Consulting And Support Packages
Building and contracting your own house is undoubtedly a rewarding experience, but it can be overwhelming. There are so many details to keep track of, and many of those details are specific to straw bale construction, so even a seasoned architect or contractor used to working on conventional homes may not be able to properly direct you in the process.
Tackling the project alone may feel like too much. After all, we all need help from time to time, and building a house is certainly one of those times.
Let me help you shorten your learning curve to save time and budget and achieve your build goals. Below are four of my most popular consulting options. These offer you the best chances of success with your build, design, maintenance, remodel, or project planning.
Perhaps you need some help making sure your plans are in order for the easiest, most cost-effective, and highest-quality construction of your home. Maybe you want help training a group to do the baling, plaster prep, or even the plastering itself. Or perhaps you plan to do the majority of the building and contracting yourself, but you want security, comfort, and access to an expert for the duration of the project.
If you plan on building a straw bale house, either by yourself or with a contractor unfamiliar with straw bale construction, I can help you achieve the success you are after without the stress so common to construction projects. Spots are limited and given on a first-come, first-served basis.
– Timbo
Timbo Scursso
teacher | designer | craftsman
Learn more about my construction background, design approach, and portfolio.
Hourly Consulting
Do you have questions about your straw bale construction project? Schedule an hour of Q&A specific to your goals to keep your project on track!
With 20+ years of straw bale design-build experience and a lifetime of conventional construction, I can help with all your straw bale questions about baling, plastering issues, framing, foundations, contracting, construction plans, code, zoning, and everything in between. There are no ‘dumb’ questions in my experience!
Choose the best fit for your needs – either a phone call or a video call using Google Meet. (The video call is great if you’d like to show me concept drawings, plans, tour existing structures, share examples, etc.) Additional hours can be purchased should you feel that you need a bit more time.
Plans Review
A full review and evaluation of your Architectural Plans and/or Construction Documents help you to catch costly mistakes before they happen in the field. I take the time to carefully review your bale wall system of choice in the context of your design, site, and goals.
Even if you’ve hired a professional to design your plans for you, if they don’t have a lot of experience with straw bale or how it all ‘goes together’ in the field at the detail level, it is not uncommon for the plans to be riddled with redundant, archaic, or time-wasting construction techniques.
Catching issues in the plans BEFORE you start building will save you significant amounts of money and time. Furthermore, once plans are approved, the building department can require you to build the structure “as drawn,” so even if you catch the mistakes, it may be too late to make changes.
Turnaround time for Plan Reviews varies (mostly around workshop travel!) from 2-4 weeks. For questions on a Plans Review or availability, email me at timbo@strawbale.com
Have Concept Drawings but not yet a full set of Architectural Plans and/or Construction Documents (these plan sets are where details on the straw bale wall are included)?
No problem, book an Hourly Consultation (see above), saying you’d like to review Concept Drawings before having your Construction Documents drawn. Then, bring your questions to the consult. We’ll keep your project moving!
Benefits
Save on building costs
Faster building department approvals
Viable building project with a strong set of designs
Get better estimates
Efficient construction techniques
Thorough window and door detail evaluation
Receive a complete, detailed report
Design Development Consulting
Elevate your straw bale project’s design with expert guidance. My Design Development Consulting Program offers 5 hours of specialized support to refine your straw bale home or building plans for performance, ease of construction, code adherence, and cost considerations. You & I work together to enhance your design process with tailored insights into sustainable materials, energy efficiency, structural considerations, and details unique to straw bale construction.
Key Features
5 hours of expert consultation
Flexible scheduling in 15-minute intervals
Tailored advice for straw bale construction
Common Inclusions, varies by your needs
Initial design concept review
Material selection guidance
Structural considerations for straw bale buildings
Energy efficiency optimization
Building code compliance assistance
Package Cost: $650 for the full 5-hour consultation package
Follow-up Support
Additional consultation is available at an hourly rate
Custom support packages can be negotiated to suit your project’s needs
Whether you’re an architect, builder, or homeowner, I can provide valuable insights to enhance the success of your straw bale project.
Email me with questions on this service at timbo@strawbale.com, or puchase above to begin.
Site Visit
Suitable For
Home Inspections - Thinking of buying a strawbale home and have questions about its design, condition, etc. Receive an experts evaluation report on the straw bale portion of your home and recommendations.
