Once Fletcher was ready to build, a friend recommended Boeck. He had designed some energy-efficient and environmentally friendly architecture, and both he and Fletcher are part of the Oklahoma Sustainability Network, a group that strives for greater use of natural, renewable resources. Even so, Fletcher’s idea was new to him.

“She had this vision for a straw-bale house, so I did a lot of reading and she got the California straw-bale codes and then we designed the house,” Boeck said.

Once the plans were drawn, Fletcher would need city approval to get a building permit. The process of educating Norman about straw-bale construction was on.

“The building inspectors wanted to be thorough, as they should, so there was a lot of discussion and they did a lot of research on their own,” Boeck said.

City inspectors ultimately approved the project after insisting on a couple of concessions, like treating the lumber posts in the dirt floor, that Fletcher thought were reasonable. The house is new territory for experienced tradesmen as well, Boeck said, “because nothing is out of a textbook.”

Fletcher said there will be a public workshop once the bales are ready to go up. That way, anyone interested can learn firsthand about this new old way to build houses.

“I’m hoping this will give people an opportunity to look ahead and build in different ways and not stick so much to tradition,” Fletcher said.

James S. Tyree366-3539jtyree@normantranscript.com