I received this email today (a bit late as my inbox has been so full). If you can help, please contact Errol below.

Andrew,
We are about to start plastering a straw bale house in central NH. The work so far has been done old fashioned barn raising/volunteerism style. Do you know anybody that may want to lend a hand anytime after Aug. 21? Please check out the project at the following link: www.alexiseynonuppermadriverrdproject.shutterfly.com.

Thanks
Errol

bestwalls4u@eagle1st.com

There are a lot of things to consider when buying straw bales for your construction project. Here’s a bullet point list of the absolute “must haves.”

1. Long straw. Be sure to ask your source is the bales are long straw or chopped/thrashed straw. A bale harvested by a combine will be thrashed straw and the short pieces make for a very weak bale. These are a poor choice for building. A long straw bale will typically be 14″ tall (2-string) and 16″ tall (3 string).

2. Look for a cut edge and a folded edge. If the cut edge is not clearly visible on one SIDE of the bale, it is probably a thrashed bale and the “cut edge” is likely facing up or down. Again, don’t buy these bales.

3. Color. You want a bright, golden color. Brown or black bales have seen moisture damage. Dull bales may have been stored for a season or longer. They can be acceptable if the other details check out; however, fresh bales are best if you can find them.

4. Moisture Content. Bales should be around 8-13% moisture content when checked with a bale probe. Under no circumstances should the bales reach higher than 20%. At that level, mold growth is supported.

5.Density. The easiest test is to pick up a bale by one string. If the bale deforms in any way, then don’t buy the bales. If the bale stays completely in shape, then the density is acceptable. Read the rest or post a comment »

A large group of people from across the globe gathered outside Grants, NM to help build the home of Kent and Gillian. What started out as  series of vehicles stuck in the mud (cars, trucks, and RVs) turned out to be a great week. Apparently, this part of New Mexico received just shy of their annual rainfall in the month of July alone, so things were wet and muddy. The road on which the property is located is called “Bad Road,” literally. It lived up to its name by claiming several vehicles on the way in. Luckily Seth, the builder of the home, was as skilled with a toe rope as he is with a hammer and saw!

The participants worked really hard to get the home completed and we created a truly beautiful baling job in the process. The interior has exposed natural wood beam lintels above most of the windows and doors which are a fine reflection of the rustic New Mexico landscape. The soft curves of the bale walls play wonderfully into the lines of the lintels as well. As hard as they worked, we all still had time to relax, play and hang out. The weather opened up for us and we had a week of glorious weather with one dramatic rain storm mid week. We all had a wonderful time playing music and telling stories around the campfire. The shooting stars and coyotes rounded out the perfection of the location. As always, great friends were made, and much was learned by both the participants and me. Each week is a new adventure and a new gathering of great people.

Chainsaws are an active part of straw bale construction. There are some other options for cutting bales, of course, but a quality electric or gas powered chainsaw is still my favorite. It’s really important that safety be considered when working with any tool and a chainsaw is no different. There are times when a small section of bale needs to be cut off and the temptation to have someone hold the bale while you cut is great. Without that person holding the bale, it’s unstable and tends to shift as the cut is peformed. Thisd makes for a messy cut and a dangerous situation for the saw operator.

You can see in the picture what I recommend. By using a piece of wood long enough to get the bale holder away from the saw and the “kick area” of the saw, he is able to provide adequate support for the bale and allow the chainsaw operator to work without added risk. The “kick area,” by the way, is the apace which the saw would cover if it bound up and kicked back. Kick back happens so fast that there is no way a person could move out of the path, especially if they are not the ones in control of the saw as they would have no indication that the saw was about to kick until it was too late.

Again, the simple use of a piece of wood makes this situation safe. Notice also that both men are wearing safety glasses. No, it’s not sawing hard wood, but yes, stuff can still hurt your eyes.

Here are some basic safety guidelines to keep in mind when working with chainsaws. This is only a partial list, so take whatever precautions you need to stay safe.

1. Work on a stable table. I like to use another bale or even better, two bales run perpendicular to the bale I’m cutting.

2. Keep your body out of the kick area.

3. Wear safety glasses and hearing protection.

4. Work in a well ventilated and light area. You need to see what you;re doing and breathing gas fumes all day won’t make your day any better!

