Join us in celebrating new chapters, community, and, of course, straw bale building! So many pieces have aligned to make this feel like a moment of true synchronicity. Our gratitude to Andrew and Gabriella Morrison for entrusting us as the caretakers of the strawbale.com community.
We feel honored to continue their legacy of empowering straw bale builders like yourself with quality resources and support – no matter what stage of learning you are at or where your project stands. Our motivation and mission is to elevate the craft of straw bale building through experiential education opportunities, online learning, community events, partnership, and more.
We are Timbo Scursso and Dainella “Dee” Nartker (jokingly referred to as team DeeBo!)
Timbo brings 20+ years of straw bale design-build experience and knowledge to help you achieve your straw bale home dreams with workshops, one-on-one consulting for your project needs, plans review, crew training, stock house plans, and technical learning content.
A career in building his designs has led to a deep understanding of the tremendous value that thoughtful design brings. It permeates all levels of decision-making for him, from concept to job site organization to producing a beautiful, flowing home that feels deeply connected to place and people. See more of his work at Straw Bale Home Designs.
Reaching and engaging a larger audience in the straw bale culture has been a significant motivator in leading Timbo from designer/builder to educator and community builder. He believes each person has something unique, special, and meaningful to offer. As strawbale.com’s curator, Timbo looks to create the most optimal environment to allow you to come into yourselves as builders. The experience of seeing the smile on the face of a student as they “get it” can’t be beaten.
You’ll see Dainella at your workshop experience, sharing job site knowledge and providing logistical support on and offline. From her DIY rural upbringing and construction career in the electrical trade (residential and remote job sites in Antarctica), she brings a solution-oriented, expedition-style attitude to every project. There is no ‘stupid’ question in her opinion, and she’s happiest when supporting people to feel confident in their straw bale adventure – whether it is sharing basic tool use or connecting you to resources.
Before the trades, she trained in experiential education and outdoor pursuits leadership & risk management. While seasonally working on USFS fire and timber crews, she completed an Environmental Science degree at the University of Oregon. After leaving the electrical trade, she developed the skills necessary to manage strawbale.com through business ventures and co-creating women’s leadership retreats. Her background is a perfect meld for facilitating the unique and memorable experiences strawbale.com workshops provide.
But, what truly drew her to strawbale.com’s new chapter is you: the brave individual who is stepping into learning and motivated to choose your adventure through straw bale construction. Her fuel is the chance to walk beside you, provide support, and witness your dreams unfold. In you, in your choice to take a step into unknowns, she sees hope for the planet and endless inspiration.
From technical expertise to ‘summer camp for adults’ workshops – we couldn’t be more delighted to offer our skills to empower you to achieve your straw bale home dreams.
In support,
Timbo & Dainella
8 Responses
Hi guys, I’m a mortgage broker in the Muskoka region of Ontario. I’m also the owner of a beautiful off-grid home. I have been approached by a realtor who has taken on a listing for a straw bale house close to my location here in Muskoka. I am having a difficult time finding a lender who will provide a mortgage for this amazing property.
Please let me know anything comes to mind.
Hi Emerson, We don’t have a contact in your area at this time to share. From others in the community we’ve learned that it can be useful to find out what challenge the lender is having and then help meet that specific challenge. We wish we had a simple answer but our understanding is that both the financial and insurance industries change frequently internally and priorities shift. Sometimes it can take extra steps to get approval and sometimes it is quick, it all depends. And not all of the information that makes it one way or the other is public facing.
one of my thoughts too, a construction loan….
Financing is certainly a key piece of due diligence in any home build! Similar to our response to Emerson: it depends. We wish it was an easier answer, but there are too many variables for us to provide a simple answer (location, design, lender, etc.) For our most current resources and information, check out strawbale.com/blog and use the filter feature for ‘financing/insurance’.
is there an email address to ask a couple of questions?
Hi Darrell, I’m not sure what questions you may have so I’ll answer with options… [email protected] connects to customer service and https://strawbale.com/consulting/ has information on how to get specific answers to your straw bale questions. There is also a search feature on our free 500+ article blog library at strawbale.com/blog
Hello,
I am a licensed assistant to a realtor on beautiful Whidbey Island in Washington. We have clients interested in making an offer on a straw bale home. There are not many in our area and we are wondering if you have any resources/ referrals of local builders or home inspectors who specialize in straw bale homes. Appreciate any leads you may have. Thanks so much.
Hi, Terilyn – NW Natural Homes out of Port Angeles might be a helpful resource. They are very familiar with straw bale construction.