Straw Bale Village Materials & Costs

This page is the open source and free-shared Straw Bale Village construction materials costs page. It will constantly update with increasingly more accurate information as we open source project-launch blueprint the complete One Community Straw Bale Village. The goal of this page is to provide precise materials, hardware, furniture, etc. needs and costs for every component of the Straw Bale Village. We discuss this with the following sections:

OUR CURRENT FOCUS IS ON THE EARTHBAG VILLAGE
(CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE EARTHBAG VILLAGE).
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OR THIS ONE:

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STRAW BALE VILLAGE MATERIALS & COSTS

Straw-bale Village Materials Cost Analysis, Straw bale construction, straw bale architecture, straw bale building, straw bale hotel, straw bale eco-resort, straw bale living, straw bale house, straw bale home, straw bale dwelling, strawbale construction, strawbale architecture, strawbale living, strawbale community, strawbale village, One Community, One Community Global, earthbag materials costs, straw bale materials costs, eco-materials, green materials, building materials, where to get materials, construction materials, earthship materials, sustainable materials, subterranean construction materials, architecture materials, eco-materials, tree-house materials, earthblock materials, earth block materials, building with earth, building with straw, sustainable materials, Highest Good materials, sourcing materials, buying materialsConstruction with straw bales can be significantly more affordable than traditional construction. As part of our global transformation approach to Highest Good housing, this page shares our cost analysis for using this building method to construct a commercial-sized Straw Bale Village capable of housing up to 200 people and hosting 100s more. As we go through the process of constructing this village, we will also add here complete details for where and how to buy materials, what to buy, what to look for, what to look out for, and more.

 

WHY OPEN SOURCE
STRAW BALE VILLAGE MATERIALS & COSTS

Straw-bale Village Materials Cost Analysis, Straw bale construction, straw bale architecture, straw bale building, straw bale hotel, straw bale eco-resort, straw bale living, straw bale house, straw bale home, straw bale dwelling, strawbale construction, strawbale architecture, strawbale living, strawbale community, strawbale village, One Community, One Community Global, earthbag materials costs, straw bale materials costs, eco-materials, green materials, building materials, where to get materials, construction materials, earthship materials, sustainable materials, subterranean construction materials, architecture materials, eco-materials, tree-house materials, earthblock materials, earth block materials, building with earth, building with straw, sustainable materials, Highest Good materials, sourcing materials, buying materialsOne Community’s goal is using open source construction to demonstrate sustainable building for personal and commercial use as easy, affordable, and beautiful. We are first refining and demonstrating the open source strategy and detail of our open source approach with the 3-dome cluster crowdfunding campaign, we’ll then expand this process as we open source the complete Earthbag Village (Pod 1) and Duplicable City Center®, and then we’ll do the same for this village and the other 5 villages.

Open sourcing the cost analysis for this village and all others is purposed to help people better understand the cost savings that are possible through sustainable building and creation of collaborative and open source teacher/demonstration hubs. In so doing, we hope to make straw bale construction easier to understand and implement, more affordable, and more mainstream-popular.

 

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CONSULTANTS ON THIS COMPONENT OF ONE COMMUNITY

Jagannathan Shankar Mahadevan: Mechanical Engineer

 

STRAW BALE COST ANALYSIS DETAILS

Highest Good society, fulfilled living, enriched life, enriching life, living to live, how to live an enriched life, keeping it all running, sustainable living, social architecture, fulfilled living, thriving, thrivability, emotional sustainability, the good life, a new way to liveAccurately creating the cost analysis for the Straw Bale Village was a process of applying traditional cost analysis protocols and then researching the areas where these approaches need to be adjusted to account for the differences when building with straw bales. We discuss here the complete Straw Bale Village cost analysis process and conclusions with the following sections:

 

IDENTIFYING PRIMARY AREAS CONTRIBUTING TO COSTS

As per commercial standards (PDF), a rough estimate for the entire project is predicted in the primary cost analysis. An overview of the Straw Bale Village plan (see Plans Page) aids in segregating the 60,000 ft2 total area into 11 different areas based on the area’s purpose and location inside the village. The 11 segregated areas are listed below and clicking each link will lead to the spreadsheet tab for cost analysis of each area.

