The Straw Bale

Building this little structure was our project for the first summer on the land. We got it finished just in time for snowy weather. It has passive solar design features such as appropriately sized southern windows, insulated window coverings, thermal mass in the form of stored water to regulate indoor temperatures, and of course plenty of insulation. The roof is supported by a post and beam structure and the ceiling is insulated with straw and sawdust. The strawbale walls were erected in a weekend with the help of several friends. The inside and outside of the strawbales have been covered with a mud plaster. The bathroom, which is made from shipping pallets, is attached to the west side of the house. The interior of the strawbale is 170 square feet. We built this structure for immediate winter concerns. We considered this our "practice" building as neither of us had built in a post-and-beam style, or had much experience with strawbale building. From the start our expectations of this little home were not high - we were just hoping that it would get us through a few years. Considering this, we are quite proud of our little hovel. It keeps us quite cosy in the winter, and cool in the summer. We believe the interior design maximizes it's utility while preserving some architectural ideals. Too bad only the two of us fit in it.

The Yurt

We purchased this from a disreputable company and getting a semi-functional product was like a migraine for over two years. Thankfully it's finally a decent structure. The wind doesn't blow in and all forms of precipitation are now kept outside. We recently constructed a functional skylight, just in time for the most recent historic snowfall. Now it serves as our winter kitchen, library, and storage space. Someday it's destined to be refurbished with luxurious wood flooring and lots of open space and large pillows. A trapeze currently hangs from the center ring looking forward to that day.

The Shell This is our summer kitchen and living room. It is equipped with running water, a propane stove, and kitchen cabinets that were picked up off the curb in Santa Fe. We used mostly salvaged lumber for this project, just as we did for the strawbale. The Shell was an excercise in timber framing techniques. One post is from a dead pinon tree from the property, and one is a large piece of driftwood which flowed down to us during a flood event. The view can't be beat, as far as living rooms go. Many an hour has passed under this shelter in the beanbag chair contemplating the curves of sandstone and sky.

The Guest House
	Several dedicated Ampersand family members have devoted time and money to make this structure possible. It's the second little strawbale on our land, and is still in process. Knowing these folks, the finished product is going to be quite stylie. The construction consists of framed walls supporting the roof, a south facing sliding door, and other passive solar considerations.

The Big House

The west and north sides of the round portion of this structure are earth-bermed. We hired a backhoe to excavate the site and were pleased to discover that the soil type is adequate for earthbag building. Woven polypropelyne bags rammed with moist earth comprise the walls which will support the roof, as well as timber framing in some areas. This structure includes a lemon-shaped pantry built into the northern wall ajacent to the ample kitchen. The bathroom will be along the south side, housing a solar water heating system. The sunken attached greenhouse will make use of greywater from the kitchen and bathroom, and act as a solar heater as well as a food garden. Once the house is finished it will be over 1000 square feet. We are hoping to move in after completion of phase 1 which will enclose about half of that area. After we have finished this house, we'll be ready to leave natural building to the youngsters. We'll be hanging out in the summer sleeping balcony.