There are tons of great books around, but there are also some not-so-great resources. If you are interested in learning more about straw bale houses, picking the right books can mean the difference between gaining helpful information or ending up with something that doesn’t answer your questions.

If you want to make sure you are buying a valuable resource, here are the best books about straw bale houses available today.

The Straw Bale House

The Straw Bale House is a great introduction to straw bale building. This book highlights various benefits and critical points, allowing you to decide if this construction alternative is right for you.

Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you prefer a step-by-step approach, Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide is a great option. It focuses on prefabricated wall panels as a means of cutting costs, though it can also accelerate your project timeline.



Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates

If you live in a more extreme or variable climate, Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates covers critical points you won’t find in other books. For builders who may have to deal with temperature swings, humidity, or precipitation, this one is a must-read.



Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects & Designs

A practical guide filled with color photographs or various project options, Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects & Designs is a great source of inspiration as well as helpful advice. This book is ideal for people who are considering moving forward with a straw bale home but don’t feel they have enough information to make a decision, ensuring you can discover all you need to know before you begin.



Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook

A construction manual and inspiring story all wrapped into one, Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook is an important resource for anyone looking to build a straw bale house. It uses a step-by-step approach, ensuring every critical part is outlined and that the manual remains easy to follow.



Building with Straw Bales: A Practical Manual for Self-Builders and Architects

If you want to learn various construction techniques, Building with Straw Bales: A Practical Manual for Self-Builders and Architects is incredibly straightforward. It makes the concepts easy to understand, using common-sense language to increase accessibility and ensuring this book will be a great resource during your project.



The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes

The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes is a celebration of this form of construction. It is filled with color photographs of various dwellings, serving as a great source of inspiration for your own design. Additionally, the author provides insights into the construction process and shares key lessons that were learned over the years.



Straw Bale Building: How to Plan, Design and Build with Straw

A guide to the entire construction process, Straw Bale Building: How to plan, design and build with straw is a comprehensive resource written by professional builders. Along with actual plans, you’ll also be able to view photos and illustrations to help you nail the concepts, making the content both accessible and informative.



Strawbale Home Plans

Featuring over 30 unique plans, Strawbale Home Plans is a must-read for anyone who wants to nail down their design or simply be inspired by the creativity of others.



Straw Bale Building Details: An Illustrated Guide for Design and Construction

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In Straw Bale Building Details: An Illustrated Guide for Design and Construction, you’ll learn about the planning and building process, the science behind straw bale walls, how to avoid costly mistakes, and get access to numerous drawings that show critical parts of the construction of straw bale homes.



DIY: How to Design Your Own Energy Efficient Green Home: Construction Alternatives and Sample Passive Solar Straw Bale House

In DIY: How to Design Your Own Energy Efficient Green Home: Construction Alternatives and Sample Passive Solar Straw Bale House, defines many key terms, discusses green building basics, reviews various building codes, how to plan your home, and more. Plus, it gives the reader access to additional information through the companion e-book, which is included with the purchase of the book.



An Absolute Must Read Before You Start to Build Your Eco Friendly Home: The Journey To Eco Straw House

An Absolute Must Read Before You Start To Build Your Eco Friendly Home: The Journey To Eco Straw House follows the author as she works to construct her own eco-friendly home. Along with successes, you’ll also learn about various trials and tribulations, showcasing how important perseverance is to the process.



Journey to a Straw Bale House

A book that is part personal story and part guide, Journey to a Straw Bale House explores more than sustainable living, but also a neighborhood’s local culture. A few color photographs help bring life to the content, ensuring you stay engaged while you learn.



Sustainable Compromises: A Yurt, a Straw Bale House, and Ecological Living

Part how-to, part personal story from the author, Sustainable Compromises: A Yurt, a Straw Bale House, and Ecological Living provides readers with hard-earned insights and valuable guidance in a digestible and entertaining way.



Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods

Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods is a must-have reference for sustainable construction professionals and fans. Along with a ton of helpful content, it also connects you to online resources, making sure you can find out everything you need to have a successful project.



Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log and Strawbale Construction, 6th Edition

Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log and Strawbale Construction shows that you can have the home of your dreams without breaking the bank. While the book isn’t focused on straw bale homes alone, it does have great tips for budget-conscious builders, particularly when it comes to mastering the planning phase.



Design of Straw Bale Buildings: The State of the Art

If you want to learn how to design intelligent straw bale buildings, Design of Straw Bale Buildings: The State of the Art, is an excellent choice. It’s a manual created with practicing professionals in mind and relies on the collective experience of some of the most respected figures in the industry.



If you enjoyed this article, please share!