Anyone else built a hay/straw bale coop?

[d.k]

* If you haven't started placing bales yet, how about a *raised bed* packed gravel foundation??? You'd need to overfill it slightly, I think-- to allow for settling and some gravel crushing. But, it would wick away moisture pretty fast unless you had a flood. You could cover the gravel inside with a 2X4 floor and linoleum for cleaning.

 

[onthespot]

I live in So Cal too, and have been wanting to build a straw bale home, so I have enjoyed reading all the replies here. Not that I would try it with a permanent human residence, but how about a row (or two or three) of old car tires to keep the straw bales off the ground? Mabe it would be too good of a varmint factory, now that I think of it, warm, dry, airy, close to food, safe from predators, you'd be overrun with mice and rats in no time with that idea! Okay, no tires under the bales of hay... back to the drawing board...

 

[Cetawin]

I wish I had pictures to show you but a dear friend of mine has a bunny house made of the straw bale construction. She has had it for about 6 years now.

She framed as you have done and used 12" of pea gravel topped by a row of old tores cut in half and filled with quick dry cement. Then her bales up to ceiling level. She used 1" chiken wire inside and outside to secure the bales and then used plaster and stucco. topped it with a pitched truss roof frame, added the windows and door and voile'.

It has worked well for her and she is in NC so it does get wet there. Just some ideas for you.