Published: October 05, 2009 02:49 pm      

Walkers present house of straw to Rusk Lions

Lion President Vic Whadford called the meeting to order with Lion Billy Watson giving the invocation, Lion Jim Cromwell led the pledges and Jim Richings led the singing. Special guest was Boots Burfoot.

Lion Charlie Burfoot introduced our guest speaker who was Jim Walker and wife Waldine. They have recently built a house of straw, hay, logs, brick, rock and mortar in the country just South of Rusk on CR. 1105. They bought 12 acres of land in a wooded area on a creek.

He purchased a backhoe and cleared enough ground for the house and also made a dam across the creek to build a small pond. He used the timber for logs to build the house. He brought several booklets of pictures that were made of the house while it was being built. He built a tin roof and then went underneath and poured a concrete slab. He used square bales of hay stubble to place around the slab, leaving a space for all the doors and windows. They used wire mesh around the bales of hay and they made metal pins and placed them in the concrete slab which were used to place straps and pull the hay as tight as possible to make the walls.

The building is only 810 square feet and is comfortable for 2 people, except for closet space which is never enough. They have a window air conditioning unit and in the summer they raise the windows at night and close them in the morning. They have ceiling fans and most of the time they do not use the air conditioning until it reaches above 80 degrees. They have a wood stove that supplies heat in winter. They made the ceiling out of bamboo.

The house itself cost $17,000. and the land was $8,000. So for $25,000. they have a nice little home. They invite the public to come out and see it anytime and they assure you that you will feel as comfortable as 3 little pigs in a straw house.

Please visit our Lions Club any Thursday at noon on Highway 84 West.