Elsewhere, they enjoy the clean simplicity of sheetrock. Some builders address the problem by securing wood blocks behind the walls where hangers will be added. Others build in features like adobe niches or display shelves. Finished straw-bale walls have proved far more fire resistant than standard sheet rock and insulation in tests performed by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Bales that are tightly bound contain less air space than a wall made of sheetrock, and therefore yield no oxygen to fuel a fire.
Cost is an incentive for some builders of straw homes.
It's a slightly cheaper way to build the exterior walls, which usually represent 15 to 20 percent of the total cost of a house. Costs for the foundation, roof system and finishing are basically the same as for standard construction. The biggest hurdle for builders of straw-bale homes is not cost or material. It's the mindset of conservative bankers, skeptical building inspectors and timid insurers, Kurtz said. He knew what to expect from the outset.