Colo. The walls are made of straw. Well, mostly. They are actually constructed from bales of straw and covered with concrete stucco. They are solid, fire proof, and have an energy efficient insulation value of R-50.
The unique exterior wall structure is just one of the fascinating elements of the B&B set within view of Colorado’s majestic 14,000-foot peaks. The 2,600-square-foot home, which includes two large suites ranging from 600 to 700 square feet, is owned and operated by William McQueen and Colleen Finley. The couple bought land for the B&B in 1999, started building in 2001, and opened the business in July 2005. Why did it take so long to build? They built it themselves.
All of the wood visible in the house was locally harvested from standing-dead blue-stain/beetle-kill pine. The interior walls and two of the floors are made from adobe. More than 45 tons of earth was excavated from the inn’s front yard to make the walls and floors. Cabinets in the B&B were made from pieces of recycled wood and even the bed frames were made by the owners from sustainable wood.
In addition to the straw bale insulation, the ceilings are insulated with R-50 recycled blown-in cellulose made from old newspapers. McQueen says that in the summer, when the temperature is above 90 degrees, the temperature in the inn remains in the low 70s. The B&B does not have an air-conditioning system.
Solar, Wind Systems Implemented
Early in the development stage, the owners learned that it would cost $20,000 to run electric lines to the inn. They decided to run their business off the grid with the assistance of solar and wind generators. These cost $21,000. The solar system generates 1,400 watts of power and a wind generator produces 1,000 watts. These two systems supply almost all of the B&B’s electricity needs. Propane-powered generators kick in when the property needs a power boost—typically when it is cloudy and the wind is not blowing.
“Batteries used with the solar system store up to three days of electricity,” McQueen says.
The B&B’s hot water is preheated by an active solar collector and piped to a 50-gallon storage tank prior to being heated by an on-demand water heater. In-floor radiant heat is used on the first floor and gas fireplaces are available to guests upstairs if additional heating is needed.
The Las Manos Bed and Breakfast was designed to maximize the use of natural lighting. The windows themselves were obtained from a house that was being remodeled. They open to allow in Colorado’s fresh air. The two suites are appropriately named the Sunrise Suite and the Sunset Suite because of the directions they face.
To further save energy, towels and linens are dried the old-fashioned way—on clothes lines, even in winter, McQueen says. Glass, plastic, cardboard, tin and aluminum cans, magazines, news and office paper are all recycled.
“All of our cleaning products have no additives,” McQueen adds. “We clean windows with vinegar and water. All of our soaps are handmade locally.”
The B&B recently was included on the “10 of America’s Greenest Hotels” list by ForbesTraveler.com and also was featured in Inn Traveler Magazine.
“We are so excited about how things have worked out,” McQueen says. “We have had people come from all over the country to see us. There is a rapidly rising tide of travelers who want to be green.”
It’s been aroumnd for quite a while. Check out Mother Earth News for articles/books. Should be something on Google. Straw bale works but they need interior framework for loadbearing walls.
COLO ping
Buena Vista is in the San Luis Valley and people have been developing economical energy alternatives there for years. They didn’t need Algore to show them anything.
It’s run by watermelons, but http://www.motherearthnews.com has a ploethera of green building information including the straw bale construction. Searching the site is pretty easy.
Though it is a hippie publication to the bone, I have to admit I have garnered quite a wealth of information that has helped me tremendously in doing things on my little 14.5 acres of Tennessee heaven.
I won’t subscribe, but I think they have every article they ever published free on the site anyway. I think they have plenty of tree hugger subscribers anyway.
It is old pioneer-days stuff here. When you don’t have wood...build with what you got. It has really taken off again in recent years when energy and building materials got so expensive.
Are you in the San Luis Valley? Like you say, not much wood in the Valley besides old Cottonwoods.
I like cordwood construction. My neighbor built a small workshop on his farm out of cordwood and has nothing but good to say about it.
I’ve reviewed all of the construction methods on that site, I agree with you about cordwood.
I have about 8 acres of hickory trees on my land, and have considered building a shop with the cordwood method.
Now I just have to get off my lazy butt and do the work, LOL.
I don’t believe Buena Vista is considered to be in the San Luis Valley. It is on the north side of Poncha Pass. Buena Vista has loads of forest around it so hay buildings aren’t necessary. Regardless, I think it is cool that they did it.
We are building a straw bale house. We’ve been working on it for a few years, now. Our children have helped us every step of the way. It’s been a great experience!
I have been interested in it for a few years. The straw bale building methods have been slowly developing for about 20 years in the south west areas. While I don't think it has hit the big time yet, it has reached borderline mainstream status in these areas.
There are some nice things about building with straw bale. You may be able to save some money, and you do get better insulation. But the main appeal is either from the environmentalist perspective, or from a creative perspective. People who build straw bale homes are interested in building a home that is a reflection of their own creativity and sense of beauty, which has a strong appeal. I am just starting to look at this as a serious option.
Here are some websites:
Took me about 20 reads and seeing the picture to figure out W-T-F this headline was saying!
Interesting.
I’ve notice over the past 10 years that journalism has taken a nose dive.
Education major rejects IMHO.
Bump
Yup, Arkansas River Valley bump.
“Pure” straw bale buildings use the bales structurally to hold up the roof. Build the exterior walls by stacking straw bales like bricks then coat it on each side with a couple inches of concrete and/or plaster to protect the straw and hold it together. The straw acts as insulation-18” of insulation- and the concrete/plaster gives it thermal mass to keep the temperature stable.
The resulting building is incredibly energy efficient. Their place in Arizona rarely needs heating and is comfortable throughout the day even in 100+ degree temperatures without using air conditioning.
I consider straw bales one of the few good ideas to come out of the eco freaks and intend to build one of my own someday. Although I would probably build a stick frame for better structural support and stack the bales around the framing. I’m an engineer and not much on eco nonsense but I do like efficiency and economy.
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