Group Hub 2026
All your important workshop information in one placeWelcome to your 2026 Group Hub, the central place for all your workshop details and action items. From required surveys and FAQs to learning materials and helpful updates, everything you need to prepare for your straw bale adventure is right here.
Direct Link To Your Workshop Product Page
Bellingham, WA - 2025
Welcome! Please Read This Entire Page! 🙂
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Welcome! Please Read This Entire Page! 🙂 🔸🔸🔸
Sandpoint, ID
July 26 - August 01, 2026We are so glad that you’ll be joining us in this unique opportunity to learn on an actual job site with hosts who are realizing the dream so many of us have — building their own homes.
Our gratitude to the hosts for choosing to share their homeplace and providing this experience, where community emerges as we learn and laugh together, rain or shine.
Our events are highly educational and fun — we have alumni come back again and again to enjoy the summer-camp for adults and old-fashioned barn-raising vibes!
Here, you will find critical details to keep handy and directions to set up Lifetime access to your Workshop Learning Materials.*
While it is not required that you review all of the Learning Materials before the workshop, it is highly recommended!
In support,
Timbo & Dainella (yep, Dainella will be there as an instructor)
Your Instructors & Mentors 
*You’ll have Lifetime access to the Workshop Learning Materials through your Strawbale.com Account to support your straw bale process; however, this page will expire on 11/01/2026.
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      July 26, Sunday - Opening breakfast at 8 am August 01, Saturday - Closing 4pm 
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      Emily & Reid (208) 255-8041 *If you are bringing tools/materials, need a camping spot for an RV, or have serious dietary restrictions, please email the Host ASAP to help them with planning. TY! 
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      We will start each morning with breakfast at 8 am and we begin work at 9 am. We break for an hour-long lunch around 1 pm and end the work day around 6 pm. Dinner is usually around 7 pm. We usually eat pretty close to that time, but some flexibility is appreciated. You’re welcome to arrive the night before the start of the workshop to get set up; anytime after 2 pm is ok. We’ll finish up no later than 4 pm on the final day of the workshop. Once again, you’re welcome to stay for another night if that makes your travel plans easier. There won’t be meals provided on the night prior to or after the workshop, so you’ll need to prepare for that. 
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      You’ll be fed three hearty meals per day and you’ll have access to snacks. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t worry – there will most definitely be dessert at least once a day! The Hosts goal is to keep everyone well fed and happy! If you have any serious food requirements, please email the Hosts ASAP so they can do their best to accommodate you. We cannot guarantee that they will be able to meet your needs, but the more time you give them, the better the chances. (Menu planning is finalized 2 weeks prior to the workshop.) If you need to stash supplemental food you want to bring somewhere critter-proof, just let us know ASAP and we’ll find a safe place for it. 
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      For more Workshop FAQs scroll below. As always, feel free to reach out to us at info@strawbale.com — This email goes directly to Dainella and is the fastest way to connect. You can also schedule a call with Dainella here to chat about logistics and workshop questions. . 🙂 
Please Complete These Four (4) Items ASAP! TY!
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       #1 Your Participant AgreementPlease read and sign your Workshop Participant Agreement & Waiver. It’s super quick, and you’ll sign digitally, so no need to print anything. NOTE - If you would like to have a non-participating Guest join you at the workshop, either joining in meals or just camping, please contact Dainella ASAP so we can verify if the site facilities and Host’s meal plan can accommodate the additional humans! 
 See more details on Guests in the FAQs below.
 Contact Timbo at info@strawbale.com
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       #2 Group Meal Planning & Dietary RestrictionsAs the Host prepares the menu, they must know what serious dietary restrictions are in the group. Please be kind to them and only mention what you truly require. They will do their best to accommodate you. If they cannot accommodate all of your needs, you may need to bring some supplemental food, so you'll need to know that in advance. If you do not have serious food restrictions, please share that with the Host in the Group Food Survey. 
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       #3 Announcements - Don't Miss Out!To make sure you don't miss any of the upcoming group emails and updates: 1. Please add ‘timbo@strawbale.com’ to your email contacts. 2. Set your inbox filters to deliver emails from me to your primary folder. If you have site-specific, camping, or tool questions, need help with directions, or want to discuss dietary restrictions, email me - Timbo, your All Things Logistics Coordinator - and I'd be happy to help you. If a quick chat is easiest, you can schedule a time for us to connect under “I have a question…” in the dropdown menu above. 📞 
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      #4 Tools! Review & Email Us If You Have QuestionsIf you want to bring tools to share with the group, that is MOST appreciated. Common places for bottlenecks tend to be around the 7/16" crown staple gun, ladders, air hoses, and compressors. If you are bringing any of these, feel free to let the Host know to help with their planning. Anything you can bring from the Workshop Tool Extras List is great, but there's no pressure to bring anything other than the "Required Tools." If you are flying or have other concerns about bringing tools/camping gear, email Timbo. 🙂 info@strawbale.com 
From Your Host & Local Information
We are looking forward to building with each of you, whether you are a Straw Bale Workshop groupie or new to the whole thing. You will wake up in the morning to a beautiful sunrise and smell of pinon and sage. You will fall asleep to a waning moon and coyote howls.  