5. Clearly mark your cut in advance and follow the line.

6. Watch for bale twine!

7. Be sure your helper is safe (see above).

8. Clean the sprocket and guard area often to keep it clear of straw. Jammed straw can throw a chain or catch fire.

9. Keep the saw well maintained. Oil and properly adjust the chain.

10. Always unplug electric saws and turn off gas saws before performing any maintenance or adjustments.

The stronger your wall, the better. That seems obvious, yet I see house after house where the walls are loose and poorly stacked. Many people don’t reinforce their walls with mesh, choosing instead to plaster directly on the bales. That’s another topic for sure, but it comes back to a simple point: you MUST have strong and stable walls, especially if you don’t reinforce them in some way. Otherwise, you have a loose stack of straw bales waiting to fall over. There are several steps to consider when creating a strong and stable wall. I’ll list them and then focus on one important aspect. I could write a full article on each aspect outlined below, so please don’t underestimate the importance of each.

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The sad and ugly aftermath! In a recent workshop we discovered that the sand that was ordered for the plaster was not acceptable. I blame myself for this mistake as I did not catch the problem in time and allowed the plaster to be mixed. As is always the case, a mistake can be either just that: a bummer, or it can be a learning piece. What I learned in this scenario is the importance of finding the right sand for your plaster mix.

I spoke with the sand yard directly and told them what I needed. The dispatcher seemed to understand completely and the next day, 10 yards of angular, variable size sand was delivered to our very remote building site. There was no sending it back if we didn’t like it, it was what it was and it turned out to be the wrong stuff. The issue was that it had no fines in it.
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Check out this artist’s 5-year-old home on 2.4 usable, fenced acres in the foothills east of Sacramento, outside Auburn. The straw bale exterior walls, post/beam structure, are extremely efficient (as you know) and beautiful. The home has natural hand finished plasters inside and out The property has irrigation & treated water supplies and a cul-de-sac location in a  great town & neighborhood. Open floor plan, large rooms, high ceilings, in-floor radiant heat plus central (propane) forced air. Chef’s kitchen (granite, gourmet range, built-in refrig.). The house is roughly 2860 sq. feet, with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths over 2-stories . The master suite is on the main-level and the home has a central vacuum system. Built by Quantum Builders, a green-friendly contractor in Berkeley CA.

Currently, as of July 28 2010, priced at $550K.

Please leave a comment here if you’re interested in this amazing home and check out some of the photos here as well.

I just received this email a moment ago and want to share it with you. If you feel so inclined, please vote for this woman’s idea. It will help her and her husband attend a straw bale workshop, help them build their straw bale home, and will help bring awareness about straw bale construction to Habitat for Humanity in hope that they start utilizing this great technology in their projects.

Here’s the email and the link to vote:

Pepsi is hosting a Refresh Everything contest in which my husband and I entered. Our submission? A request to help us get to your Ottawa workshop and build our own straw bale house in New Brunswick.

In turn this will raise awareness to our fellow Canadians as well we plan to donate any remaining money to the local Habitat for Humanity. We hope to train, video tape, document, etc so that Habitat for Humanity can begin building more homes with straw instead of wood.

We’d love to have your support as well as the support of your followers.

The site to cast your vote is: http://www.refresheverything.ca/strawbalebuilding
Thanks for your support!

Just a quick note to say congratulations to Kelly B. and Penelope C. who have both won a free workshop with me this year. I’ll have two more drawings this year so be sure to register your name for a chance to win. You can get signed up at www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com.

Kelly will be joining us in California this September and I don’t yet know which workshop Penelope will choose. I have three more dates available right now.

Grants, New Mexico in August

Ottawa, Ontario in September

Junction City, California in September

Hope you can join us too!

What a great week. As always, the workshop was really fun and very successful. One of the participants said it perfectly: “I got everything I wanted from the workshop, and more.” I was so grateful to everyone in this workshop for all of their hard work and dedication. We had some issues along the way with finding the right  tools and materials locally, but everyone stuck in there for the long haul and helped get the entire 800 square foot structure plastered inside and out!

What was really helpful was having a vast array of professionals in the group. We had an electrician, a plasterer, a mechanic, and a landscape contractor all on site. Of course we also had folks whose work was outside the job specific arena, and they were super valuable too, but having professionals in the trade, on site, with their tools was super helpful.

We had some crazy weather a couple times during the week, but in general, it was perfect. I’ll tell you one thing for sure, Tennessee rain showers are nothing like Southern Oregon rain showers. Up here, they’re a gentle mist and steady slow falling of rain. Down there, it came down at a 45 degree angle with huge winds and massive thunder and lightening. The locals called it a shower. I was gripping onto the building fearing I might blow away!

We had an amazing helper in the form of a 5 year old boy. He was great at so many tasks on the site from clean up to stuffing to helping with sewing the walls. He also helped make the week fun with his energy and desire to play ball and catch toads and crickets. It was great having him around. We also had a 2 year old birthday party and a guy willing to eat bugs on demand. That’s a long story…! 

