[Strawbale] certification of straw bales

[Dave Howorth]

On Thu, 2013-08-15 at 23:33 +0100, Adam Dawson wrote:


> Here in the UK "Approved Inspectors" are part of the building
> regulations and I've heard that they are more likely to listen the
> case for a "non-standard" construction type and accept a broader range
> of testing proof than the more traditionally minded government
> departments in a council. 

There are certainly independent approved inspectors in the UK who are
open to and have previous experience of straw bale projects, and I'm
using one such myself. I think that with local authorities it comes down
to the attitude and experience of the particular council and even the
individual officer. If you're lucky you may find you would be assigned a
helpful individual who would be a benefit to your project. If you're
unlucky, you might have some difficulties. So best to do some
investigation first. Note that BCOs all follow the same rules, but the
rules have some flexibility, so the BCO can use their knowledge, skill
and judgment in deciding what is acceptable to some degree.

Cheers, Dave