Gonzales Straw Bale Home

When the Gonzales family purchased this property in 2009, the pool, driveway, foundation, and some trees remained from the previous house destroyed by the 2007 Witch Creek fires. Building a home designed by Drew Hubbell was something Vince & Paula Gonzales had dreamed about for a long time.

The Gonzales family sees their new 2,400 square foot straw bale home as the result of a slew of life experiences and as a tribute to Paula’s parents. Building with straw was important to the family as it is an environmentally-friendly, ancient building method with modern application and a lot of appeal. Straw bales are a natural product and provide superior fire, noise, and thermal resistance.

The design of their new home salvages what little was left of the previous structure on the property and construction was performed carefully to limit debris. The home sits on the existing slab of the previous home while concrete pieces cut from the slab for plumbing and electrical lines have been re-cycled to build up drainage barriers around existing trees. Even the stairs are made from left over framing materials. Downstairs, the entire floor is a stained, concrete-based formula spread over the original slab while the upstairs floors are bamboo, an exceptionally renewable material. The kitchen counter top is made of recycled materials mixed with concrete, and a brick wall in the side yard was built from pieces left from the previous home. The house will use grey water for irrigation as well as rain and nightly condensation being collected on the metal roof.