Off-grid straw bale homestead in Colorado

How would you like your own off-grid homestead? This small straw bale house is available and comes with 40 acres of land on Colorado’s Western Slope. Half the land is irrigated farmland while the other half is lightly treed with a ravine and creek running through it.

The small house is fairly new, having been built in 2008. It is 468 ft² (43.5 m²) on the ground floor, although the thickness of the straw bale walls reduces the interior space considerably. The small interior is supplemented by a wide wraparound porch that almost doubles the area under roof. Other outdoor living spaces include a flagstone patio and a covered barbecue area.

Entering through the custom wood door brings you into a double-height living/dining/kitchen space. At the other end is a bedroom with a loft bedroom over it. The straw bales are plastered on the inside and the ceiling is finished with aspen tongue and groove boards. The concrete slab was tinted for a durable and inexpensive finish floor.

Being off the grid, the home’s electric power comes from a photovoltaic array and battery bank, and its heat comes from a woodstove. The bathroom facilities don’t meet the “modern conveniences” standard, consisting of an outhouse and attached outdoor shower. On the plus side, they have a pretty nice view of the ravine and distant mountains. The ground-floor bedroom looks pretty big so you could put a bathroom in there, if you were so inclined, and still have a workable bedroom.

For more details, see the real estate listing. Enjoy the photos!

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Photographs courtesy of Paonia Realty.

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