Learn & Laugh With Us

Hands-On Workshops

Two women straw bale workshop participants hugging

Are you excited about living in a straw bale house or doing your own natural plastering but unsure how to make your dream a reality (or terrified even to get started)?!

You’re in the right place. We’re so glad you’re here!

Upcoming Hands-On Workshops

Which Workshop Is Right For Me?

Have questions or want to connect with an actual human before registering? That seems reasonable to us.
Reach out to Dainella at info@strawbale.com, or choose a time to chat with her here.

Straw Bale Construction Workshops

Our hands-on straw bale construction workshops are designed to meet the needs of a novice builder to an experienced contractor.

Get a well-rounded educational experience so that when it is time for your build, you have the confidence to handle anything that comes up, from construction hiccups to personal stress management.

By interfacing with so many over the years, we've learned an undeniable truth: people of ALL ages and abilities, when given the proper instruction and support, are capable of building and plastering their own dream straw bale home.

Our 7-day experiential education-based workshops are rewarding, engaging, highly informational, and an absolute blast!

Timbo Scursso smiling with a piece of twine in his hands.

Timbo's grasp of construction technology, with over 20 years as a professional straw bale designer-builder, comes through in his ability to explain each detail in a way that benefits all participants. Learn more about your Instructor here.

Speciality Workshops

How to use Natural Plasters, Straw Bale Home Design, Framing For Straw Bale, and More.

Our Specialty workshop topics are inspired by requests from this incredible straw bale community, from our returning alumni to the thoughtful (and kind!) emails we receive from around the world.

Speciality workshops are announced as they become available. Posted on this page and shared in our community Straw eNews (subscribe for free.)

They are a mix of hands-on, in-person classroom, or even virtual courses to help support our community members who are unable to travel — Our specialty workshops ALWAYS include live Q&A and learning materials to help you succeed!

Santa Fe, NM straw bale Home Design workshop group photo.

2024 Straw Bale Home Design Workshop Participants in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico

2,500+ Graduates since 2006
View Graduates Gallery

  • These workshops are easily worth the money paid, and effort put in (especially on the build itself!).

    You'll meet so many other people all just like you gathering to learn to build a home that is healthy and sustainable, folks from all walks of life. The weeks and possibly months after your workshop may be depressing because you are not back at the workshop with friendly people learning a new and exciting craft. If someone told me I could be anywhere in the world, or at this strawbale building workshop for one week, I would pick the workshop in a heartbeat.

    - Ian M., 2x Workshop Graduate

  • We really appreciate the balance you struck between helping get a good outcome for the host's build and maintaining a teaching environment for workshop attendees.

    I'd say the hands-on experience with all the techniques involved in building the bale walls and applying the plaster were most valuable. We also appreciated the insights into different wall systems, and compression systems--in this case the timber frame, box beam and buck system.

    - Brandon M., Workshop Graduate

  • Thank you again so much, I learned a ton AND had some fun!

    I really liked that we were encouraged to try different tasks and learn different facets of the strawbale building process. This allowed me to grasp the bigger picture of the entire build and have a better understanding of how each element of the building affects other elements and the rest of the building.

    - Ian M., 2x Workshop Graduate

  • On a scale of 0-1000, the building process was 1000 and the food 999. (just kidding, everything was just perfect)

    I was wondering how you will run the workshop after I attended one led by Andrew. I like your style a lot. I also liked, that there was space for talking and getting to know people better which strengthened the community.

    - Michael, 2x Workshop Graduate

  • The technical info sharing. And the community being made available to us

    Appreciate your knowledge & your enthusiasm. Also, I've done presenting...both in person & online...and I understand how time consuming it it to build curriculum. You did a wonderful job in this regard.

    - Robert, Design Workshop Graduate

  • I liked learning the pro and con considerations of the structure itself from people that have actually built so many!

    All in all we covered a lot of thought provoking specific straw bale design and building execution elements. For me, anxious as we are to get the house done, one of the most valuable takeaways was to slow down the whole process, to take the time, when needed, to do the build right the first time.

    - Stu, Design Workshop Graduate

  • I will cherish that week and its moments for years to come. I look forward to another workshop!

    I had a wonderful time connecting with everyone at the workshop!!! The work blocks seemed to go fast, probably because the work was so engaging. We all learned, tweaked, and accomplished strawbale building tasks together, and worked hard along the way. But there was definite wiggle room to peel away and break from work whenever needed. Plus the meals presented by our hosts never disappointed as I personally felt consistently full and nourished.

    - Brian A., Workshop Graduate

  • As an architect wanting to expand my understanding of energy efficient construction and seeking a hands on experience away from the computer.

    this workshop was a deep dive into the specifics on how to build a lasting straw bale structure. I also had a great week connecting with a passionate group of people, camping out in the forest and taking a break from the day to day of a busy life. I would recommend this workshop experience to anyone interested in building their own home, to architects and designers and builders to really understand what goes into a successful straw bale. Timbo and Dainella provided a wealth of knowledge.

    - Reid W., Workshop Graduate

Our Approach

We focus on education for all aspects of the home construction process. Our education does not stop at straw bale construction. We discuss other aspects of the home that can be built Green. Flooring, cabinets, construction adhesives, and other items all play a part in the health of the home. 

Our commitment to the transparency of the process allows you to have behind-the-scenes views of our real-time decision-making, pivots and changes, and even stress and relationship management as part of the construction process. We want to EMPOWER you with a well-rounded education to support the success of your learning and build process!

Most importantly, we have fun. After all, for us, building without fun is like living without breathing. We love what we do, and that is what makes the difference.

The friendships created during the week are a huge part of the workshop's success and why we have alumni return year after year. We've even had folks include workshops as part of their honeymoon vacation! It’s much much more than just a construction workshop.

Meet Your Mentors

Featured
Timbo Scursso
Timbo Scursso

Timbo embodies the spirit of the Master Builder of pre-modern times. Rooted as a practical designer and an accomplished builder, his simple designs and finely crafted details exemplify what is achievable in straw bale construction. He is excited to share his lifelong construction experience and the wisdom of twenty years of straw bale-specific design-build knowledge as a straw bale home designer and professional builder with a larger community.

Check out his design-build portfolio at StrawBaleHomeDesigns.com.

Follow Timbo for workshop tour and project highlights at Instagram @strawbale_com

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Dainella Nartker
Dainella Nartker

Dainella weaves together people, places, and processes to make it easy for community members to access the resources they need for building their dream straw bale home. Her background includes a B.S. in Environmental Science & Experiential Education Training from the University of Oregon, a career in the electrical trade, workshop leadership, and over a decade of business ownership.

She’s delighted to be applying her skills to grow access to quality resources for straw bale construction techniques. But, really, it is being witness to and facilitating the empowerment of our community members through their learning process that fuels her most!

Connect with her at info@strawbale.com

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Empowering Straw Bale Builders Since 2004

“What we learned will benefit us for years to come.

What we experienced will benefit us for the rest of our lives!”
— Jeff J., Workshop Graduate