Straw Bale Home FOR SALE - Colorado
Straw Bale House for Sale
by Owner/Builder
In the Colorado Rocky Mountains
on Five Forested Acres
$190,000 As Is *
The Heavy Construction is Completed!
Needs Finish Work.*
(Price Reduced $30,000* from Zillow’s Est. $210,000)
Contact:
Email: JerryG.Seven@Gmail.com
Contact: Jerry at 719-820-0878
Address/Map: 136 Grouse Cir, Westcliffe, CO 81252
Appointments: A letter of loan Pre-approval, Pre-qualification, or cash buyer verification will be required for an appointment to show the house. In addition, please review this website for the full details before contacting me for an appointment – this will answer most of your questions and help you determine if this house is for you.
To those who just want to see a straw bale house, please understand I do not have time to show the house to every person who is curious. However, upon request, I will arrange an open house for those interested in seeing a straw bale home up close. Meanwhile, feel free to drive by and look at it from the road.
Introduction
The house is presently fully functional and livable. I am the builder & owner of this straw bale home and own this house outright (no mortgage). I have built three straw bale houses in this area and have worked on several other straw bale projects. This house was built as my home; this means I put in extra quality work and features. The heavy construction is complete, about 80%; some finish/detail work remains. Since the house is presently functional and completely livable, this will allow you to move in immediately and live in it as you finish it. No immediate work or investment in the house is required. Therefore, you can complete the projects when convenient. It would take a full-time capable person about one month to complete the house. Equity-wise, you could hire out the work and still come out ahead.
While crime and rent prices escalate, buying a home in Custer County is making more sense. Home prices in the country are lower, and in this county, crime is nil. With a population of 4,700, the county jail recently closed due to too little crime (they farm out detainees to other county jails).
The House’s Completion Estimate is $25K to $30K, and that investment upgrade can increase the home’s value by $50,000.
The remaining Construction Materials and Labor Cost is estimated at $15K (potential sweat equity). They consist of manual labor and light-technical work (that can be easily learned). Most of the basic Electrical and Plumbing materials required to finish the house have been purchased and are included with the house purchase. All Completion Projects are detailed at the end of the description. The final amount of work and expense would depend on your choices of esthetics and materials used.
Presently, water is hauled – I haul household water to the property and store it in three water cisterns, totaling 2100 gallons, which lasts eight months for one person. Financial priority was given to building the house over the well's installation, with plans to install the well later. Presently, there is no well. Water is available at 60 ft and abundantly at 150 ft here in the Wet Mountains (their name). If you decide to install a well, the estimated cost for a well that is 150 feet is $15K. This is the largest portion (50%) of the estimated house completion costs. And it can be installed when convenient.
Price:
This home's price of $190K is based, in part, on local home sales and Zillow's conventional home estimate of $210,000. Strawbale homes cost about 15% more than conventional homes and are not considered in the estimate; however, I am only including 5% of that value at this time as an incentive for a quick sale at the asking price. This gives you $16,000 of free and instant equity. Because the house needs about $25K to $30K of finish work, I’ve discounted another $30K from Zillow's estimate, totaling $46,000 in price reductions and potential equity. I also used Zillow’s lower estimate of $210K as an additional buyer incentive. Other estimates for this house are $100K more than Zillow's. Chase Bank's estimate of my home value was the next lowest at $328,000. I will consider owner financing of the balance with a down payment of $150K.
Trade: I need someone long-term with experience in Internet marketing to manage a book I wrote. It will require about 4 hours a week for five years or more. I am willing to exchange partial payment for such services. If interested, you should request from me a detailed description of the job. (Serious individuals can learn on the job.)
Location and Area
The home is in the South Central Rocky Mountains of Colorado in Custer County. It is on 5 acres of hills, with 400+ pine trees. It is on a cul de sac road with minimal to no traffic. There are two other homes on this road; one is a summer retreat. You'll have most of the area to yourself. Custer County's population is 4,700, and it is not a major tourism center, so living here is quiet and easy. Westcliffe is the nearest town, 18 miles north. Pueblo is 65 miles to the east. Colorado Springs is 75 miles north. Denver is 135 miles away. The 75-mile-long Sangre De Cristo mountain range, with 14,000-foot peaks, is 10 miles across the valley. Hiking, backpacking, biking.