- Carole & Rebecca
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      Daytime temperatures should be around the high 70-80s, so warm and sunny (bring your hat and sunscreen!) Night time could get down into the 40s so bring something warm (layers is how we dress most often.) Our area is considered High Desert and temperature swings from day to night are typical. We are at around 7,600’ in elevation, and as everywhere weather has been changing, so it is best to be prepared for a variety of weather. Closed toed shoes are a good idea to ward off any low growing cactus (beautiful flowers should be happening along with those sharp spines!) 
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      Our 5.4 acres and building site are classic high desert with sage and pinyon on a gentle slope with gorgeous big sky views! Most of the community has moved here for the peace and quiet, and it really shows in the open, neighborly welcome we have experienced at so many levels since finding this land to call home! We share a border with Kagyu Mila Guru Stupa, and the area around the Stupa is considered Retreat Land. The community members have invited anyone interested to ‘“wander over, sit by the Stupa, or walk around it, clockwise with a prayer!" They have also gently reminded us all that the Retreat Land is NO alcohol, drugs, weapons, or loud volume levels out of respect. 
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      We will have a covered dining area and provide 3 hearty meals per day and will have plenty of snacks and water available. We LOVE to bake, so there will be lots of tasty treats to share! We will do our best to accommodate serious food restrictions, please let us know as soon as possible so we can add it into the menu planning. If you need to stash food you bring somewhere critter-proof, just let us know and we’ll find a safe place for it. 
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      WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND adding some extra space in your trip to explore this beautiful part of the United States! Taos County is rich in natural beauty, artisans, hot springs, outdoor adventures, steeped in history, natural building, and more. Here’s a video on the local area, and check out this link to The Bureau of Land Management for recreational opportunities. If you want to hike check out this guide, Hiking Around Questa. Want to spend time soaking in a natural spring after that hike? There are six to choose from. For cultural and history buffs, Taos Pueblos are designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. If art is your thing Taos and Santa Fe will certainly fulfill that niche as well. For our fellow history buffs, check out Another Time in This Place, a book, now out of print, with very interesting first-person accounts. And Questa Creative is a history trail full of interesting info from residents of El Rito and Questa. 
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      As much as we love dogs... To be fair to our neighbors, we ask that you leave your furry friends at home. This is especially important as our property adjoins the Kagyu Mila Guru Stupa, and is unfenced. If you have a therapy dog, please reach out to Dainella at info@strawbale.com. 
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      We have plenty of space to accommodate those wishing to camp in tents, RVs, or camper vans, and hope you’ll stay on-site to enjoy our land with us over the week. There will be on demand hot water showers on site as well as port-potties. But there are other options in the area if you prefer. - Camping on the workshop site! Limited large RV room so please let us know early. 
- Hotels , Airbnb, & RV Parks - there are a few rentals nearby in Questa. You can make reservations at the Questa Lodge, Riverfront Log Cabin, or Sangre de Christo Motel if sleeping under the stars is not your thing. :) 
- Within an easy 30 minute drive - - Taos is just south with many lodging options. 
- Red River is also just north and east into the mountains. 
 
 
Workshop FAQs
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 In most cases, we can accommodate serious food restrictions, such as, gluten-free, lactose intolerance, peanut allergy, vegetarian, etc. (To be kind to the Hosts, who always pour their heart into providing delicious, nourishing meals, please note that this doesn’t mean things like: “I don’t like Brussel Sprouts.”)Be sure to let us know ASAP any requirements you have so we can see what’s possible. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate every need, but we will do our best to do so. Email Dainella at info@strawbale.com with questions. :) 
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      Airline tickets are often less expensive the earlier you buy them, so we understand the desire to buy early. That said, we recommend that people buy their tickets no earlier than 30 days prior to the start of the workshop. This is when we will connect everyone in the group together in an email and with a group survey to help coordinate ride-sharing, and often folks with also be open to sharing off-site accommodations for those that don’t wish to camp. 
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      You are most welcome to arrive the afternoon of the day before the workshop and stay over on the last night after the class ends if that helps your travel plans. 
