They just respond with smiles.
That’s because, from firsthand experience building a home in small-town Hayfork, they know something the little pigs didn’t: how to build a house of straw that will last.
 A house made of straw built by Miramar residents Peter Bland and Nancy West. |
Ready for the pair to move in after 14 months of work supervised by West, the new house — built of bales of rice hay — won’t replace their Coastside home.
Rather, it’s a second home, where West, an artist, can pursue her interest in woodworking, and Bland, a musician who works for Genentech, can relax when the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, with whom he sings, takes breaks.
“It’s a great place to go and just unplug,” said Bland. “It’s a different pace of life.”
“People stop and help each other,” added his wife.
Living in the country had been a “promise to ourselves” for years, said Bland. A friend told them about Hayfork, the second largest town in Trinity County, five hours away and 2,500 feet up in the mountains above Eureka — and the eight creekside acres for sale there.
West went to see it and found an old trailer, a barn and a family of renters. “It was hard to see in my mind a blank slate, what it could look like,” she said. Still, they bought it in September 2006.
They gave the renters ample time to move out, dismantled the buildings and met the neighbors. “We lived for seven years in San Mateo and never penetrated the community,” said Bland. “People in Hayfork were very welcoming. We were quickly accepted as newcomers.”
“People take care of themselves and each other up here,” said West.
The mountain town reflects its logging roots. It’s a place where “you can get long johns at Ernie’s” said Bland. But it also revealed “like-minded people coming out of the woodwork” — artists, musicians and lovers of the great outdoors.
“It’s not a destination,” he said. “You go there to fish or hunt. It’s more if you want to be outside.”
It’s also a place where heat soars and snow falls. “You get your full four seasons,” said Bland.
Those factors helped make straw an ideal choice. The couple contracted with an Oregon builder that specializes in straw bales, and chose local businesses for finishing touches. The price tag caused no huffing and puffing: West said she and Bland paid $900 for enough bales for two stories.
The house, of 1,800-plus square feet, was built on a slab into which radiant heat was installed. The organic, Sacramento Valley rice straw was tightly baled to prevent oxygen permeation to reduce fire danger. Using straw helps farmers too, said West. Previously, leftover straw was burned, causing pollution, so using it to build created a win-win scenario.
Encased in plaster inside and stucco outside, the bales looked like adobe. They were stacked to form the structure, and the door and window openings were cut with an electric saw. The bales are not load-bearing but insulating; though the house takes a couple of days to heat, warmth dissipates slowly and, conversely, coolness remains.
The house sports a 14-inch, open “truth window” that reveals the straw underneath. With pine walls and skylights, it’s airy and bright.
“It’s quiet, really quiet,” said West. “It feels like sacred space. It’s those organic materials.”
Besides a couple of acres for gardening, the couple say they will keep the land open - but do not fear wolves in those parts.
“I feel incredibly blessed that we could do this,” said West.
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