​This house is not taking part in the Dorset Greener Homes event this year.

Gleanings is a super-insulated, two bedroom, two storey straw bale home. It was completed in late 2016 and one of the many contractors was Phil Christopher, of straw building specialists Huff and Puff Construction (www.huffpuff.me), who are based in Wareham, and who will be your tour guide.

The building’s timber-beamed frame sits on gravel-filled car tyre foundations and is otherwise of load bearing straw bale construction. On the ground floor there is an open plan living room and kitchen, along with a bedroom and bathroom. A first floor mezzanine provides a second bedroom and a work/leisure area.

Whilst not achieving Passivhaus standard (which is 100% achievable with straw), air changes are reasonably low at around 4.4 changes per hour and ventilation is provided by a non-powered mechanical draft system rather than powered MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery).

Heating comes from a wood burning stove and one or two small heaters. The internal walls are plastered with clay and finished with clay paint, all of which naturally provides some thermal mass and helps to regulate internal moisture and air quality.

The roof has wooden shingles and the exterior lime render has recently been repainted with Graphenstone paint - a modern, environmentally accredited, lime-based, CO2 absorbing paint containing graphene for toughness.