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When we were first looking to learn how to build with straw bales, we were disappointed that our only choices seemed to be to attend very expensive workshops out west somewhere (one-week courses usually start around $750 and go as high as $2,000) and they seemed to assume I wanted to become a contractor.

Regular Registration

We felt that there must be many folks (like us) who just wanted to understand the skills involved and perhaps get our feet wet (and our hands dirty) on smaller projects before getting overwhelmed with the complexities of traditional contracting and project management.

Well, it turns out we were right.  Over the past few years, literally 100’s of folks have made the trek to Blue Rock Station to learn sustainable building and living techniques.

Many straw bale projects are simply conventional buildings (and building techniques) than incorporate straw bales as “fill.”  Our projects focus more on the “green” in green building (or maybe it’s just that we are cheap).   So we will use recycled and recovered materials where ever possible.

This basic project incorporates most of  the skills and techniques that you will need to tackle much bigger things (like building your own Earthship or building that dream mansion out of straw bales).  But the scale of our project is small enough for a beginning “green builder” to learn all the useful techniques for big or small building projects - without being overwhelmed.

It also a great opportunity to see IF you enjoy the process enough to tackle a larger project - and also gives you the unique opportunity to compare Earthship building techniques with straw bale building techniques (there are advantages and disadvantages in both).

This Year's Project:

During this 7-day workshop, we will work on two different projects (the one we start from scratch - and the "one in the oven." This will allow us to do finish work without having to wait for several weeks it takes for everything to dry.  This year we will build a 12 x 10 building with a living roof (you will be amazed at how we get this thing constructed in 5 days).  We will also experiment with cob to create curved walls - giving our new masterpiece a "storybook" look and feel.

Then we will spend the last two days doing finish work on the Dragon's Lair (our 2010 project).

As part of this workshop, you will receive detailed construction drawings for the Dragon's Lair as well as the new building (which you will get to name).  These little buildings are pretty cool and might make a great garden shed, play house, guest room or hunting cabin as your first solo project. The designs are simple enough so that those with little or no carpentry skills will have little problem putting them together.  We also have tried to design them using minimal materials -  costing only about $700 if you buy all the materials new (but we encourage you to scrounge what you need, so your costs may be even less if you decide to build this project).

This seminar will walk you through the entire process of building a straw bale structure using a pounded tire foundation.   This is the same technique we used when building our Earthship - using the rammed earth as a foundation rather than completing it to full wall height.

We will begin with site preparation, building a foundation, framing the structure, building walls using straw bales, building walls and free standing structures using cans and bottles, and the various stages of earth plastering.

As part of this seminar, you will be provided with complete step-by-step design and construction plans to build your own structure (so don’t worry about taking notes).

The Workshop Agenda includes:

• Orientation/ quick tour of Blue Rock Station
• Site selection and preparation
• Tire selection and basic Earthship construction concepts
• The Art and Science of pounding tires
• Water issues and “French” drains
• Concrete “half-tires”
• Installing the sill plates and locking it all together
• more water-proofing
• Framing the structure.
• How to build a “Living Roof”
• 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)
• The theory and practical uses of can/bottle walls (such as pillars, walkway boarders, small garden buildings, etc).
• How to mix the lime plaster (exterior) and mud plaster (interior).
• Forming bottle walls within conventional framing.
• Forming “free floating” bottle/can walls.
• Using cans and bottles as part of a straw bale or tire wall.
• Exterior coating for outdoor walls and structures.
• How to mix the various coats, including cobb, base coat, scratch coat, finish coat and exterior coats (areas exposed to the weather).
• Applying cobb (or adobe).
• Applying the base coat.
• Applying the scratch coat.
• Applying the finish coats.
• Creating shelves or other free-form objects
• Finishing and sealing options.
• Field trips to other area sustainability projects, giving a taste of various approaches taken in living life aware.

Given the size and nature of this project, we can cover the work site in a canopy - so the event will proceed rain or shine (and believe me, after pounding tires for several hours it is the “shine” you are more worried about).

Also, as many of the steps within this project require time to dry - we will work on several projects that demonstrate the skills necessary (in other words, we won’t build one straw bale building start to finish.  We will have to do the final finish application on another project).

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

In the evening there are often social events (around the camp fire) so bring your musical instruments if you are so inclined.  Lunches and snacks are included in the registration fee.  If you camp on site, breakfasts are also included - plus you can join us for dinner as well (but there is a small fee for that).  All meals are vegetarian and other dietary restrictions (such as gluten-free) can also be accommodated.  Give us a cal to discuss camping or other area housing options.  We also have a couple straw bale cabins available to rent as well.

Workshop logistics (click this link to find out more info on what to bring, where to stay, meals, local attractions, directions, and the like). Options include staying in straw bale cabins at Blue Rock Station, camping on site, camping at a local state park, nearby bed & breakfasts, hotels - you name it.  Give us a call to arrange accommodations.

Class size is limited (lots of individual attention), so please reserve your spot early.  You will also see below that significant discounts are available to those who register early.

For reservations, call us at (740) 674-4300, e-mail annie@bluerockstation.com or register instantly and pay by credit card by clicking one of the buttons below...