[Strawbale] Overhead bales

[Derek Roff]

> Has anybody tried using strawbales between ceiling joists like you would
> glass bats?

Quite a few people have proposed the idea.  I know several who have done 
it.  Most of those say they would never do it again.  Among the various 
practical problems, one that stands out is the difficulty of working bales 
around the trusses or rafters.  Bales are not precise nor consistent in 
size.  Almost every bale will be too loose or too tight for the intended 
space.  If you can deal with this problem, there is still a problem with 
gaps between the ends of the bales, and between the webs of the trusses. 
Thermal bridges and gaps are likely.

Stuffing the gaps with loose straw is time consuming and of unknown thermal 
performance.  My biggest worry about bales in the roof is from fire.  Bales 
in the ceiling are a much greater fire risk than bale walls, and they can't 
be plastered nearly as well.

Finally, bales in the roof are expensive.  As David mentioned, the roof 
structure must be beefed up to support the weight of the bales.  In 
addition, the cost of the bales is likely to be similar or greater than the 
cost of cellulose insulation.

Derelict

Derek Roff
Language Learning Center
Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
Internet: derek at unm.edu