Pine trees cover the area with occasional meadows and grassland valleys. Electric lines are underground. The homes in the area are on five to 35-acre parcels with county-maintained roads (including winter snow removal). The houses are custom-built in the $130,000 to $1,000,000+ price range. There are a few newer modular homes but no mobile homes.
This property sits above a 7500-foot high valley in the Wet Mountains at 8950 feet elevation. Across the valley is the 14,000' snow-capped Sangre De Cristo mountain range. As the name Wet Mountains implies, there is an abundance of shallow water (60 to 100 feet), as it snows and rains here more than other areas. The property has abundant wildlife. I continuously see wildlife on my property: deer, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, a few bears, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and a beautiful variety of birds. Several deer trails crisscross the property. The animals are free to roam with few fences in the area. It is very quiet and peaceful here. I love the contrast of the winter in a warm, impervable straw bale home, yet the house is cool in the summer. It has been the ideal setting to concentrate on a book I've been writing. I had stopped working on the house when it was livable, and I focused exclusively on writing a book, which is now finished.
The house is on the northern slope of a pine-forested hill above a meadow known as Antelope Valley, the name of our subdivision. The house's interior is 1200 sq. ft., and the exterior is 1400 sq. ft. (keep in mind the straw bale walls are 20" deep with a stucco coat). It has two bay-front type entrances. If viewed as two sections perpendicular to each other and sharing a common wall, the house's exterior dimensions are 30' x 25' and 30' x 21', plus an 8' x 8' rear entry Mud-room with a storage loft. See the pictures for the floor plan.
House Details
Natural, toxin-free building materials were used throughout the house’s construction, making this a truly toxin-free home.
The Living Room is the main entrance to the house. The 340 sq. ft room has a bay front with a bay window with two opening windows, a third large opening window, and a 4" thick insulated custom front (and rear) door(s). They open up to your own private forest and wildlife. The Custom Entry Door is simple and energy efficient. The doors are a unique 4 inches thick with an 18 R-value, which is at least four times better than conventional doors. The Living Room area - 20' x 17' has a 14' high cathedral ceiling shared with the loft, making the back part of the house 1.5 stories. The living room and kitchen floor have a Radiant Floor Heating hose embedded within their earth floors. A heat source (tankless water heater) and pump will be required to complete the radiant floor heating.
The Main or Master Bedroom: The master bedroom (or Great Room) is 28' x 22' @ 616 sq. ft., with plenty of windows for soft 'artists' northern light exposure, a sliding glass door, and a 12-foot cathedral ceiling. The great room/bedroom can be subdivided to create an additional bedroom or office. There is also level ground to extend the house to its west and east (right or left). Note: The master bedroom floor needs to be finished with brick, 3" earth-fill (or whatever material you choose). Presently, there is an existing base of 4" to 6" of coarse earth-fill. There is carpet over the floor.
The Loft/Bedroom, open space, is 20' x 12' @ 240 sq. ft., above the kitchen and bathroom, and oversees the living room and out the windows to several acres of private forest. The loft includes a storage area (for water tanks, etc.) behind a cedar-paneled wall.
The Kitchen (and Mud Room) has a newer Whirlpool refrigerator - 21 cubic ft., at $1000 included. It has all the essentials and is fully functional. The kitchen has a functional but temporary setup in place. New owners must install their desired propane cook stove, counters and cabinets, and a sink replacement for a modern kitchen. The kitchen is - 9' x 12' @ 110 sq. ft. The kitchen has a rear third entrance/exit to the house via an 8x8 Mud-Room/Storage room with an added mini-loft for extra storage - 4x8. The Mud-room has two windows and a rough wood Dutch-Door entrance.
Bathroom - 9' x 12' @ 110 sq. ft. A newer high-end, $1600+, Biolet Composting Toilet (electric) is installed, which requires no water - a savings of 20+ gallons per day. However, a flush-toilet plumbing drain is installed in case you wish to install a conventional toilet. An efficient, manual flush urinal has been installed. A shower/bathtub with a 5-gallon electric water heater is installed for short showers. A washing machine drain and electric outlet are installed. The Septic tank is in place and working.
