Straw bale workshop

Fee:$350.

Location: Hastings, Ontario

Includes breakfasts, wholesome snacks, garden fresh farm lunches, delicious dinners on Friday and Saturday, on-site camping—and feel free to jump in the spring-fed pond after the workshop and tour the farm, fields and woodlands.

Arrive Friday with plenty of time to set up your tent before the Friday evening presentation begins at 7:00 pm, where dinner will be served. Ask about B&B options in the area if you’d prefer.

Straw bale buildings are among the most efficient, affordable and ecological choices available to new home owners. But in order to live up to their full potential, the bale walls must be properly designed, well built and thoroughly detailed. During this two and a half day, hands-on workshop we’ll assess and install the straw bales into a wall system and detail and prepare the bale walls for the plastering stage. On Friday evening, we’ll cover structural issues, design of bale wall systems and answer common questions associated with choosing straw bale homes, and see a slide show of bale homes. Over the weekend, we’ll put that theory into practice by assessing, cutting and retying, stacking, and stuffing straw bales for a small writing cabin. We’ll look at creative ways to shape bale walls to achieve curved window wells and niches, and we’ll cover all the important detailing issues to ensure that the building is air-tight and ready for plastering. We will also install a moisture meter into the wall that can be monitored. On Sunday, we will work with mixing and applying base coats of earthen and lime plasters.

For more information and to register visit:
http://wholearth.com/workshops