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Peterson Home

The Peterson Home is a straw bale casita in the mountains just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This project is the first design-build collaboration between Architects Mark McLain & Tom Peterson. Design began last summer with extensive site analysis and the salvage of an existing home slated for demolition. This summer, we are living on site; supervising & participating in every aspect of the construction.
Mark checking footing depth with a builders' level. Tom at a straw bale raising in Truchas, NM. Tom shows our migrant laborer, Mino, how to dig a ditch.
Foundation waits for concrete. The "Command Module"
Tom salvages our front door.
Mark at a straw bale raising in Truchas, NM.

The bales arrived on site July 9, 2005. The bales were unloaded & stacked in under an hour. Four days later the walls were complete. The modified post & beam & half-bale module that we developed has worked out very well. The walls went up quickly, tightly & with very little waste.
Since the bales will give us the sheer resistance we need; there will be very little lumber used for the structural support. 400 bales-100 degrees Ivan, the strawman.
Tom & Pat place the first bale. Jim & Jakob Collins complete a beautiful job on our kiva fireplace. Tom finishes the post & beam portion on the west.
Master bath. We laid the electrical lines and cabinet backers as we stacked bales.
The living room curve & window seat.
Master bedroom. One tight corner!
We get some amazing sunsets out here.
STRAWberry margaritas at sunset.
Looking into the kitchen & dining rooms.
August was very productive; we passed our rough plumbing & electrical inspections, framed the garage and 99% of the house. Building this house is a wonderful & rewarding experience, but we miss our homes. Thanks to everyone that helps make our adventure possible. We will be home as soon as we can!
Right-handed, Mark cutting the column down to height. Left-handed, Tom taking a turn.
Time to set an 800 pound Douglas fir beam The tele-handler sets the beam down nice & easy.
Stan & Bette Fleischacker bring their carpentry talents all the way from California's Wine Country.
Attaching the beam to the corbel with "Log hogs".
Setting the last few pieces of the semi-circular living room.
Bette & Tom standing it the entry.
The clerestory volume is beginning to take shape!
In New Mexico they say,"dump out your shoes before you put they on!"
The garage would not benefit from extra insulation and therefore is conventionally framed.
Another jaw-dropping sunset in New Mexico.
This would be a four foot rattlesnake lurking outside the job trailer.

We have a roof! And windows and doors! And electricity!

Before the end of October, there will be polyurethane foam covering the roof, parapets and all of the wood sheathed exterior walls. The foam will insulate and waterproof the wood and f lush those sections with the bale sections- sealing the house up tight as a drum.
The front door we salvaged 15 months ago in Colorado, starts its new life in New Mexico. Lifting a 400 pound vega into place with these great material lifts.
All exterior windows & doors installed!
Tom & I put our carpentry skills to the test on these compound curve scribe cuts for the radial vegas.
Installing the last vega over the dining room.
Tom puts the finshing touches on the radial vegas.
Looking up from the window seat at the radial vega array.
The first layer of polyurethane spray foam goes down on the roof.
Last months wildlife photos were so popular...
There is a never ending suppy of awesome sunsets around here. New Mexican skys as seen from the window seat, near the kiva fireplace.

Tom and the crew have been doing a fantastic job finishing the house without my help these past eight weeks. On the 29th of December we built the first fire in the kiva, and it burned great- not even a puff of smoke got out. The radiant heat, in-slab, is working and feels great. Plumbing and electrical fixtures are going in, showers are being tiled, counter tops installed; but the color coat of stucco, patios, western portal and landscaping must wait until spring.
Entry roof ready for metal roofing. The color, patio and the portal to screen the windows from the sun will come in the spring.
The living room with its kiva and banco. Powder room toilet is salvaged and vanity is made from an antique nightstand.
There's a contest to guess how many sticks in the ceiling. Great job on the ceiling!
Tom hangs the doors salvaged from the Johnson's house in Colorado a year and a half ago. Using handmade cabinet doors on inexpensive boxes.  
The Sun
and Moon