  1. Living Areas (comprising bedrooms and bathrooms in the outer ring)
  2. Main Lobby
  3. Kitchen
  4. Major (Central) Hall
  5. Public Restrooms
  6. Library
  7. Gym
  8. Computer Room
  9. Meeting Room
  10. Game Room
  11. Outdoor areas comprising the Play Area, Barbecue Area and Outdoor Dining

Here is the summary of these costs by area:

Straw Bale Village cost analysis

Straw Bale Village Cost Analysis Breakdown by Area – Click for the open source spreadsheet with the most current data

 

IDENTIFYING PRIMARY COST CONTRIBUTORS WITHIN EACH AREA

For convenience in computations and for more accurate calculations, the following 6 independent units are assumed to have significant contributions to an area’s cost:

  1. Electrical
  2. Plumbing
  3. HVAC
  4. Material
  5. Carpentry/Furniture/Electronics
  6. Landscaping

Each of these unit costs have been predicted across all the 11 areas using the following approaches:

ELECTRICAL

The electrical unit consists of elements responsible for powering an area. A general summary on how a residential electrical system is constructed is described here. The electrical footage cost (base cost) inclusive of wiring, labor, and overhead (a variable cost based on locality) can be obtained here. For the current locality, the base cost is found to be an approximate $8.67/ft2. The cost for various power consuming equipment (useful devices like fans, ceiling lights, etc) are not included in the base cost and are accounted for independently.

PLUMBING

The plumbing unit is generally responsible for an area’s water supply and sewer management system (resource link). Area-specific labor and overhead can be inputted in this web program to get an estimate of the plumbing footage. An approximate $11.42/ft2 base cost which includes the cost for piping, location-specific labor and overhead is used for the Straw Bale Village model. Additional plumbing equipment such as sinks, bathtubs, toilets, etc., have significant impact on the total plumbing cost and have been accounted for separately.

HVAC – HEATING AND COOLING

The HVAC unit primarily maintains the temperature and humidity of an enclosed area to provide a comfortable living environment. Unlike the electrical and plumbing units, we were unable to obtain commercial and standard base cost data for the HVAC unit. Consequently, for convenience in estimating the HVAC base cost, we have initially determined the total HVAC cost for 1 residential unit. One residential unit in the village comprises 4 independent bedrooms and bathrooms & the village has 13 such units. A thorough study of HVAC system yields the following HVAC map (shown below) for 1 residential unit in this village.

Straw Bale Village HVAC

The Condensing Unit, Air Handling Unit (AHU) and General Air Filter comprises of primary equipment (common for 4 bedrooms + bathrooms) for air conditioning. To enable temperature variation in different rooms, independent components like the HEPA filter, Terminal Unit, Heating Coil, Thermostats, and Diffusers/Vents are connected to the main duct. Additional ducts ensure circulation of air from common equipment to independent components. The sizing of equipment depends on the area to be conditioned and the total heat generated within the room. An approximate sizing for the living unit is decided based on these factors and is found in This Spreadsheet (Cell B66) under the HVAC category. The total HVAC cost over a single residential unit area yields an approximate HVAC base cost of $12.51/ft2, which is consistently used across all the other village areas.

MATERIALS

The cost of building a structure primarily depends on setting the frames for support. This resource article (link) presents all significant parameters to consider while approximating an estimate for building a structure. With reference to this literature (link), a base cost of $40/ft2 (inclusive of materials and labor) over a useful area of 30,000 ft2 (useful area is the actual build area for the village model excluding outdoor areas) results in $1.2M for building the structure as per commercial practice.

CARPENTRY/FURNITURE/ELECTRONICS

This unit includes area specific furniture and electronics cost, a part of which can be customized per occupant’s preference.

LANDSCAPING

Since the Straw Bale Village is comprised of more than 35% outdoor area, it is essential to consider the corresponding cost for landscaping. These costs generally include the costs for design and construction of hardscapes, preparing soil as per locality, and planning and developing a good irrigation system. Commercially (resource link), it is a good practice to allocate 15% of total project cost for landscaping. An alternate approach is to use the cost per sq. foot analysis with $4.34-$17.83/ft2. For this village, we used the former approach for convenience in computations.

