Prices vary depending on the cost of steel, your location and the season. But why not use something utilitarian and affordable - a grain bin - to build what is otherwise in the realm of the expensive and exclusive? These forms have evolved out of use because of changes in available materials, labor costs and prevailing building methods. Ironically, these attractive curved forms are used in either the most expensive and prestigious buildings or the most utilitarian and primitive ones. Plus, they’re round and have conical or domed roofs. Metal grain bins are strong, inexpensive - especially if you buy used bins - and can be recycled when you’re done using them. Why would anyone use a grain bin as a house? Following is an interview with Clipsham in which he describes the idea, where to find bins, insulation and more. His main concept is to put one round steel bin inside another and fill the space between them with foam insulation, which creates a single, monolithic structural insulated panel. Mark Clipsham, an architect from Ames, Iowa, is working on a new technique for using steel grain bins to produce strong, energy-efficient homes. The structure itself, a real grain bin, is clearly unique, but the rustic and high-tech interior takes it off the charts!” A Bin Within a Bin Everybody who comes here - including the Governor of Kansas - says it is one of the neatest things they have ever seen. “It turned out far better than our expectations. “Our grain bin office/scale house/residence is just cool,” Louise says. It serves as a scale house (where grain trucks are weighed) on their farm near Healy, Kan. Louise and Vance Ehmke turned a steel grain bin into a structure where they can live and work. Overall, it was great living in a round structure, and telling people you live in a grain bin makes for some great reactions.”
#Small grain silo house tour windows#
“For the most part, it worked pretty well, but careful consideration is needed around designing windows and doors. “Living in a grain bin was a pretty novel experience,” Liloia says. “Even with all the custom work, Montesilo came in below $200 per square foot - well below average building costs for the area,” Stein says.īrian Liloia lived in a straw-bale-insulated grain bin at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Rutledge, Mo. We’ve had incredible brainstorming and musical jam sessions in the house.”Īnd building the house, even using new steel bins, turned out to be a good financial decision. “It does something to your head - it’s soothing and inspirational. “There’s a certain non-empirical value,” he says. “In 50 years, my shiny steel home will only mellow to a gray patina, but I won’t have to paint it.” After moving in, he realized there were also advantages to living in a round structure. “My main motivation in building a house from a galvanized steel bin was that I never wanted to pick up a paintbrush again,” he says. Stein chose steel because it’s unique, eco-friendly and low maintenance. “Experimentally, when no extra heat is applied, the lowest recorded interior temperature was 62 degrees Fahrenheit in midwinter.” “Even when indulging myself with warm morning floors, my heating bills have been a fraction of what it would cost to heat an 1,800-square-foot house in this harsh Utah environment at 7,100 feet,” he says. For added comfort, Stein installed electric radiant heat in the floors. A computer controls draperies to retain the heat at night. The windows allow winter sun to warm the rubber-covered concrete floor. Stein’s structure utilizes passive solar heat that’s assisted with computer technology. Montesilo is easily one of the strongest and tightest buildings in the county.” To insulate, we sprayed 2 inches of low- VOC foam against the metal and followed that with blown-in fiberglass insulation. After ‘talling’ (raising) the silos, we cut our way in and framed the interior with 2-by-6s on 1-foot centers. We encourage readers to explore unique uses for metal grain bins - especially used bins - and we talked with several people who live in these structures to learn more about why they like their grain bin houses.Įarl Stein, of Summit County, Utah, says, “My grain bin home, ‘Montesilo’ (inspired by Monticello), is designed to be energy efficient. There are all sorts of interesting ways to use individual bins or group them together to make an attractive, comfortable home. After the bin is in place, it requires virtually no maintenance. Architects and builders have started to use these durable, inexpensive structures to construct grain bin homes, storage buildings, offices and barns. On thousands of farms across the continent, round metal grain bins (called “grain silos” in some regions) are standing empty or being torn down and sold for scrap because they’re no longer in use.
#Small grain silo house tour plus#
This energy-efficient grain bin house uses foam and fiberglass insulation, plus computer-assisted passive solar heating.
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