BROWNSVILLE, Ore. (AP) — A Brownsville couple is building Linn County’s first straw-bale house.
Don Andrews and his partner, Cheryl Haworth, have purchased some 325 bales of wheat straw from a local farmer are being used to make the walls of the house.
The Democrat-Herald says about 20 volunteers from all across the U.S. and Canada helped put together the walls last month as part of a class organized by Strawbale.com.
Haworth became sold on the idea of a straw bale home years ago while living in the heart of the nation’s grass seed supply.
Well-built straw bale houses have good insulation, can cost owners less to heat and cool and are resistant to fire. Plaster keeps the straw walls from exposure to mold or pests.
