Creating Shelter and Home from the Materials Around Us
Melding traditional methods with modern building practices to create sustainable, efficient, and beautiful spaces
Straw
Insulation and structure
- Strawbale homes are long lasting, high performing, and energy efficient structures
- Superior insulation (~R30), moisture handling, and fire resistance when paired with natural plasters
- Invites design flexibility for both straight lines and curves that are difficult to achieve with conventional materials
- Environmentally sustainable and acts as carbon storage
- A locally sourced agricultural byproduct
- Strawbale homes are in code and can be permitted!
Clay
Protection, texture and color
- A wonderfully flexible and adaptable material used for beautiful walls and floors
- Aesthetically pleasing, also provides humidity and temperature regulation
- Plaster can be applied to most wall surfaces to transform the feel and look of a space, pairs excellently with strawbale walls
- Clay floors create a unique and wonderfully feeling surface, integrates very well with radiant heat
- Sculptable for truly unique designs and accents
- Low environmental impact, naturally abundant material often found right on site!
Lime
Durability and aesthetics
- Cures to become limestone, creating durable wall plasters that are water and fire resistant
- Flexible finishes with a variety of textures and colors possible
- Pair very well with strawbale walls on exterior or wet spaces
- Antimicrobial properties prevent mold
- Much lower embodied energy than comparable cement based finishes
Wood
Structure and Biophilic Finish
- A mainstay of both natural and conventional building, wood provides a flexible material for both structures and finishes
- Pairs well with strawbale walls to create a structure capable of handling anything the Montana environment can throw at it
- A locally abundant and renewable resource
