Rammed Earth Strawbale Walls

Does anybody know if this would work

I was thinking the other night and this popped into my wondering brain, which probably is a bit strange, or is it ?

A Rammed Earth Inner Wall 300mm thick / Inside ( like insulation ) A Straw Bale 600mm insert / A Rammed Earth Outer Wall 300mm = 1200mm thick of Earth & Insulation.

Seeing that Rammed Earth isn't that good of and insulator in cold climates as a few google searches reveal.

Would this be total overkill or a good insulated Earthy Idea ? or should I dig a hole and put it back in the Earth where it belongs maybe

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Obviously an idea that nobody knows about or is completely silly
I shall soldier on and try and find out a few more things about this.

Thanks anyway for looking 49 times.

Cheers.

I am pretty sure somebody was building a straw house on here a while ago. Have you searched through the archives. I saw a reno show on it not so long ago but it was uk based. Sorry we arent that brave so of no help to you but it sure sounds interesting.

Thanks for the reply, actually Rammed Earth I was after, but thanks anyway.

Hi buildme, I was looking at rammed earth ages ago and I was under the impression it was supposed to be an excellent insulator. Maybe it was just for keeping the house cool in summer and not winter.

Anyway, there is someone else that isnt quite at the building stage yet but doing the processes with a rammed earth company. Danyool. If you look at Building a new house section you will find him. He may have some more info on rammed earth

Combining rammed earth and strawbales in a single wall is total overkill and will greatly add to the m2 of your home with no increase in useable floor area.

FYI rammed earth does NOT have a good insulation value. It does however have good thermal mass so it is slow to heat and slow to cool. Combined with the right windows and other elements it can be used to create an energy efficient home.

Strawbales are very good thermally but its difficult to find a builder who will work with them and they are usually used by people who are going to do the work themselves.

If you want to use either material to create an energy efficient home remember the extra expense would be wasted unless you fit double glazed windows in - most heat loss/gain is through windows.

Thanks Arcadia, I didnt really know the diff between insulation and the thermal mass thing. So buildme.....sorry for that

Thanks Thirsty Good luck with your journey into looking into this and thanks for your info.

Cheers Arcadia, I thought it might have been a bit of overkill, and thanks for all the other info with the Double Glazing etc.

Thanks Guys