Laughed at and ridiculed for building a house of straw, Dubbo's Jon and Jo May are going ahead with their dream despite having to demolish the first attempt.
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The Mays wanted to build the world's first cathedral-arch, straw-bale house but got into trouble from the outset with their builder.
Unbeknown to them, the out-of-town contractor had no experience with straw-bale construction and had only limited building skills.
The Mays obtained engineer's details for their straw-bale home but discovered the plans were glaringly inadequate.
"Not having much building knowledge we relied on the engineer's plans to guide us. But we found as we were putting it together that the plans were flawed," Mr May said.
Specifications for the new straw-bale house include a concrete floor plus steel wall and roof frames.
"Bales are placed on the slab and wired to the steel frame," Mr May said.
"Once in place the straw is rendered to create insulated walls about 50 centimetres thick.
"We have faith in the concept and we know that with some adjustments to the design we can build a very good cost-efficient home. The thick walls provide excellent insulation."
Undeterred by the initial setback the Mays are progressing with their plans and have engaged the services of an experienced straw-baler for their next attempt.
So keen are they to promote the idea of straw houses they are planning a workshop in the coming months for people interested in learning more about the concept. Participants for the workshop can call Jon May on 0417 654 994.
