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May Workshop: Day 6

Andrew — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:29:41 +0000

At the end of the fifth day of the May Seven Day Intensive Straw Bale Construction Workshop, a few folks mentioned how much they were looking forward to applying the brown coat because it would be so much easier than the scratch coat applied to the interior of the building. I smiled and so “oh yeah?…okay.” By the end of yesterday, their opinion had changed.

Brown coat plastering is hard, there are no two ways about it. It takes a lot of upper body strength and a lot of patience. Getting the mud on the wall is the easy part, floating it so that it looks even and smooth is what takes the effort. As you can see in the above picture, team work is a great way to “share the load” of labor.

Working together, we created a very smooth and beautiful couple of walls. We only got two walls completed over the entire day. I think that was more of a function of the general exhaustion than the actual work at hand. We have been working hard all week and have also been staying up late playing and connecting on a personal level. The night prior to our brown coat was fun, but we may have burned the midnight oil a bit too long to expect to accomplish anything labor intensive the next day! No problem though, we always have day 7.

May Workshop: Day 5

Andrew — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:18:43 +0000

The fifth day of the May workshop started and ended in mud. The good news is that it was mud we were making and using to plaster our beautiful straw bale structure. We are working with lime plaster and as a result, we had a lot of dust masks around.

The plastering process is long and tiring and is one step of the building process that I often suggest people hire out to professionals. After all, the plaster is such a prominent part of the house and is what people see when they come and visit you. A major mistake there will be a real bummer in the end.

The mix we plastered with is a combination of Natural Hydraulic Lime, sand, water and chopped straw. The straw acts as a binder for the mud and tightens up the whole thing. A lot of care must be given to the ratios of the ingredients to ensure a consistent and strong plaster. At the end of the day, the entire inside of the structure was completed and scratched in preparation for the second coat or brown coat. The drying time for the plaster will not allow us to plaster directly onto the same mud that we have applied today, so we will move to the exterior of the structure and plaster that tomorrow.

Some areas are more difficult than others to plaster so patience is a needed ingredient to the mix, especially when folks are just learning. Perhaps the hardest places to plaster are the lids of the window wells and tight corners. The need for really tightly packed stuffed straw in the curves of the windows and doors becomes really obvious when plastering. If the loose straw is not packed tight enough, the mud simply will not stay put on the lids, something that will test anyone’s patience the tenth time it falls off!

May Workshop: Day 4

Andrew — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:23:52 +0000

Today was a great day. We accomplished a bunch of stuff on the site, the weather was great, and spirits were high. We had several lectures on site that allowed us to slow down and learn to a pace that we could then accelerate into the work.

Once we moved into action, we managed to shape the doors and windows, hang a bunch of welded wire mesh and J-metal, cut and shape two niches, and prepare for plaster. Shaping windows and niches proved to be a interesting task that gave us several different shapes in the end, all of which were well designed and completed. It is nice to see the artistic side of folks starting to shine.

May Workshop: Day 3

Andrew — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Our third day was not as productive as I had hoped it would be. We had some rain the previous night and the cold air of the day seemed to tax all of our efforts to move forward. That said, we got all the walls straightened and weedwhacked to a point where we could address the next steps of the job.

We decided to take a different approach to the construction process so that we can get back on schedule and actually get to plastering by the end of the week. We will be addressing certain aspects of the job like hanging roofing felt over exposed wood and hanging J-metal for the plaster by doing it only in small areas so that each person can learn the process, but we will not do it over the entire structure. We will use the current building as a teaching platform, but will use the building created in April as our plaster site. That will allow us to speed through some of the more simple aspects of the construction as well as the more complex, in a manner that keeps us on track.

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures from day three now as my wife, who normally takes the pictures I use, was on a school field trip with my daughter all day. I hope to get some good shots of our progress today.

May Workshop: Day 2

Andrew — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:57:53 +0000

We were so close! We almost got the whole building baled today. There was a lot to learn including the Miller’s knot, how to notch bales, how to stack and stuff walls, and how to keep things as straight as possible. With a lot of hands working hard, we managed to get really close to completing the baling in day two, but we ended up one course short for the majority of the building.

