straw bale homes

STRAW BALE HOME IN CAMPO HONORED AS ENERGY CHAMPION BY SDG&E, WILL BE FEATURED ON GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL TOUR OCT. 21

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Simple Construct

 

 

Hear our interview on KNSJ radio with homeowners Brian and Susan Fallgren, Simple Construct builder Rebeca Tasker, and SDG&E communications manager Helen Gao.

 View video on the home’s construction and view tour of the finished residence. 

July 14, 2018 (Campo) – Inspired by historical California adobe homes,  Brian and Susan Fallgren in Campo teamed up with Simple Construct to create a straw bale and adobe home that is beautiful, comfortable even in extreme heat, fire resistant and energy efficient—producing more power than it uses. 

The home has also won numerous honors.  It’s the first residence in Southern California to receive net zero certification through the Living Building Challenge, one of only 27 homes in the world to win this recognition.  A participant in the California Advanced Homes Program, it was also a winner in  the San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) 13th annual  Energy Showcase Awards and will be featured on the San Diego Green Building Council’s Green Homes Tour on Sunday, October 21.

“It’s an incredibly functional, comfortable home to live in, not only from an environmental standpoint, but from an every day livability standpoint,” Susan Fallgren says.

Audio: 

Interview: Straw Bale Homes--Helen Gao of SDG&E, Rebecca Tasker of Simple Construct, & Campo homeowners Brian and Susan Fallgren

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SUSTAINABLE HOMES TOUR NOV. 5 SHOWCASES CREATIVE LIVING—FROM A STRAW BALE HOME TO AN AIRPLANE HANGER

 
November 4, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- Lakeside River Park Conservancy will host a Sustainable Homes Tour on Saturday, November 5. The tour includes about 10 sites on tour, including many in East County.
 
 
These homes have a variety of sustainable applications from the construction of the homes, products, landscape and conservation. The variation from new build construction to renovations of older homes provides a broad display of opportunities and ideas for the next home owner touring the sites.

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AT HOME IN DEERHORN VALLEY: AN ARTIST'S STRAW BALE STUDIO RISES FROM THE ASHES, DOUBLING AS COMMUNITY CENTER

"At Home” is a new series highlighting creative homes and lifestyles in San Diego East County communities.

 

 


By

Miriam Raftery

 

 

 

 

 

“Straw bale building is like a barn raising—a wonderful, friendly activity that reaches out and brings people together.” – Kim Hamilton

October 30, 2011 (Deerhorn Valley) – Four years after the Harris Fire burned down their barn, Kim Hamilton and Rob Deason celebrate completion of a new art and music studio made with straw-bale construction and hands-on help from friends, family and neighbors.  Since the community also lost its former gathering place at a local fire station, the new studio doubles as a meeting room for the Deerhorn Valley Community Association.

The new structure is both fire resistant and green--built of natural, sustainable materials with insulating qualities ideal for the climate extremes found in this rural community.   


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.