depending on your soil type you may wish to check out
Cal-Earth - Photo Gallery Super adobe could be a lot cheaper and easier to design (though a bit more physical work) than strawbale.
Not to come down on strawbale, I've been following thier progress for over 15 years now, but I think there are better but less "sexy" methods to building shelters than the 1st little pig method.
<edit> though I gotta admit I'm a bit envious. I'm too much of a city slicker, but I'd love to live in a building code free zone to carry out my mad little experiments.
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"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible"---F. Zappa
If we can't be free, at least we can be cheap"--- Again F. Zappa
My guilty little pleasure