Our architect Herwig Van Soom is quite a supporter of straw bale building. Although we finally decided to compromise on wood (more environmental and better isolation than bricks, but not as avant garde as building with straw), the concept does appeal to me. Straw offers much better isolation than bricks or wood, and puts less strain on the environment than traditional building materials. The straw is sealed against moisture by plastering it, so a straw bale house looks pretty much like any other.

Categories: Architecture
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The Flemish Government have allocated a budget of 50 million euro to renovate older properties in Flanders. The subsidies will be allocated to houses older than 25 years, to a maximum of 30% of the cost of the renovations. The amount will be capped at 10,000 euro, so it won’t pay for a grand redevelopment like ours, but it will buy some wallpaper and a flush toilet. Whether knocking down a barn and building a house on the spot qualifies as renovating remains questionable, though. Some spin might be required.

Livios has information on other Flemish subsidies.

Categories: Finances
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