As always, the arrival of bales on site meant that rain was not far behind. At least it wasn’t snow this time! The weather outlook for Wednesday looks good so we should be able to complete the baling and move into the next stage of construction with ease. Our plan to take a swim break at noon may be thwarted as the temperature is forecast to be about 12 degrees cooler than Monday and Tuesday. I guess if we work hard enough the pond will seem perfect no matter what the weather. After all, I had some folks in April who swam even though it was snowy!

The group has learned quickly and has tried some new techniques out. Some ideas have worked, and others have not. I guess there is no better way to learn than by experience! Everyone managed to break out into teams and accomplish a little bit of each task along the way, getting a taste of all aspects of the job.

Here are a few more pictures from the second day of the May Seven Day Intensive Straw Bale Construction Workshop:

May Workshop in Full Swing

Andrew — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:41:49 +0000

Yesterday was the first day of the May Seven Day Intensive Straw Bale Construction Workshop here in Jacksonville. We have a great group of people here and we are well on our way to completing another wonderful bale building. Over the next seven days, i will be posting comments and images from the workshop to show you a general thread of how the workshops proceed in hopes that some of you will be inspired to take the next step in learning about this amazing building procedure. Here’s a summary of what we got done on the first day:

Although people expected to be covered in straw the first day of the workshop, there was not a single bale lifted into position, or even removed from the trailer for that matter. There is a lot of prep work that has to be completed before the bales can be installed and that is what we completed on day 1. We installed the interior toe ups for the bales and fully prepared them for bale stacking. This includes adding lots of 20d nails as a bale point of attachment and adding roofing felt between the toe ups as well as gravel. I have to say that the gravel was installed so well this time around that it looked almost too pretty to cover with bales. Too pretty that is until my dogs decided it was a nice place to dig! We also installed upper truss nailers and plywood backers to keep the straw from expanding into the attic space.

Much of the day was spent discussing details about foundations, roofing systems, framing, and general bale questions. The ongoing question and answer sessions really make the day fulfilling and help participants fully understand what they are doing on the site and why. We discussed several topics “ahead of time” like how to bring utilities into a house safely and how to properly design details when using an exposed frame design on a home. One man asked how to add rock and wood siding to a bale house without creating problems for the bales behind them. All this and more was discussed in depth.

Today we will get itchy! The bales are coming off the trailer and the real fun begins. As always, I expect there will be rain simply because we are working with the bales. I had checked the weather report for several days leading up to the workshop and everything signaled clear skies until next Sunday. Well, I checked again this morning and the forecast is for occasional thunderstorms! I fully believe this is the way of the bale! Nonetheless, we will prevail as we always do.

Oh yeah, we also celebrated Cinco de Mayo into the late hours of the late and much fun was had by all.

Jobsite Multi Purpose Tool

Andrew — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:24:59 +0000

Perhaps the greatest tool on a straw bale construction jobsite is the bales themselves. Of course, I LOVE the straw bale needles I use, but there is nothing quite as amazing as the many uses of straw bales on a site.

I use them as a free standing table when retying bales and notching bales, and add plywood to two bales top create a hard surface table when cutting roofing felt and other materials. They also make great ladders when stacked properly. Ever try carrying a 45 pound straw bale up a stepladder? Trust me, it is way easier to walk up a step way made of big solid bales.

It is well worth adding a few extra bales to your order for use around the jobsite. You will be happy you have them more than once during the construction of your project.

Plastering in Cold Climates

Andrew — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:16:27 +0000

Plastering is a difficult process and site conditions have a big impact on the results. Most people are aware that plastering in direct sun is not a great idea, especially with natural plasters. What many don’t realize is that plastering in cold conditions and/or wind can be equally as damaging to the plaster.

