What Strawtron currently looks like
This is where progress on building our new straw bale & timber frame house currently stands. A year from now, the house should be fully plastered and lime washed, with a lush green roof, and a big ol’ greenhouse full of plants growing on the left side of the house. Imagine me on a hammock on a balcony, snoozing, too.
Our lovely bunch of straw bale workshop participants
We just finished our awesome 10 days of the first Year of Mud Straw Bale Workshop — what a blast! We had yet another great batch of students, and there was ample opportunity to get lots of progress made, and learn all the ins and outs of working with straw bales. I think everyone went home energized and enlivened, and probably a bit tired too…. and definitely full from tons of great food.
I personally came away from this class with my love once again reignited for natural building, a wish for continuing to learn and challenge myself, and a strong desire to keep working in this invigorating format. It is so great to be surrounded by and working closely with people curious, excited, and enthusiastic about natural building and alternative living.
Fresh first coat of earthen plaster in our future bedroom
The fact that we’ve come this far during the workshop makes me very happy. Here’s looking at our future bedroom, with a fresh base coat of earthen plaster, and our first trimmed window with embedded black walnut window sill. It looks fantastic. The students have been loving the mud. I love that they love the mud.
Things are good. The workshop has been a blast. Today is our last day!
Mo and Rick apply some earthen plaster
We’ve been having a great time during our 2012 Straw Bale Workshop. The students have really taken to working with bales, and most recently, mixing and applying earthen plaster. People just love the mud.
I love working with our students, and again, it will be very sad to see everyone go home. We’ve gotten an incredible amount of work done in just one week.
April puts the first bale into place in our new home
It’s on! Here’s April putting in the very first straw bale into our new house. The Straw Bale Workshop crew is doing great, and we’re knee deep in building… people are having a good time, despite the high heat. More to come!
The Year of Mud's Straw Bale Workshop is soon approaching!
Only two short weeks remain until our Straw Bale Workshop begins! From July 22 – August 2, we will be hosting our last natural building workshop of the year, a 10 day course dedicated to straw bale house construction. Come and learn all the ins and outs of working with straw bales and natural plasters at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri!
A few more participant spaces still remain — apply now if you want to get in on our last natural building workshop of the year. It’s not too late.
p.s. This weekend, a local farmer brought us 300 straw bales from his property, seven miles away. How cool is it that our walls were grown in a field less than 10 miles away?
Starting today, we are offering a special discount on the 10 day Straw Bale Workshop at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. Apply today and save $150 off the regular tuition!
If you’ve ever been interested in learning about straw bale construction and getting some solid experience working with natural building materials and techniques, now is your best chance.
Come experience The Year of Mud’s Straw Bale Workshop in a pioneering ecovillage community here in northeast Missouri! It’s going to be a great time. The course runs from July 22 – August 2. Spots are limited — reserve yours today!
p.s.: Contact me with any questions you may have.
A beautiful rocket stove and mass heater
Although my rocket stove in Gobcobatron was an unsuccessful design (I tore it out and replaced it with a small wood stove instead), our friend Mark at Red Earth Farms built a successful and beautiful rocket stove mass heater that is hugged by a cob spiral staircase in his awesome straw bale house. I love this image!
Time for the concrete pour for our foundation
Late last week, I wrote about the techniques for doing building layout with batter boards and the 3-4-5 triangle rule, in preparation for building a concrete pier foundation. (Actually, that method works well regardless of the foundation type.)
In part two, I’ll talk about how to work with concrete pour tubes and actually install the concrete piers. Check it out below! Read More
A shady, beautiful balcony with climbing plants
Our new straw bale house plan features a balcony design on the west side of the building. The purpose of this balcony is two, if not three-fold. Not only is it a place to sit and watch the sunset, but it provides other more functional purposes, too. Here are some good tips about how to plan a successful balcony design for your new home. Take note!
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This website is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. In 2012, we started offering Natural Building Workshops, so you can learn essential hands-on skills to build your own natural home.