The Earth Floor consists of 6 to 8 inches of clay/sand (adobe) in the living room to complement the floor heating, and pumice-create is used in the bathroom for superior floor insulation. The pumice contributes about a 10+ R-value insulation (compared to R-3 of cement). The earth-clay floors in the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom act as a thermal mass that captures the ambient heat (from the propane, pellet, or wood-burning stoves), and they hold in radiant floor heat to be released when the stoves are off. Once all heat sources are off, the combination of thermal floors and strawbale insulation will keep the inside of the house from freezing for about a week in the dead of winter.
In addition to the earth floors throughout the living areas and the kitchen, radiant floor heat tubing is embedded in the floor. The radiant heated floors will keep your feet warm in the winter. This will add substantially to the heat radiation and distribution throughout the floor and house. A pump and heat source will be needed to make this operational. Your heating cost will be significantly reduced.
The floor has multi-layered coats of earth-tinted (reddish brown), hard varnish finish. It has a nice semi-gloss and looks very earthy (as seen in the pictures). The living area and kitchen are carpeted at this time.
Heating: The energy heating efficiency of a straw bale design is not just an ecological concern. It is also an economic concern during our later years when we need control of our utility expenses as heating fuel prices continue to rise.
In the main living area (including the living room, kitchen, loft, and bath), you'll have a highly efficient ecological Englander Pellet Stove ($1200) as the primary heat source (almost smokeless), $350/ton of pellets per year to operate).
Behind the pellet and wood stoves is an interior adobe brick earth-wall for ideal heat retention & radiance. The wall is unconventional because it is an interior wall with a pellet and wood stove on either side. Once the stoves are off, the captured heat in the wall and floor will radiate throughout the night to maintain the house's temperature.
The living area with the pellet stove has a high-end Rinnai Propane Heater for an early morning quick warm-up, 30,000 Btu, $1,100. Propane averages $350 when used with the pellet stove as the main heat source.
With the added Radiant Floor Heat in the earth floor, you'll be far ahead of any conventional home, budget-wise, with ecological efficiency and comfortable warmth during the coldest winter nights.
In the summer, no AC is needed, as the straw bale insulation and earth floor construction keep the whole house cool on the hottest days.
TJI Roof & POST AND BEAM CONSTRUCTION 18” inch high TJIs* (Truss/Joist I-beams), designed for more expansive construction such as warehouses, were used to construct this roof. Normally, when TJIs are used, they’re 8 to 12 inches high. In conjunction with the post and beam construction, they give this house a superior building frame. Collectively, they carry the load of the house, roof, and the heaviest snow. In fact, the use of TJIs converts the weight of snow to strengthen the weight-carrying abilities of the roof. This works much like a semi truck’s I-beam flatbed trailer or a bridge. The heavier the load, the stronger it becomes. Each of the 20, 8" to 10" wide log posts used throughout the house is bolted to an anchor of angle iron (1/4" x 4” x 4” by 2 feet), which is embedded into as much as 4 feet of reinforced concrete. 20 6” x 8’ wooden beams bridge and tie in the posts and TJIs. Not only is it wise to leave snow on the roof to the strength and stability of the building, but it adds insulation and allows for easy snow-melt/water capture. (This is not the weaker load-bearing, straw bale construction – where the roof’s beams are placed directly onto the bales.)
STRAW BALE WALLS are an insulation infill placed between the posts of the house, providing an exceptionally well-insulated building. In fact, there is no other better-insulated house. The straw bale/wall, 20 inches thick, has an R-value of about 56 – which is 2 to 3 times the warmth of a conventional house. Most new traditional homes are rated as low as 19 R-Value.).
This house has the essential breathable lime plaster and stucco inside and out, traditionally applied by hand (securely bonded and creatively detailed). Windows are double-pane insulation.
The Footer/Stem-Wall, on which the bales sit, is 18" wide, made of Portland cement and pumice (no sand), and has an unheard-of R-value of 20. (Concrete/sand is R-3 and acts as a cold conductor.)
The Roof and Cathedral Ceiling are a gentle 12/3 pitch, which will help control the snow from sliding off the roof and allow for capturing the water into an existing 1500-gallon concrete cistern. The 12/3 pitch inside shows a gentle cathedral ceiling, with long center beams supporting the roof.
