I had to fill a space in a strawbale wall above the bales and betwixt some rafters. I had filled the space with some light clay a year ago, but it was wet and never dried resulting in decay. The light clay could have worked if it had a chance to dry over the warmer months, but I placed it in the wall during fall so it didn’t get a chance to dry. In the spring I ripped the rotting material out and left the cavity empty. The only thing between the inside and the outside was a 4″ cob wall attached to a 2 x 12″ wood stud - which does the trick, but in the winter months collects frost.

This fall I just wanted to fill the cavity and provide some insulation to the upper part of the wall. The choices were to create small bales that would fit into the the spaces; try more light clay ( this time drier ), or pack some poly-propylene bags with straw and stuff it. I choose to use the bale bags this time.
Continue Reading…