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      You are welcome to stay on-site or at a hotel. It’s up to you. It is always a mix at every workshop! 
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      Kids are welcome to join us as Guests or Participants, depending on their age. We require that the parents/guardians take full responsibility for the kids and their safety. Contact Dainella at info@strawbale.com to coordinate so we can help ensure the best experience for them. Keep in mind that it is an active construction site and, therefore, inherently dangerous. We trust parents/guardians will make the choice appropriate for their kids. Kids under 12 cannot be left unattended, so a non-participating adult must accompany them. If you plan to bring your children, please contact us in advance to work out the arrangements. When kids come as non-participating guests that are joining in group meals, but not participating in the workshop learning and activities, we ask that the parents/guardians pay for their food so that it’s not an extra financial burden for the hosts. The fee is forwarded 100% to the hosts. The costs are $245 for 14 years old and younger and $320 for 15+. Supervising adults not attending as paid Workshop Participants will also be charged the 15+ food contribution of $320. If the kids will be participating in the workshop, then they would pay a normal registration fee. Guests and Guardians must sign a waiver and agreement to be present on the property during the workshop. 
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      Kids are welcome to join us as Guests or Participants, depending on their age. We require that the parents/guardians take full responsibility for the kids and their safety. Contact Dainella at info@strawbale.com to coordinate so we can help ensure the best experience for them. Keep in mind that it is a construction site and, therefore, inherently dangerous. We trust parents/guardians will make the choice appropriate for their kids. Kids under 12 cannot be left unattended, so a non-participating adult must accompany them. If you plan to bring your children, please contact us in advance at info@strawbale.com to work out the arrangements. When kids are coming as non-participating guests that are joining in group meals, but not participating in the actual class, we ask that the parents/guardians pay for their food so that it’s not an extra financial burden for the hosts. The fee is forwarded 100% to the hosts. The costs are $245 for 14 years old and younger and $320 for 15+. Supervising adults not attending as paid participants will also be charged the 15+ food contribution of $320. If the kids will be participating in the workshop, then they would pay a normal registration fee. 
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      Tuition is nonrefundable. Because organizing these events is a significant undertaking with many moving pieces, and planning, and involves many people, over months and often years, we maintain this policy. That said, if you are unable to attend the workshop location and date that you originally selected, we will gladly work with you to transfer, or credit, your tuition towards a future workshop (assuming there is a future workshop.) You must contact us before the start date of your initially scheduled workshop purchase for this credit to be issued. Your tuition credit would be valid for one (1) year from the start date of your original workshop. Alternatively, you can transfer your tuition to another person to attend in your place if that is your preference. 
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      Absolutely. The level of work performed on the site is entirely up to you. We have had people come and limit their physical work to sweeping up the job site and tidying up. That plays a critical safety role in the workshop and is more helpful than you might imagine! They learned a ton and had a great time. 
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      Every workshop is different, but the goal is always to have a large enough class to allow people to work at a reasonable pace and be safe. We want you to have fun, learn, take notes, ask questions, move around to a variety of tasks to learn skills, and feel like you can take a break when necessary. To give you an idea, technically “full” varies per workshop from 20 to 40 and depends on the size of the project and terrain for safety reasons. Again, it’s not about keeping you flat-out busy all week. It’s about allowing you to learn at your pace and have fun all week while still contributing work to create a beautiful home for the workshop host — who has welcomed us all to the rare experience of learning on an active, no-artiface job site! 
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      This is something that we work hard to avoid and is rare in the overall schedule of events. That said, because there are elements of the workshop that are outside of our control (acts of God, COVID, etc.), there is always a slight chance that it could happen. If it were to occur, we would offer you the following options to choose from: 1. Switch your tuition to another workshop location in the current year’s schedule. 
 2. Transfer, or credit, your tuition to a location in the following year’s schedule.
 3. Receive a full refund for your tuition. Cancellation of a workshop is the only situation in which the non-refundable tuition becomes refundable.
Your Workshop Learning Materials
Here’s how to setup your Workshop Learning Materials to appear in 
your Strawbale.com Account for Lifetime Access.
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        Step #1Click the button below to ‘Sign Up’. Use the SAME email address you used at the time of purchase. 
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        Step #2Check your inbox for an email with subject, “Please Confirm - Strawbale.com” Select the button ‘Click to Confirm’ (This will add the Participant-Only Course to your Strawbale.com Account!) 
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        Step #3To view the Workshop Learning Materials in your Strawbale.com Account: From Strawbale.com, Click “Account” in the header menu. Click on Digital Products. Enjoy! 
Sandpoint, ID Photo Gallery
 
                        