 

ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE CONSIDERATIONS

The Highest Good Energy plan for power generation and transmission uses grid-tied and open source Wind and Solar to create a net-zero 100% sustainable energy plan. These costs continue to evolve on the Highest Good Energy hub and related open source pages and are not included in the total village cost because:

  • Sustainable energy is optional for anyone replicating our designs
  • Accurately evaluating them for this Phase II Highest Good Housing construction is not realistic considering the speed at which sustainable energy costs continue to drop
  • The details of this energy infrastructure and the “grid” costs are part of the entire One Community Highest Good Housing component and included in the Phase I construction of the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) and Duplicable City Center®  and therefore not limited to the Straw Bale Village alone

 

COST SUMMARY AS PER COMMERCIAL STANDARDS

To create the final Commercial Cost Analysis for this structure, all of the details above plus 15% was added. The additional 15% of the total cost was further considered to account for any and all approximations in determining the estimate for this project. With all this accounted for, the total project as per commercial standard approximates up to $3.8M as shown below.

Straw Bale Village Commercial Cost Analysis

Straw Bale Village Commercial Cost Analysis – Click for the open source spreadsheet with the most current data

Here is a graphic showing what percentage each area contributes to the total cost:

Straw Bale Village commercial cost breakdown image, Straw Bale Village cost analysis, Straw Bale construction electrical costs, Straw Bale construction plumbing costs, Straw Bale construction HVAC costs, Straw Bale construction building materials costs, Straw Bale construction carpentry and furniture costs, Straw Bale construction landscaping costs
 

ADJUSTED COST SUMMARY
MAKING IT ALL MORE SUSTAINABLE

Highest Good society, fulfilled living, enriched life, enriching life, living to live, how to live an enriched life, keeping it all running, sustainable living, social architecture, fulfilled living, thriving, thrivability, emotional sustainability, the good life, a new way to liveAfter calculating the costs for the complete Straw Bale Village as described above and with standard commercial materials and practices, we then calculated our actual costs by incorporating sustainable practices and materials.  This led to the revised costs that incorporated and included consideration of the following factors:

  1. Materials Savings
  2. Volunteer Labor
  3. Retainable Machinery
  4. Direct and Replicable Materials Purchasing

MATERIALS SAVINGS

According to the national association of home builders (Link), the cost for initial survey, foundation and framing (which accounts for 35.2% of total cost) almost remains the same irrespective of the build material used. Even at a premium price of $5.99/bale though, we can replace much of the commercial build materials with straw bales and save at least 40% off the build material cost discussed in “Commercial Cost Analysis” section above. Locally sourced straw bales can be significantly cheaper, even as much as 50% less or more. Also, it is noteworthy to understand straw bale construction not only results in significant materials-cost savings but also ensures higher efficiency in HVAC as straw bales are great insulators.

VOLUNTEER LABOR

As per commercial practice, the base cost for electrical, plumbing, and building is inclusive of labor. One Community’s open source project launch-blueprinting model for showcasing sustainability in action includes open source and DIY approaches and tutorials that cover these areas and more. This labor and these tutorials will be created by our all-volunteer team of qualified professionals. To account for this, we’ve approximated the variable labor costs we’ll save (depending on location) to 20% of the total cost of the project.

RETAINABLE MACHINERY

Because of the size and scope of the One Community project and our extensive construction plans for the first 5 years, it makes sense to own (vs. rent) our earth moving machines. Although the principal cost incurred on this equipment is fairly high, it is to our advantage as this equipment would ultimately be retained, resulting in significant cost savings in total landscaping and construction for successive villages.

DIRECT AND REPLICABLE MATERIALS PURCHASING

For large-scale projects, the majority of products designed and manufactured by suppliers are commonly marketed and sold through a retailer. It is often easy to under appreciate the intangible costs processed in the supplier-retailer relationship. As part of our strategy to make sustainability easier, more affordable, and more attractive, we will develop purchasing relationships directly with suppliers that we expect to increase their profit margins while reducing consumer costs when building teacher/demonstration communities, villages, and hubs using our plans. This will also reduce our total project cost while further increasing business for the recommended supplier.

We will add here the resources and contacts for all direct purchasing options as these options are identified, used by us, and proven reliable.

ADJUSTED COSTS CONCLUSIONS, CHARTS, AND GRAPHS

The following adjusted cost analysis incorporates the building materials savings (40%) and volunteer labor savings (20%) discussed above to produce a total project estimated cost of $2.6M. This cost is expected to reduce when the savings resulting from retainable machinery and direct supplier dealership are considered.

