Straw Bale Building Updates - Wall Raising Part1:
Page 4

	Finally we got to fold this plastic out of the way. We painted the area where the bales will sit with roofing tar, then folded the plastic over and back. This forms a complete barrier that extended from the under the slab to the top edges where the bales sit.
	Then we impaled the bales onto the rebar and plastic. Once in place, we filled the cracks with straw and fastened the bales to any nearby posts with diamond lash, nails and some straw staples we made.
	Besides being part of the New Mexico straw bale code, this helps keep the bales in place in the wall.
	Up to course 4, 5 more to go! We had to notch out the bales where ever there was a post. We used a chainsaw for the task. The hardest part was to not get to close to the bale strings or you would suddenly have a pile of straw instead of a bale!
	We used a table saw with a metal cutting blade to cut all the rebar we needed.
	Half way up the wall, we needed to put a rebar ladder for horizontal support. This was tied to to the posts, the vertical rebar, and the bale wires. Once in place, the wall feels pretty tied together and moves as one unit rather than a lot of separate bales.
	We used a homemade straw needle to sew together half bales for the spots in the wall where a full bale wouldn't fit. Their are lots of websites that explain how to do this and it works pretty well. Basically just get a piece of strong metal, sharpen it, put two holes in it at the tip, then use it to thread two pieces of string through the bale at the spot where it should be split. Then tie off the bale in each direction, and repeat for the second string. (We have two string bales.) Then cut the original strings and pull the bale apart. You should end up with two half bales securely tied. Or if you crossed the strings in the bale, you'll end up with some broken bale strings and a pile of straw. It took us a while to get the hang of it.
	Half way up! (We better leave room for some windows).

If you are interested in helping or would like to see how we've put our plans together, or just want to hear how things are going, contact the .