Back to New Zealand!

Hello LSB community!
What a great find as you're all doing what I'd love to do with such great enthusiasm and willingness to help others!

I'm currently staying with a Christchurch primary school friend on her 92acre property near Ward in the Marlborough helping out where possible and exploring the possibilities.

I left Christchurch when I was 11yrs...moved to Auckland, Castor Bay...left NZ for Australia in 1979 and been there (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney) until selling a house in May. Freedom and NZ beckoned!!

My dream is to find a collaborator to build a straw bale house with on 2 - 5 acres (anywhere in NZ but preferably reasonably close to an airport so that can zip over to Sydney when need/want to) and become mostly self-sufficient.
I'd also love to offer BnB, yoga and meditation all of which I'm skilled in.

Have made contact with 2 straw bale house owners in Marlborough so far - such friendly, warm people! - and hoping to talk to the builders in the near future.

Love to hear from anyone who has a straw bale dwelling or anyone who is hoping to build one!

ciao, ciao

For a straw bale house, Marlborough, Canterbury and central Otago are the best climates. The drier the climate the better, especially if you clad with plaster or other moisture-absorbing claddings, you need very good shelter from wind driven rain. You can certainly build in straw bale everywhere, but you will need even bigger overhangs to keep walls as dry as possible. If you go with a very wet/windy area, I'd seriously think about non-plaster cladding for straw bale, and there isn't anywhere in NZ where rain doesn't come with wind.[]
If you love the plaster finish, but chose a wetter climate, you can have that for most internal areas, and very sheltered external parts of the house.

Hi Hawspur,
Thanks for your reply and advice - what other finishes besides plaster do people use?
What are the benefits/disadvantages?
Visiting another dwelling next week - owners (not the original) very passionate about their abode!
Do you have any advice on builders - hear Strawmark are very expensive.
ciao

yes, we looked at straw bale up here in the bay of plenty, and decided it wasn't a good idea for the climate. There is a builder's demo straw bale house near us that we had a look at, and it felt nice, but it did have very large eaves.

You can use just about any type of cladding you like on straw bale. If you are wanting to protect it from a wet environment, something over a drained cavity would be best. That could be weatherboards, or steel or brick etc etc. Brick would be tricky as it needs to be tied back to a structure, so you'd have an extra expensive of some framing between your main supports.
Plaster is possibly cheaper, because it won't usually have this cavity. For peace of mind in a wettish environment though, I'd steer clear.
I don't know enough about Strawmark to make any comment, sorry.
Possibly you are paying for experience?

Thanks Lisa,
very much getting the picture about the climate appropriate for such a dwelling - does appear the Marlborough is suitable and do love it around here!
Good luck with your venture!

Hi TT

I have absolutely no advice to give on Straw Bale houses, but just wanted to say welcome back, from one returning Kiwi to another! I have been on my block for three weeks after 13 years in OZ, and loving it!