A San Diego-based company is using old school materials like straw bales and clay to build homes that are more fire-resistant for Southern California residents who worry about wildfires season after ...

Dear Jim: I want a natural way to build an energy efficient house without plastics, foams, adhesives, etc. Straw bale houses seem to be natural. Is the straw bale construction efficient for low ...

CHICO — Margaret Dietz is building a straw house no big bad wolf will be able to blow down. She always wanted to build a straw bale house but because of city laws regarding sewage, she wasn”t able to ...

HOVLAND -- A half-mile down a dirt driveway through woods, a stack of straw bales signals one's arrival at Chris and Cameron Norman's new home. Approach the house, and the scattering of straw on the ...

BIG SMOKY VALLEY — Kim Bozarth arrived here a cultural outlier among rough-edged, do-it-yourself men: an outspoken woman espousing liberal politics in a high-desert landscape where conservative ...

Lester talks with people who snoop around buildings in search of savings. Energy audits are on the rise, and businesses and homeowners are finding they can save big bucks. And... They're not just in ...

CHEAP houses built from straw bales could dramatically improve building safety in earthquake zones. That’s the conclusion from tests in the US in which a simple straw bale house withstood shaking ...

CHICO — Margaret Dietz is building a straw house no big bad wolf will be able to blow down. She always wanted to build a straw bale house but because of city laws regarding sewage, she wasn’t able to ...