In the end, we created a great building and managed to get a lot accomplished. Thanks everyone for a great week and I hope you all stay in touch and share your projects as they come to fruition. If you’re interested in joining me for a workshop this year, you have three options to choose from. New Mexico (coming up fast), Ontario (almost full) and California (still room and time for this one!). I hope to see you there. Click here to sign up.

Are you looking for bales for your straw bale house? I just received an email from a man who has 6,500 bales in Kansas. They are 2 string, twine tied and are freshly baled. You can reach him at 785.201.4826. His name is Mike. I hope it works out for you both!

Clearly the Ottawa, Ontario workshop location is highly coveted! My workshops are known to fill up, that’s not anything new; however, to be so close to full this far out from the start date is not as common. Like the title of this entry says, I only have 5 spots left in the workshop. If you plan to join us in Ottawa, I suggest you sign up today to make sure you can get a spot. The seven day, comprehensive straw bale workshop is scheduled for September 13-19. We’ll start at 8am on Monday morning and finish up at 4pm on Sunday.

You can learn all about the workshop details at www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com, but I want to give you a sense of what we’ll cover. You’ll learn about foundation options, framing details, and heating/cooling systems. You’ll experience, hands-on, toe up creation, bale stacking, retying, notching, shaping, electrical installations, plumbing installations, mesh application, niche creation, truth windows, and plastering. Basically, if it’s related to building a straw bale house, I’ll teach you how to do it.

What’s more, you’ll make a bunch of new friends. As one participant ion Montana said this year: “I learned a ton, had fun, and met great people – some of whom will be friends for a long time.” I’ve had several people tell me that the workshop was literally a life changing experience. That’s pretty amazing and something I’m really touch by and proud of. I really make every effort to create a great learning experience for everyone and I hope you’ll join me to see just how great it is.

Of course, if you can’t make the Ontario workshop, there are other dates and locations available to you. You can join me next week (if you’re really fast) in Prospect, Tennessee. That workshop is scheduled for July 5-11. You can also visit with me in Grants, New Mexico from August 9-15 or in Junction City, California September 27-October 3. I even have a FREE plastering workshop in Jacksonville, Oregon July 31-August 1.

So your options are many. I hope to see you at a workshop soon and share the experience with you in person.

During the workshop in Hico, Texas, we built a beautiful and sacred meditation chamber for Donna and Charles. It was a special week and one I won’t forget for a long time, if at all. We began the week with Native American sweat lodge, a tradition that Charles and Donna have been living and learning from their teacher Grandfather, for many years. It was a beautiful way to start the week. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but this is a round structure and the sound inside it is simply amazing. The singing which took place during the construction echoed and played off the walls like magic. Truly it is a special place.

The people who came together to be a part of this project were also amazing. Some traveled from short distances within Texas while others came from across the planet, from as far away as Copenhagen, Denmark. The gathering of souls was powerful, as groups always are, but somehow there was a different sense of purpose in this group. Because we all knew we were building a sacred space, something shifted, in me at least as I can’t speak for anyone else. What I can say is that I feel grateful to have been part of this amazing project. I know that my energy will be a part of the structure and the healing it shares with the world forever. That’s beautiful.

Now this was Texas, so I knew things would be a little different than what I’m used to here in the Northwest. I’ve always heard that “everything is bigger in Texas.” Well, that’s true on many levels, but not for trees and mountains. For example, John picked me up at the airport and on the way to the site he showed me a “mountain.” Ya’ll in Texas seem to think that anything above 10 feet is a mountain! As you can tell by my writing, it was a task of the participants to teach me how to speak Texan. I never quite got it down, but I tried. One things for certain, there is such a thing as Texas hospitality. I loved hearing “yes mam” and “yes sir” all the time. There was a sense of respect in much of what was said while I was in Texas from the airline agent to the folks in the group. Thanks for a great experience.

If you’re interested in joining me in a workshop this year, please visit www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com to learn more about what’s available. I have dates in Tennessee (starting July 5th so you’ll have to hurry to get involved), New Mexico, Ontario, and California. I also have a FREE plastering workshop in Oregon if you want to learn how to work with lime plaster. I hope to see you at a workshop later this season.

It’s no secret that the construction industry is not exactly woman friendly. How many times have you heard the phrase “now listen little lady…” when talking about contractors or supply yard employees?  That may be a bit rich for reality, but my point is that it isn’t uncommon for women to be told, or simply be given a subconscious message that they aren’t welcome in the construction world. I think that’s a huge loss and something that needs to change.

