She watched mom build Northern California home with straw bales. See $375,000 listing
Emily Nyokka watched her mother, an artist, help build their circular house made of hay bales and stucco in southern Humboldt County when she was a child back in 1997.
The home sits in an open space on two acres of pasture, woods and oak trees in the little town of Benbow, California. The property, which Nyokka and her brother inherited when her mother Suzette Nyokka passed away, is for sale for $375,000.
“We bought the land when I was like 7 (years old),” said Nyokka, who is now 32. “And then she built the little cordwood cottage up at the top of the driveway, which is my favorite part ever. My brother and my mom and I all lived in that, with a little outdoor kitchen, with a piano, while she started building the main house. It’s like 16-by-16, a tiny little cottage. It was a lively little spot.”
The design of the main house uses a sustainable building method called “straw-bale construction,” using straw and stucco. These type of homes tend to be more energy-efficient, with walls at least 18 inches thick and insulation values of R-30 to R-35, and can be more flame-retardant than conventional wood-frame construction.
The home has two bedrooms, one bathroom and 1,800 square feet of living space. There are charming, sometimes quirky and artistic touches throughout the home, including the built-in shelving, alcoves, arched entryways and custom woodwork. The large, main living space is open and round, with large ceiling beams and a thick tree pole in the middle. Suzette Nyokka created the kitchen counters with colorful glass shards.
Nyokka said her mother read a lot, loved to learn and “had endless curiosity,” which led to her concocting an “amazing recipe” for creating the organic material for the home’s adobe floors.
“She obviously had contractors and people helping, but I mean, she designed (the house) — and she worked,” Nyokka said. “Anytime there was work happening, she was in the middle of it.”
Nyokka says a great feature of the residence is the fact that it is private, but also close to town. The property is on the city grid with access to water and PG&E power.
“You can see east and west, and the view is beautiful,” she added. “And I love the meadow. We get wildflowers and daisies in the meadow, and there used to be like a little veggie garden. I love it. It’s very special to me and my brother because it’s like this incredible art piece that our mom left us and it’s hard to let go.”
Somer Wallan, the listing agent with Madrone Realty, told realtor.com that a buyer will likely be someone who cares about the environment. Some people looking at the property have expressed an interest in turning it into a vacation rental.
“Growing up in the construction zone was a blast,” Nyokka said. “I mean, it was definitely unconventional. At one point, we had a goat that was supposed to live outside, but she had absolutely no problem opening the door. And so she would just like bust in and come and eat whatever she could find. It was hilarious. She was very cool.
“It was wild. Somebody came and looked at it the other day, and I was telling him that I’m a very comfortable climber,” she added. “We grew up (where) at points there was scaffolding set up in the house. I would be hanging upside down at the top of it.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 8:00 AM with the headline "She watched mom build Northern California home with straw bales. See $375,000 listing."
