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Published on 11/02/1998 All articles from this issue

A Los Altos first: Ecology-minded house of straw

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By Carolyn Barnes

Special to the Town Crier

Local construction history is being made this week as Los Altos' first straw bale house takes shape at 740 Vista Grande Ave. It's also the first straw bale house in Santa Clara County.

The four-bedroom, four-and one-half-bath home incorporates passive solar design, 16-inch thick straw bale walls and beams and joists made of recycled wood products.

"We were interested in creating a home with payback in terms of energy efficiency," owner John Rennick, a 15-year Los Altos resident, said last Saturday.

Surrounded by fragrant straw bales piled to the ceilings of the framed-in rooms, he pointed out the south-facing major windows, interior thermal (heat storing) walls built of concrete blocks, and the north-facing fireplace, which will be the only source of artificial heat.

Rennick's daughter Jennifer, an architect with the San Luis Solar/Sustainability Group in San Luis Obispo, is the new home's lead architect (with architect Ken Haggard); M. Scott Clark is straw bale designer and Marc Boudart of Redwood City is the general contractor.

Last weekend some 40 Los Altans showed up to observe and participate in the straw bale wall-building process and to learn more about the ancient but newly popular technology.

"When this house is finished, there will be no way to tell the walls are made of straw bales, except for a traditional 'truth window,' a small pane of glass that looks into the straw behind the plaster," Jennifer Rennick said.

After presenting a slide show on the building site, she reviewed many advantages of straw bale construction, including the conservation of wood, the aesthetics of thick and sound-proof walls and the superior insulation qualities of straw bales.

"Today's straw bale construction technology is evolving rapidly; it combines advanced earthquake and fire protection with long-term energy paybacks. As fuel costs rise, the homeowner will save more and more money with straw bale walls," Jennifer said.

Contractor Boudart is willing to discuss straw bale construction with any interested residents. He can be reached at 364-6742.