Toronto Star

Lorraine Quast hopes her new house with straw bale insulation encourages people to dream about non-conventional homes in urban areas. And even though the south-western Santa Fe-style house, with sun-baked wood and desert colours in Oakville isn't finished, it's already attracting attention from people around Ontario. Quast says they get a constant stream of visitors — architects and people interested in building their own straw bale homes, who have heard about theirs through word of mouth. "People think we're hillbillies," she says. "We're a curiosity but then when they see us, they realize we're ordinary people." The idea for this type of home grew from visits out west, to Arizona. Quast and her husband Michael were enthralled with the colour, light and architecture of authentic western houses, with distressed corbels, posts and clay. This style, combined with their passion for healthy, energy-efficient materials, led to the decision to build a straw bale home.