It may seem obvious that it is not good practice to plaster when the temperatures are below freezing. This is because the water in the plaster can freeze as soon as the mud is placed on the wall. What if the temperature is around 40 degrees F? If you are using Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL 3.5) you cannot apply the material below 40 degrees F or above 85 degrees F. Furthermore, you must protect the plaster from direct sun, high wind, frost and rain for 72 hours. This can be difficult if you live in a cold climate where the temperature drops in the evenings and over night. Wrapping the building in tarps will help keep in some of the heat gathered during the day and produced through the curing process; however, you may be required to add heaters to the building to fully protect the plaster.

Other plasters are able to handle direct sun, wind, a little frost, and other adverse conditions; however, those plasters are usually modern synthetic plasters. Natural plasters, because of the fact that they are natural and do not have chemical additives to deal with adverse conditions, are not likely to be able to handle such climatic conditions. For this reason, natural plastering must be completed under moderate conditions or must be at least protected from extremes as noted above.

Last Week to Sign up for the May Workshop!

Andrew — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:57:46 +0000

Several individuals have moved their participation date from May to later workshops. As a result, I have several spots available in the May Seven Day Intensive Straw Bale Workshop. The dates for the workshop are May 5 - 11. Obviously that is coming right up. If you are wondering whether this workshop is for you, please read on to hear what some of the April participants said about their experience. If you know you are ready to sign up, please visit www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com to grab one of the last spots for May.

The April workshop was a huge success. I was amazed at how far along we got with the building and how much the participants were able to learn and employ. Even with two completely unexpected days of snowfall, we were able to fully bale, shape, and plaster (exterior scratch coat) the entire building. It looks fantastic and I am seriously impressed with the ability of the participants to execute what they learned.

I am happy to hear that my impression of the workshop was also held by those who attended. I have gotten lots of positive feedback, some of which I have shared with you here. Perhaps the greatest thing about learning hands on is the ability to ask questions as the project moves forward. Not just questions about what is being done on the workshop, but how those new skills and techniques would influence someone’s home design or construction. I was able to answer questions specific to each participant’s situation and plan for construction. Everything from how to run a job site, to which type of plaster is the best option for an individual’s climate and use.

Check out what some of the participants had to say:

“Thank you for offering this one-of-a-kind learning experience, it was truly worth our while to take the time for the workshop. There is no doubt we are now more confident to take on much of the straw bale building process ourselves and potentially save money in labor and costly mistakes with the knowledge we gained.”

Thank you,
Skip & Jenna F., Colorado

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“Thanks so much for the tips on building with straw bales, the great healthy meals, and the generosity that your family offered. The workshop was a blast and I left there feeling extremely fulfilled with not only the building process with straw, but also the relationships that were made.

I feel very excited and confident about building our straw bale home in the near future. Again, thank you to you and your family for the learning experience and the great times had by all.”

-Milan M., Massachusetts
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I know we both learned a lot. You really are a good teacher and you bring so much to the teaching of the techniques just because of the person you are. I do miss the whole feeling of being at your home site and having you come in for breakfast starting our day with humor and kind ways.

Karin K., Maine
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With the amazing week with the folks in the April workshop behind me, I am now preparing for the May workshop which takes place May 5-11. I am excited to meet a new group of people and teach them what I know.
If you are interested in signing up, there are still a few spots left. Please visit www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com to sign up. With only a few days left before the workshop, I don’t know how long the spots will last. If you have been wondering whether or not the workshop would be right for you, I hope that the words above help to convince you to make the trip. I hope to meet you soon and teach you what you really want to learn.

Heavy Metal Eating Worms!

Andrew — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:46:58 +0000

Yup, believe it or not, that is the first post I have written in a while. What a way to come back huh? I recently read about the use of earthworms in India to remove toxins from soils. I found this to be fascinating and wonder if anyone out there has additional information about this cool idea. The project in India, overseen by Dr. Suneet Dabke, used 300,000 regular earthworms to reduce the heavy metals in the test soils by 60% in one year! That is impressive.

What I don’t understand is how that takes the metals out of the larger “Earth system.” According to the study, once the worms have completed their job, they are sifted from the soil and burned. First of all, that seems a bit mean since the worms had worked so hard for us! Secondly, I imagine the heavy metals would be released into the air during the burning process. This is where I am hopeful that you may have some insight for me. I am curious and want to learn more.