little piggys house of straw

[pewter]

I reluctantly helped a work buddy on a little job today. His friends son has bought a house and wanted a few bits moving around before he moved in.

i would not have believed it, if i had not seen it with my own eyes. Internal walls are compacted STRAW, with a layer of paper over the top, and a thin skin of a grey cement looking plaster. Metal back boxes in a wall of straw.

Bonkers

 

[Sharpend]

Just don't try and run a chase in!

 

[davetheglitz]

I've seen this once before. As such it seems like a good idea - cheap, renewable, warm, good soundproofing (though not good for electrics) - but I was told that if the walls get wet the seeds within grow and the wall splits open! How's that for being green!

 

[Steve3948]

Something like Strammut Board it was called, used a lot in the 80's in flats and for flat roofs.

had a 25mm Hole top to bottom every 600mm for cables, used cut boxes out with jig saw, but then you had to be quick to get your box in with Strammut glue before it expanded before your very eyes.

 

[OnOff]

Thought you had to have pyro for straw bale places. Is this somehow different?

 

[PC Electrics]

Loads and loads of houses with straw walls round our way. Very common at one time.

 

[Steve3948]

Thought you had to have pyro for straw bale places. Is this somehow different?

With these boards being really compressed, no air, they would not burn and they also had a fire retardant.

We tried to burn it on site and it just would not burn.

It was the way forward in the 80's, had a very good sound proofing quality and fast install, but I don't think it's around today.

 

[pewter]

i tried to set light to some also, and it did not burn.

 

[batty]

Seen it a few times lucky it never become popular.

 

[hxsarge]

Easy to wire though, 4ft auger bit from above. Easy to rewire!

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I have carried out one rewire in a house like this. All the boxes had to be gripfilled in. The kitchen fitters lined the room with ply so they could hang the cupboards.

 

[M107]

A few estates round here (well Basingstoke)all the properties have the straw internal walls upstairs.

Steve was close they were called Stramit boards.

 

[steptoe]

Stramit / strammut

possible just a dialect thing

Ive done a load of these, Im not going to add a different name and get an argument going [for once]

from any that I have done extrta precautions had to be taken for circuits such as smoke alarms etc.

also cable groupings were different, but we used to 32mm drill and ram with a 25mm conduit to give a bit of play where possible.