These I-beams give unusually strong roof load support for the heaviest snow and allow 18 inches of ceiling-to-roof insulation up to 54 R-value. When the snow does not melt soon after it falls, it indicates the roof is not leaking heat and melting the snow, which is the case with this house. The accumulated snow also adds to the house's insulation. Loose straw packed in large bags was used for roof insulation. While it works well, I’d prefer cellulose (shredded newspaper), as it covers the surface better.
During a freak snowstorm years ago, I got 4 feet of wet and very heavy snow that stayed on the roof for weeks. Another house I built in the same manner in another part of the county got seven feet of snow and had no problem. The snow's weight actually strengthened the roof. Meanwhile, other local, conventional roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow.
The roof overhang, or the eves, extends 42" outward, 18” farther than the usual 24" overhang. This protects the stucco and straw bale construction from the rain and snow. The roof has mineral-surfaced roll roofing and is in good condition.
Water Supply: No water well is installed. Complete details are provided below in Finish Work.
Finish Work
If you were to finish the essential work yourself, you would save about $12k in labor costs. Presently, the house is fully functional/livable, and nothing needs immediate attention. You can get to it when you wish.
The work Needed: Some electrical and plumbing; the Master bedroom floor will need finishing; and the kitchen cabinets/counters/sink will need to be purchased and installed.
Most interior electrical wiring (20 Amp, including Cat 5) is installed in the floor and walls, but permanent wiring is needed in the kitchen/bath walls. Temporary electrical wiring is in place and working fine, but it should be replaced. Basic electric supplies/materials are included. The temporary electrical main supply cable should also be replaced.
Plumbing: Temporary plumbing is in place for the house water supply and works fine, but it should eventually be replaced with conventional Pex plumbing. Pex is the best piping, and Pex plumbing materials are included with the house. All plumbing is designed to go into an accessible common interior kitchen/bath wall (no freezing).
The master bedroom floor needs finishing – 3" of fill, e.g., brick, compact earth-fill, or whatever flooring you wish. It already has 4 inches of unfinished earth-fill base.
The kitchen sink and cabinets you choose will need to be replaced for a more complete and modern kitchen.
Water Supply: No water well is installed. Initially, I put off drilling a well so I could apply my funds toward building the house and getting a roof over my head. I top off my 2100-gallon water supply every 2 or 3 months. I can haul 300 gallons of water at a time with my 1-ton truck, costing $60 a year. Household water tanks, totaling 400 gallons, are installed inside the house. Interior water storage means no freezing, plus water continues to be available as it is gravity-fed during rare power outages. Even with a well, using the existing interior tanks would be advisable. Another 1800 gallons are stored in other cisterns. Two 300-gallon portable water-hauling tanks and a 1500-gallon underground concrete cistern are included with the house. I have a reliable older 4WD F150 Ford work truck that I might be able to sell to you for hauling water if needed. I also use it for removing snow from my driveway.
If you choose to drill a well, it will cost about $65 a foot for 100 to 200 feet – between $6,500 and $13,000. The higher estimate is part of the subtracted discount of $30K needed to complete the house. Water is available and shallow in the area – one neighbor who lives on the hill above my house hit water at 60’ but drilled to 150’. During heavy periods of rain, an artesian well tries to surface on a 5-foot section in the cul de sac road in front of the house. If, within the first six months of purchasing the house, you decide to have a well drilled, I will guarantee you’ll hit water. If the first drill doesn’t produce water within 300 feet, I’ll reimburse you for half the cost.
A 1500-gallon cistern is installed at ground level and plumbed to the house. (It is presently filled with rain water as a safety measure and is not in household use). This cistern will cut hauling water down to twice a year. The cistern can also serve as a water supply for a firefighting emergency.
Miscellaneous: Some minor trim and paneling detail needs to be installed. Two 5-gallon electric water heaters are installed and may be upgraded to a larger capacity. An 11-foot section of the living room interior panel needs to be installed. (Presently, straw bales fill the divider wall.) All my essential construction tools can be included at a low price if needed. The house comes with everything in it if you want it (at no additional cost), e.g., some furniture, shelves, cabinets, etc., – as is. Also, that which is on the property is also available, e.g., building materials, lumber, storage camper, trash/dumpster trailer.
You can contact me by email for questions to make an appointment to see the house at JerryG.Seven@Gmail.com or by phone at 719-820-0878
Thank you for visiting this site.
Jerry Gomez