If you're looking for something to do Saturday and have an interest in eco-friendly homes, you should consider checking out the straw bale house being built in East Boise.
The Boise Weekly reports that Boisean Mark Lung is holding an open house to showcase the strawbale house he's building. Can't imagine how a strawbale house could work, outside of a beloved children's fairy tale? You're not alone. Straw is used as insulation, and Lung says it's a remarkably environmentally efficient and economical building method.
In his interview with the Weekly, he says the previous strawbale house he built in Boise cost $250 for heating and cooling -- annually. That home was a 2,000-square foot home; Lung predicts the bill on the home he's building now (which will be 980-square feet) will total just $65 per year.
The free open house goes Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and will include a hands-on demonstration of how to build with straw. Check out event details here.
Strawbale houses aren't common in the U.S., but are more prevalent in European countries. Check out this video from Lithuania in 2011 about the building style.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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