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Building houses, community, and solutions to climate change one straw bale at a time.

When Ace McArleton started New Frameworks in 2006, his idea was to offer natural alternatives to traditional building materials that were healthier for humans and the planet. Using materials such as straw bales, local lumber, clay and lime plasters, and non-toxic paints, the company found its niche among early adopters to green building.

What surprised Ace, however, was that interest in the natural materials took a backseat to the inclusive community he was intentionally building at New Frameworks.

“Our clients were less motivated by climate reasons than we thought they would be,” he said. “What resonated was that we were kind and accessible. People were interested in the materials, but they primarily valued the relationship. We always start from a place of respect for our clients, especially with women, femmes, trans, or queer-identified people because there is such a history of toxic masculinity in the trades. It’s a big part of what drew people to us in the early days.”

Co-Founder Jacob Deva Racusin presents at a meeting at New Frameworks in Essex Junction. As a worker-owned cooperative, the company has taken a people-first approach from day one. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

As the business has grown and evolved over 17 years, that dual focus on inclusivity and low-impact homes has remained core to the company’s values. For Ace and his cofounders, those values come together under the umbrella of climate justice.

“As builders and designers,” said Ace, “we turn materials into shelter–one of our most basic needs as humans–and we do that in a way that builds a climate-just future by using natural materials and fighting inequity along the way.”

Najat Croll works at her computer at the company’s headquarters in Essex Junction. As New Frameworks has grown and evolved over 17 years, a focus on inclusivity and low-impact homes has remained core to the company’s values. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Climate justice and construction.

For most of the company’s history, New Frameworks has worked with clients to custom design low-embodied carbon housing using natural and non-toxic materials. They have a full design-build team and can act as general contractors on a project, from site work to the finishing touches. Considered experts in the Northeast on straw bale construction, they also consult with other builders on both new construction and renovation projects.

“Everybody is looking to use less energy and gain understanding around embodied carbon,” said Ace. “We don’t have a lot of time climate-wise, we need to bring our deepest gifts to recreating and remaking the way we heal the environment.”

Core to his gift is a deep knowledge of straw bale construction, which has been around for as long as humans have built shelter. “You hear all this stuff about carbon capture technology where people are building machines to suck carbon out of the sky and it’s like, plants are doing that all the time and making oxygen, so why not just work with plants in a regenerative way?” said Ace.

Cooperative Member Marina Rubio Herranz calculates measurements. The company’s straw bale insulation is made from organic grain grown on Aurora Farm and the timber framing is sourced from Fontaine Sawmill, a zero waste yard that harvests local, sustainably managed timber. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

Well known for its insulative qualities, New Frameworks purchases straw from Aurora Farm in Charlotte, Vt. The top of the grain is harvested and sent to Nitty Gritty Grain Co., while the stalks are used in construction. “When we harvest straw and put it into an airtight wall assembly, it doesn’t burn, rot or decompose,” said Ace. “Not only does straw keep spaces super warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but also the walls are really thick, so you get this beautiful detail.”

For New Frameworks, part of climate justice is not only using natural building materials, but also making them affordable. That, along with a sense of urgency around climate change, has led to a shift in their business. Rather than waiting for clients to contact them, the company has launched a line of Casitas–a collection of small homes, studios or accessory dwelling units that combine high performance, low-impact natural materials with affordability.

“Shelter is possibly the most expensive of our basic needs,” said cofounder Julie Krouse. “It’s just so inaccessible. And then you add in the housing crisis–even if houses were not so expensive, there just aren’t enough of them. We can’t solve this problem with foam and concrete. We don’t have time for that. We have to do it in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way.”

From service to sales.

The company’s new Casitas are their solution. At 315 square feet, the first unit to be made available is the Cabañita. Made in Vermont, the building is made primarily of plant-based materials grown within 50 miles of fabrication. The straw bale insulation is made from organic grass grown on Aurora Farm and the timber framing is sourced from Fontaine Sawmill in East Montpelier, a zero waste yard that harvests local, sustainably managed timber.

For the DIY homeowner, New Frameworks can deliver the Cabañita–with no finishes–for about $55,000. The slightly larger models, which include a bathroom and utilities, run closer to $200,000 fully finished.

But that shift, from a service company building custom homes to manufacturing a product for sale, was new territory for the company, which led Ace to the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) business coaching program.

“They came to us with this challenge of moving from a custom design-build company to something much broader,” said VSJF business coach Peter Cole. “They were really looking at how big of an impact they could have with small footprint housing kits.”

New Frameworks co-founder Ace McArleton meets with VSJF Business Coaches Peter Cole and Carolyn Cooke at the company’s headquarters in Essex Junction. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

With funding from the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP), Peter began working with the team on a strategic action plan to clarify the company’s mission and vision, organize financials, and put together a pitch deck for potential funders. As that process moved along, the company was connected with Carolyn Cooke, another VSJF business coach with expertise in marketing and sales. “It’s really critical that we understand the market and our customer at this phase,” said Ace, “and design a product that is understandable and accessible to them.”

“We’re starting to tick things off from our strategic plan,” added Julie. “It’s everything from the business plan to figuring out the steps of transitioning and growing our team. We’re thinking about human resources and how we can support peoples’ health and wellbeing in a sustainable way.”

A worker-owned cooperative, the company has taken a people-first approach from day one. “I believe we all have amazing individual qualities and should be recognized for them,” said Ace. “But it’s more interesting to me to see how those fit together into a constellation that moves us further, faster together. That’s why we are a cooperative.”

“Well, yes,” said Julie, “and because Ace worked his butt off to start this thing and then was like, ‘Who wants to share it with me?’ It’s just his personality.”

Making a case for smaller, more affordable homes.

“The first thing people ask us is, ‘What is the biggest tiny house we can get?’” said Julie. “Over the past few decades, house sizes have increased and overall happiness has decreased. More room equals more stuff and more upkeep, and everything is more expensive. We’re trying to convince everyone that, resource-wise, space-wise, and money-wise, smaller is better.”

The maximum size for an ADU is 900 square feet, or 30 percent of the gross floor area of the primary home. Julie says they are working on a model that is 900 square feet, which will be their largest model.

Looking ahead, Julie is hopeful that as Vermont’s ADU regulations loosen in response to the housing crisis, homeowners will put a Casita on their land and rent. The Vermont Housing Improvement Program is currently offering $50,000 grants to encourage homeowners to build or renovate ADU’s on their property. “The hope is that will translate to lower rent,” said Julie, “not just lower cost for the homeowner.”

“I’ve always been interested in human health and ecological health,” said Ace, “and how that interacts with the products we make as humans. That’s the roots of how New Frameworks got started and where it’s headed.”

A new building is constructed in Burlington’s Old North End. New Frameworks has worked with clients to custom design low-embodied carbon housing using natural and non-toxic materials. Using materials such as straw bales, local lumber, clay and lime plasters, and non-toxic paints, the company was an early adopter to green building. Photo by Erica Houskeeper.

About VSJF’s Business Management Coaching Program

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund provides tailored, high-touch planning, coaching, and advising for business owners and their management teams to advance profitability, job creation, and sustainable job development. Click for more information about business management coaching. Funding support for our coaching program is provided by client fees, the SBA-Community Navigator Pilot Program, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and Vermont Housing & Conservation Board’s Farm & Forest Viability Program.

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