Building Green

Join host Kevin Contreras over the next 13 episodes, as he builds his green dream home in Santa Barbara, CA. Follow along as Kevin learns about straw bale walls, recycled sheep barn flooring, blue jean insulation, solar panels and all manner of green building technologies, both ancient and modern.

In this episode dedicated to foundation planning, host Kevin Contreras explains, "We're building a beautiful straw-bale home here in Santa Barbara, California, that the three little pigs would envy. Today we're going to talk about straw-bale building before preparing and pouring the foundation. We're going to visit with experts to find the best choices for our floors and discover other healthy, cost-effective building materials. Whether you're looking to build from the ground up or simply looking to green up, it's all right here."

Kevin visits green architect Eric Corey Freed to discuss the environmental differences between using wood and steel for the post-and-beam structure of his new home. As Eric explains, there are actually pros and cons to each. Because there is a large amount of energy that goes into the processing of steel, and because wood is a renewable resource, he often chooses to use wood. However, steel can be a good alternative if you need its strength and span. In earthquake-prone California, strength and span is exactly what Kevin is looking for to secure his straw bales. Although wood is often considered a greener choice, because of the size of the home, this project would require more wood than a regular house, as well as huge beams from old growth trees to get the same sturdiness that steel will supply. Weighing all the factors, Kevin decides on a steel structure.

Straw is the stalk of threshed grain. It has little nutritional value and is usually bundled into bales to be used as bedding for animals and for erosion control. But Kevin has a different plan: He is going to use straw bales as the building blocks for his new home. Using straw bales for home construction is a good green choice because straw is a renewable, natural building material; it is highly insulating and, therefore, very energy-efficient. Kevin's first step is to find dry, structurally sound straw bales, transport them and then move them to the center of the house so that they don't get wet.