I believe that women hold such a unique perspective on life and on construction in general that to lose their input is a loss well beyond the moment, but for the greater success of the structure. I’m a believer in energies: masculine and feminine, and how they play out in the world as a balance. If that balance is lost, things don’t work as well, period. Why would it be any different in construction?
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What a great week it was in Missoula. Okay, so the rain didn’t cooperate much, but everything else was a blast. This was a really big class. We had over 30 people on site and we accomplished a ton. This was a two story structure and right around 1500 SF. It was a challenge to say the least: moving scaffolding, getting bales to the second floor, job site logistics and more all added up to an exciting week. When it was all said and done, we had the downstairs plastered inside and out, and the second story plastered on one exterior wall. That’s a lot, believe me, for one week.

Here’s some feedback from the participants themselves.

“I learned a ton, had fun, and met great people- some of whom will be friends for a long time.” – Dale W.

“Doing a lot of the building myself really makes me feel like I could do my own project. Andrew was great at keeping things going smoothly and keeping people motivated and happy. He was always available for questions and was always willing to help out without having to control the flow of how we worked together. I really appreciated that. Thanks Andrew, you did a great job!”    -Andrea P.

If you’d like to join me at a workshop this year, please visit www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com to sign up today. There is still space left in my last three locations: New Mexico, Ontario, and California although spaces are steadily filling up, so don’t wait to get registered.

It’s not unusual for people to get excited about plastering their straw bale structure. After all, this is when a simple structure starts to look like a home. When the plaster goes on, suddenly, the building gets a new lease on life and it really begins to feel like completion is near. This is also a very difficult aspect of the construction process and one that will be very visible for the life of your home. When people come to visit, the plaster is likely the first thing they will notice about the home. It will either look great and wow them, or it won’t. Of course, you’re likely hoping for the wow factor! Okay, back to my point. Take a look at the photo above. What problems do you see? I see one major problem that happens far too often. Read the rest or post a comment »

I have several workshops coming up this summer and fall. Please take this opportunity to join me in learning about the details of straw bale construction in a fun and relaxed environment. I have dates and locations in Tennessee, New Mexico, Ontario, and California each with room in them for more participants. Please take a minute to visit my workshops website and learn more about what I offer. You will be thrilled to see how much you can learn and how much fun you can have, all in just a seven day comprehensive workshop.

I’ve already completed two great workshops this year. One in New York and another in Montana. I’ll post some details from the Montana workshop soon; however, I’m currently preparing to leave for another workshop in Texas which starts next week, so it may be a while before I get that post done. That brings me to my next point:

I had two people reschedule from the Texas workshop to another location at the last minute due to a family emergency and one other person drop off the list this morning for personal reasons as well. Even though it says “full” on my workshop website, I now suddenly have three spots available if you want to join us.

Here’s the deal…I know it’s extremely last minute and it may be hard for you to make the travel arrangements necessary to join us; however, I had really hoped to have a full workshop for the host’s sake. To that end, I’m going to make a deal or two to once again fill the last three spots. If you want to join us, please respond to this blog right away and “name your price” for the week long class. Keep in mind that you get full room and board and the education so please don’t drag me over the coals! I’ll see what responses I get to this offer and choose three people to attend. You can also email me directly if you prefer. If I get a huge response, I may even invite more than three people, we’ll see.

I like to make things a win-win-win situation. In this case, you would get a killer deal on the workshop, the host would get more hands to help build the structure, and I get to teach a few more people. We all win. One thing for sure is that the minimum “bid” for the week long class is set at $200 so that I can cover food expenses for you without losing money and still make a small amount for my family!

So here’s how to get in on this crazy offer:
1. Decide to join us in Texas
2. Respond to this blog, -or- email me with the price you want to pay, -or- use the registration form and add your price in the “Workshop Date” box BEFORE 2pm Pacific time on Saturday June 12th.
3. Minimum offer must be no less than $200
4. I’ll pick at least three “winners” for next week’s workshop around 3pm Pacific time on Saturday June 12th.
5. See you on Monday morning in Hico!

That’s right, I’m offering another FREE plastering workshop in Jacksonville, Oregon. Many of you have taken workshops from me in the past and you know that because lime plaster requires a curing period of about 10 days, there’s no way for us to plaster beyond the scratch coat in the workshops. That’s why this FREE workshop is so important. We won’t be doing any scratch coat work in this workshop. For those of you who have not had the experience of scratch coat plastering, I’m happy to talk you through the process and give you some tips and techniques. That said, the focus of this workshop will be the two coats I can’t show you in my comprehensive straw bale workshops: the brown and finish coats.
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I just got an email from a man who wanted to know what I thought about moving a straw bale structure. He plans to use more modern techniques, but I imagine the same concerns would apply with either technique. My concerns are laid out below. I’d like to hear if anyone has experience with this or thoughts on the matter.
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