Building Sites - Is the climate, location, slope, etc, appropriate for your current straw bale vision? Find out and receive modification recommendations if applicable.
Damage Evaluation - The worst or unexpected has happened, resulting in plaster or bale wall damage. Get an assessment and repaid plan recommendations.
Included
One (1) site visit with time-on-site dependent on travel time requirements to reach your location
Upon request, a written report of my findings. (The time to complete the report can be used for travel hours instead if you do not require a written assessment.)
Please contact me at timbo@strawbale.com prior to purchase to confirm scheduling and location availability.
In-person site visits are primarily available within a day of Salida, Colorado. But, as I frequently travel for workshops and training, there is often availability in other areas of the US.
For outside of Colorado, I often coordinate with home-owners or building professionals to perform a video call visit. This is a great option if your need is time-critical, such as a home purchase, to meet design needs, or for damage repair.
If a full Site Visit is not necessary for your goals, consider using my hourly consulting.
On-Site Training - Your private workshop
This is perfect for you if…
You plan on contracting out the strawbale portion of the build to a construction professional who doesn’t have a lot of experience with straw bale building. – OR – If you plan to bale and/or plaster the structure yourself with the help of friends and family but aren’t 100% confident about how to do it.
Either way, at the end of the on-site training, you and your attendees will have practiced the skills to complete the install the plaster details, and mix + apply the plaster, knowing you are doing so with best practices. The classic natural building work party meets strawbale.com comprehensive training and education!
Suitable For
Professional Crew Training – I teach techniques based on my experience of designing and building straw bale houses for +20 years. Over time, I have streamlined the process and developed new techniques to increase job efficiency. The money you will save by educating your crew with these time-saving techniques will more than pay for itself.
DIY, Friends, & Family Group Guidance – Using the same approach as training a professional crew, I can teach your group how to bale confidently and efficiently. It’s like having your very own private workshop with just your friends and family!
Included
Three (3) Days of Timbo on YOUR job site, training YOUR crew/friends and family
Two (2) 60 minute Consultations with Timbo - Video/call, use anytime from purchase to 12 months following the on-site training (need additional hours? Receive 10% off during this same time period.)
One (1) 60 minute Readiness Call - Video/call held just before the onsite training to support you to be 100% ready for your private workshop!
Post and Beam Straw Bale digital video
Natural Lime Plastering digital video
How To Frame A Straw Bale Building digital video
How To Build A Monolithic Concrete Slab Foundation digital video
“A Modern Look At Straw Bale Construction” eBook
Our Straw Bale Needle & Fork Design Package
Note: Travel expenses, including hotels, transportation (airfare, car rentals, Uber, etc.), food, and a flat rate for travel time per day of $500 per person, are not included in the package cost and are billed to the client.
On-site, I work with you, your team, and/or crew leaders for three full (3) days to get them fully prepared for the work ahead.
We work on a specific, predetermined wall section and prepare it fully so that each attendee has first-hand experience with how the systems work. Experiencing the process first-hand helps to surface any areas of confusion. It also answers those ‘millions’ of questions that can arise to build confidence in their understanding of the construction details.
While this can be flexed to your needs, typically, the wall already has the bale framing in and the bales placed. During the training, we cover how to properly install plaster details, prepare the wall for plastering, plaster mixing, and a scratch coat of plaster with a demo of how to do the brown coat. These are crucial to ensuring a long-lasting, beautiful plaster finish (and often the area folks are most nervous about!)
If you would also like a fourth day added to teach your attendees to do the bale installation, I’m happy to accommodate them. Please let me know, and we’ll discuss the details to ensure you are getting exactly what you need to be confident moving forward with your project.
Video calls are scheduled in advance. If you feel that you need a bit more time, additional hourly consulting is offered at a discounted rate.
If an emergency arises regarding your training, I respond to emails and phone calls within 24 hours, Monday-Friday (except during holidays or if out of phone/internet range). For questions regarding On-site Training, email me at timbo@strawbale.com.
Pre-requisites
For safety reasons, I request that there be a max of 15 attendees. If you would like to have more attendees, please let me know, and we can discuss adding a second instructor or how to address safety concerns for your specific project.
At the Readiness Call, we will review the job site, tools, and materials on-site, and site preparation for safety and to meet the goals of your training. Any items revealed in this collaborative review will need to be addressed before the training to ensure we can meet the training goals, for example, open decking, incomplete bale framing, etc.