pete mac sween

Hey Brad thanks for the info. I know there is going to be some issues with construction of this project and that is why I am asking questions. I have thought about having the steel exposed on the inside and then wrap the bales around the outside but it will not look the same as wood, so I am planing to keep the steel hidden inside the walls and plaster over the posts and beams, keeping the steel as close as possible to the inside of the building as possible. I do not want to have any steel exposed to outside elements because this will bring in cold and moisture. The main reasons for wanting to frame with steel is due to the fact that I can have longer spans VS building with wood, the longer spans will save construction time and a lot less work in shaping, cutting bales, plus a lot less work in the framing process. I have been looking for info on this kind of project but have not found anything. I don't expect the steel to any cheaper than a wood frame but there will be less work and the baling will probably go along faster.

we lived off grid for 2 years with 2 small children and we had some of the best times ever. Enjoyed winters most because of the free refrigeration, wood heat, gravity fed water. Whole family outside everyday getting lots of fresh air. Oil lamps and candles for lights fresh food from the garden almost daily except for winter time. Now we live in a big dirty city and dream of moving back to the country, only reason we left is because a third child came along and the older kids needed to get to school so we had to move to the city for the "convenience". Now the kids are grown up and we are thinking about heading back to the country, should be interesting.

Just read about this type of bed for gardening and can't wait to build one

OOOPPSS....Forgot to add the link
http://mediasite.online.ncsu.edu/online/Catalog/Full/f5a893e74b7c4b7980fd52dcd1ced71521/?state=X6km6MWxet0Fow8uljpu

Wow I envy all of you folks I grew up in Cape Breton but now live in Toronto due to the fact there is not much employment in that area. Maybe someday I will move back but for now am stuck here in Ontario. Good luck finding what you need there because most folks are not open to change or different ways of doing things, but that is simply my own opinion and experience. There are lots of people that will help you out but you just need to find them. Here is a link to NC State University and 38 seperate classes on a wide variety of permaculture issues ranging from introduction, soil, site analysis, design, trees, composting, water catchment etc.. Hope this is of some help, if nothing else it just might give you some ideas.

I have never heard of a reciprocal roof before so after doing a fast search I found lots of info and they look amazing specially if the beams are exposed on the inside. Would look great on a cob or strawbale home, or any project that requires a self supporting roof system. Here is one site that I found that shows how to build from start using temporary supports.
http://simondale.net/house/frame.htm

I am very interested in building a home using straw bale but I don't have any experience with this type of construction as of yet. But I do have nearly 30 years in the construction industry as a brick layer and then later as a structural steel worker. I am considering building using steel columns and beams as this would allow for longer spans and less framing as opposed to using wood. I know there will still be a need for some wood for toe ups, window and door frames and some other items. My questions are concerning condensation and I would like to know if anyone else has built any type of strawbale using steel framing, and if there are any precautions I should take or any problems that I might run into. This project will be built in Ontario Canada so lots of cold and snow and I need to find out about this before I begin construction. Any feedback is welcome and hopefully helpful.