Straw Bale Village sustainable cost breakdown image, Straw Bale Village cost analysis, Straw Bale construction electrical costs, Straw Bale construction plumbing costs, Straw Bale construction HVAC costs, Straw Bale construction building materials costs, Straw Bale construction carpentry and furniture costs, Straw Bale construction landscaping costs

Straw Bale Village Cost Analysis Integrating Open Source Sustainability – Click for the open source spreadsheet with the most current data

Here is a chart showing the difference in cost between the conventional and sustainable models:

Straw Bale Village commercial vs sustainability cost breakdown image, Straw Bale Village cost analysis, Straw Bale construction electrical costs, Straw Bale construction plumbing costs, Straw Bale construction HVAC costs, Straw Bale construction building materials costs, Straw Bale construction carpentry and furniture costs, Straw Bale construction landscaping costs

Overall, the cost for sustainable construction is lower than the commercial estimate. We can also observe a small fraction of the commercial costs for landscaping and labor when applying our open source sustainability model. This is due to the use of volunteer labor and reuse of the machinery for landscaping; hence it makes sense to divide the principal cost invested in all machinery for landscaping across all the seven village models resulting in 10-15% of the principal cost. The labor cost for the commercial estimate is 20% of the total project cost. Subsequently, the labor costs for open source sustainability are assumed an approximate 10% of the commercial labor cost to address any technical intricacies.

Here is a graphic showing the adjusted contribution of each area to the total cost:

Straw Bale Village sustainable cost breakdown image, Straw Bale Village cost analysis, Straw Bale construction electrical costs, Straw Bale construction plumbing costs, Straw Bale construction HVAC costs, Straw Bale construction building materials costs, Straw Bale construction carpentry and furniture costs, Straw Bale construction landscaping costs

Note: When comparing this graphic to the same graphic created for the Cost Summary as Per Commercial Standards section, you will see that the Build Material cost which contributed to 38% initially has reduced to 32% in the sustainable model. Whilst there is only 6% reduction in Build Material’s cost, it is noteworthy to observe that there is a relative increase in other costs. This is due to reduction of total cost from $3.7M to $2.1M, resulting in the build material costs to be now comparable against other unit costs.

 

RESOURCES

 

SUMMARY

Straw-bale Village Materials Cost Analysis, Straw bale construction, straw bale architecture, straw bale building, straw bale hotel, straw bale eco-resort, straw bale living, straw bale house, straw bale home, straw bale dwelling, strawbale construction, strawbale architecture, strawbale living, strawbale community, strawbale village, One Community, One Community Global, earthbag materials costs, straw bale materials costs, eco-materials, green materials, building materials, where to get materials, construction materials, earthship materials, sustainable materials, subterranean construction materials, architecture materials, eco-materials, tree-house materials, earthblock materials, earth block materials, building with earth, building with straw, sustainable materials, Highest Good materials, sourcing materials, buying materialsConstruction with straw bales can be significantly more affordable than traditional construction. As part of our global transformation approach to Highest Good housing, we are open source sharing our cost analysis for using this building method to construct a commercial-sized Straw Bale Village capable of housing up to 200 people and hosting 100s more. By open sourcing the cost analysis for this village and all others, we desire to help people better understand the cost savings that are possible through sustainable building and creation of collaborative and open source teacher/demonstration hubs. These savings when calculated for this structure as compared to the same structure built with conventional means are estimated to reduce the cost by about 35%.

 

FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Q: Where can I get more information about the Straw Bale Village, benefits and challenges of building with straw bales, etc.?

Please visit the Straw Bale Village open source hub.

Q: When do you anticipate starting construction on the Straw Bale Village?

We are first refining and demonstrating the open source strategy and detail of our open source approach with the 3-dome cluster crowdfunding campaign, we’ll then expand this process as we open source the complete Earthbag Village (Pod 1) and Duplicable City Center®, and then we’ll do the same for this village and the other 5 villages.

Q: Where can I get more information about your philosophies for world change?

Please view these additional pages: (click icons)

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Q: How do you intend to pay for construction of the Straw Bale Village?

One Community is projected to easily generate sufficient revenue to construct this village and the other 5 villages once the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) and Duplicable City Center® are operational. Visit the One Community Highest Good Economics page for details on our revenue streams, rental revenue projections, and other open source revenue-generation details related to this and all other aspects of One Community.

 

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