The very very basic strawbale weekend project build

Our Straw Bale Philosophy:

We realize there are a lot of folks who are very interested in straw bale building - but are not necessarily contractors, carpenters, marathon runners, or have an extra $200,000 laying around waiting to be invested in a natural building. But you still think straw bale building is pretty cool and you would like to know more about it. And who knows, you might even someday scrounge together enough money to build your own one day.

That said, there are several ways to approach this thing. The first (and by far the most common) is to look at straw bale constructions through the lens of a traditional builder or contractor. It is a renewable material that can be incorporated into traditional building techniques.

Or, you can look at it as a really neat way to begin building a beautiful structure, recycling what you can, incorporating what you have... and see where that leads you.

With this in mind, our approach to straw bale construction is to use what is available where-ever possible (hence the rammed earth tire foundations, saplings rather than rebar, recycled lumber, and so on and so on).

The Workshop Agenda includes:

Orientation/ quick tour of Blue Rock Station

Site selection and leveling

Laying out the “tire foundation”

Pounding and leveling the tires.

Installing a sill plate.

Framing the structure.

Securing the base row of bales to the foundation

Cutting and retying bales to size.

Cutting saplings to girdle the bales.

Lashing the bales to the saplings.

Theory of straw bale, load bearing versus non-load bearing

Water issues (keeping the bales dry)

Mixing and using cob

Earth plastering

Integrating designs and light into your building using bottles

Creating a living “green” roof

The Straw Bale Weekend Project:

This basic project incorporates all the skills and techniques that you will need to tackle different size projects (like building your own dream mansion or a retreat out of straw bales). But the scale of the project will be small enough for a beginner “green builder” to learn without being overwhelmed - useful techniques for big or small building projects.

Given the size and nature of this project, we will cover the work site in a canopy (if necessary) - so the event will proceed rain or shine .

Come prepared to work hard, have fun, discuss politics, eat terrific locally grown food (lunches and snacks are organized), make friends, sweat, have a proper cup of tea - then sit in the shade and admire all you have accomplished.

Workshop questions and logistics:

Where should I stay?

There are a couple small cabins (straw bale and otherwise) at Blue Rock Station that can be rented during the workshop. Also, camping is available on site for a small fee. We also have a couple extra tents available if you are traveling light. Contact seller to sort out your accommodations. Especially during the 7-day workshops, we find most folks end up staying at Blue Rock Station as the entire event becomes quite social (with campfires and discussions well into the evening).

Class size is limited to 12 students, so please reserve your spot early.

Blue Rock Station is a sustainable living homestead that centers around Ohio's first Earthship, a comfortable home built out of tires, cans, bottles, strawbales and other re-used materials. Folks from around the world attend workshops on a variety of topics including natural building, solar cooking, natural gardening, wild foods, and more. Basic housing is available in the Firefly or Mayapple, tiny straw bale screened rooms in the forest. There is a solar shower made from 500 plastic milk jugs, a dry compost privy, and a plastic bottle greenhouse. Visitors can design their own workshops, take a walk with the llamas, or enjoy high tea - Blue Rock Station style. Reservations are required.