[Strawbale] Book for a newbie

[Tony Monaghan]

Hello all,

I am new to the ideas of strawbale construction, but am quite interested 
in it.  I am also fairly new to construction generally - not in building 
and fixing things - I have done a great deal of that, but I'm a newbie 
in the cycle of constructing a building from scratch.  I will have 
opportunity, I hope to expand in the future on the ideas I have, which 
include a set of strawbale cabins on the side of a river, but for the 
moment, I am interested in recommendations for books that talk about 
strawbale construction within the life cycle of an entire building, from 
foundation through roof.

A couple of particular questions I would like answered in the book (or 
books) might be:
1)   Raised foundations for flood plain issues - what possibilities are 
there in different kinds of foundations.  Eg, can one simply build a 
large dirt mound and then pour a slab on top of it - are there better, 
and more cost-effective options that maintain the long-term ecological 
strengths?
2)   The benefits and  drawbacks of  load-bearing vs. non- load bearing 
bale walls - including ease of construction.
3)     Roofing systems for temperature maintenance benefit - roofing 
types, costs, advantages and disadvantages.
4)  Electrical and Plumbing issue with strawbale, especially with slab, 
or other foundation techniques.
5)   Humidity and rain issues for a given location - how much rain per 
year is simply too much for strawbale 30", 40" 50"...?  Other weather 
considerations?  (ie driven rain vs. falling rain)

I recognize that your time is precious, so while I would appreciate 
interaction, what I am looking for at the moment is simply 
recommendations on the best books for examining the issues.

Many, many thanks,
Tony Monaghan