Welcome, and thanks for your visit!
Arm of the Spiral.com was created to promote the fusion of sustainable and natural building methods and to encourage the would-be owner/builder to take up his or her courage and Do It! We live in a new era; one in which we must take responsibility for our choices. In times past, natural resources were plentiful and renewable simply because human population was relatively small. Now, we can see the evidence that our numbers are severely impacting the environment.
Please visit often and we'll strive to keep straw bale and sustainability info coming your way!
What's New
Updated August 12, 2008- Start your straw bale project today. Research counts.
Expanding our service.
The Colorado Straw Bale Association (COSBA), has moved its central office to Durango.
John Rehorn, the developer of this site, is now the executive director of COSBA and works with a dedicated group of volunteers to share information and serve as an advocates for the straw bale and sustainable construction movement in Colorado and the Four Corners states. Visit Coloradostrawbale.org and stay abreast of the latest straw bale techniques.
New! Visit the Churro Wool Page to see a few of the handcrafted items available on my merchant site: armofthespiral.etsy.com. Thanks.
Finally! Aunt Mabel's Marvelous Pickled Beet Tee Shirts are at last available. Show everyone that you're "Beet Powered". Click Here.
New Article Your mother always told you "Don't go out without a hat!", and it's good advice when building your straw bale house. Spend some quid on the lid. Here's a great article on Energy Heel Trusses by our honored guest, Steve Schechter of Mountain Solar Design.
More Questions and Answers Take another look at more thoughtful questions from our visitors. Answers included. FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions is where the serious straw bale surfers catch the big waves.
New Page Visit Parade of Homes to see some great owner/builder prep work. The first of our Scale Model Straw Bale Kit customers have photographed their work and sent us the results. Order your kit today and join the parade.
DVDs are only $10.95 ... always. Who are we trying to kid? We're keeping our "You Can Do It!" series DVDs at a fair price so you can easily support the great research and information you get for free on Arm of the Spiral.com. Order your copies today.
Build Your Straw Bale House Today! -- In Miniature We've built a kit consisting of little straw bales, little engineered lumber, and a simple little video DVD to guide you through the steps of building a scale model of your own straw bale house design. See Resources. And the first of our customer's straw bale scale model designs has already been submitted.
But What About Your Comments? Community is where to go to read your comments about this site or the "You Can Do It!" Straw Bale building DVD series. Please respond to our survey and leave your e-mail so we can let you know about updates to Arm of the Spiral.com. You'll find a link to Testimonials at the bottom of every page.
Churro Wool Page Help our Girls earn their keep!
Archived Articles
"Sustainable Vs. Natural" ... What's the Diff?
Straw Bale Needles for Sale
Straw Bale needles are a necessity for tying off shorter bales for wall-building. Arm of the Spiral now offers a simple and affordable Straw Bale Needle for the owner/builder.
A note about Dr. Katherine Andersen, DOM
Katherine is the better half of Arm of the Spiral, and the success of her practice allowed me to take a sabbatical from my writing to build our house.
We scrimped and saved for 12 years before building, but if it hadn't been for Kathy, both of us would have been coming home from a hard day's work to learn from some contractor why the cost of that dormer has just doubled.
So please click on her page and maybe learn a thing or two about acupuncture. Thanks.
Dr. Katherine Andersen, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, licensed acupuncturist
More than time, more than financing, our greatest need was the audacity to break ground and then see the job through. As first-time owner/builders, it was unnerving to visualize bringing all the steps together that would finally put us in the home of our dreams. But we did it, and so can you! We have developed a record of our challenges and accomplishments in DVD form, so that you can stand on our shoulders for a wonderful view of your own straw bale home.
