Catching up to the 21st century, part 13...strawbale wall thickness woes

Floor area is defined as that area within the exterior walls, including wall thickness. This definition poses a problem for my straw-bale home design which is limited to 1,200 ft² of floor area. Straw-bale walls are thick compared to stickframe construction. Assuming 24 inch thick straw-bale walls, my 1,200 ft² floorplan would have 936 ft² of usable floor area (the area within the interior surface of the exterior walls). In contrast, a 1,200 ft² home with 6" stickframe walls would have 1,131 ft² of usable floor area. I love straw-bale homes, but not enough to sacrifice 195 ft² of usable living area.

In May, 2007, with the help of friends, a local architect/straw-bale building advocate and a local straw-bale builder, I wrote a letter to my county planning department and district supervisor requesting a special interpretation of floor area for straw-bale homes. I argued that only 6" of straw-bale wall thickness should be included in the floor area calculation. The county replied in June, 2007. They said that I raised an interesting topic for future green building standards, however, the current floor area definition was not subject to interpretation. I have therefore abandoned my straw-bale design.