Ausbale promotes the art & science of straw bale building.

We are a group of building industry professionals, researchers, owner builders, and interested people who share our knowledge and experiences.

This website is a place to ask questions, find answers, seek inspiration, share photos, articles, advice and contribute to the growing movement towards better, smarter, ecologically sustainable, non-toxic and beautiful buildings.

Contact admin@ausbale.org with any queries.

On Saturday 20/3 and Sunday 21/3 we are raising our strawbale walls. We will have experienced help from Nick and Roger of www.strawbalehouse.com.au
Food (mainly orgainic) and beverages provided. You may camp on the property. Camping showers and portaloo provided. Contact Rosalba 0401134655 or Mark 0411309709 for address details. We need to know attendance numbers for catering purposes. Thanks

Easter Weekend 2010

Strawbale wall-raising working bee in Murrumbateman, NSW, from 2nd to 5th of April 2010

Dear friends of strawbale construction,

We have finalised details for a 4 day wall raising working bee in Murrumbateman, NSW, approximately 20 kilometres south-east of Yass (NSW) or 40 kilometres north-west of Canberra ACT; facilitated by Frank Thomas from Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction www.strawtec.com.au

Please join us from Friday the 2nd to Monday the 5th of April 2010. Times: 08:00am to 05:00pm

The project: A 2 bedroom strawbale and poured earth cottage measuring approx. 140 square metres, chosen from a pre-designed plan with fixed price and fixed time-frame by Viva Homes www.vivahomes.com.au

Main features of the project include: passive solar design, waffle pod slab, internal earth rendered cob walls, solar hot water system, tank & bore water, compost toilet and 5 star energy rating devices. Internal sides of strawbale walls will be rendered with clay while externally strawbale walls will be rendered with lime. Foundation/floor, frame, roof & bottom plate system will be installed prior to the working bee, ready to get into stacking of bales.

The working bee: This working bee is free of charge for participants, morning & afternoon tea and light lunches will be provided. In exchange for your labour you will be able to gain hands-on experience raising strawbale (SB) walls, making custom sized bales, installing top plate and pre-compressing and stitching SB walls. Some basic skills in mixing and applying first coat of clay render can possibly be learned.

Camping with basic toilet & shower facilities on site is possible, BYO tent, bedding, torch, tarps, chairs etc. and BYO breakfasts & dinners.

What to bring for work: Please bring closed (work) shoes, gloves, long sleeve shirts, long trousers, some warm clothes for chilly mornings & evenings, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and a water bottle.

Please register with the owners of the project: Fanny & Alec preferably via e-mail: fannythornton@yahoo.com or via ph: 0466 405 736 (Fanny). They will advise of directions to site, advise of local accommodation options and any other necessary details at that stage.

Please book as soon as possible as places are limited.

We look forward to see you in Murrumbateman for this exciting event.

Regards, Frank & Ingrid
Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction
strawbales@bigpond.com
www.strawtec.com.au

Dear friends of strawbale construction,

We have finalised details for a 4 day wall raising working bee in Uriarra, ACT, about 25 kilometers north west of Canberra CBD; facilitated by Frank Thomas from Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction.

Please join us from the 15th to 18th of April 2010, Times: 08:00am to 05:00pm

The project: A large 4 bedroom strawbale house featuring open plan kitchen/dining/living, study, games room & rumpus, measuring approx. 280 square metres.

Main features of the project include: northern aspect built on a long east-west axis, north facing living areas in reserve brick veneer, polished concrete slab in north areas with dark oxide for thermal mass & in slab hydronics, timber floors on south side, double glazed windows, 1.5 kw solar photovoltaic cells on shed, Heat Pump hot water system, 120,000 litre watertank and north facing verandah.

Internal sides of strawbale walls will be rendered with clay from site while externally strawbale walls will be cladded with fibre cement weatherboards.

Foundation/floor, frame, roof & bottom plate system will be installed prior to the working bee, ready to get into stacking of bales.

Uriarra: The Uriarra village was surrounded by pine forest plantations established in the early 1930's in an attempt to improve the land that had been exploited from overgrazing by cattle & sheep for more then a 100 years. The pine forests and most of the village were destroyed in the 2003 bush fires. Only 6 out of the 22 original homes survived the fires, the school building also survived and has since been converted into the community hall. Uriarra Rural Village will be the ACT’s first community title development, building on the strong sense of community that already exists within the village. The Community Title scheme will enable the community to manage the way in which their village functions and develops over time. The 50 hectare village site will eventually house 100 dwellings and the ACT government has recognised the opportunity to establish a world class sustainable community. All houses to be built are to follow passive solar design principles, use materials with low embodied energy, low toxicity and use renewable building materials where possible. You may wish to search "Uriarra Village Concept Plan" for more info.

The working bee: This working bee is free of charge for participants, morning & afternoon tea and light lunches will be provided. In exchange for your labour you will be able to gain hands-on experience raising strawbale (SB) walls, making custom sized bales, installing top plate and pre-compressing and stitching SB walls. Basic skills in mixing and applying first coat of clay render can possibly be learned.

What to bring: Please bring closed (work) shoes, gloves, long sleeve shirts, long trousers, some warm clothes for chilly mornings & evenings, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and a water bottle.

Please register with the owners of the project via Michael Cocks 02 6222 3794 or 0438 014 048, e-mail: michael.cocks@alphawest.com.au They will confirm your booking, advise of directions to site, advise of local accommodation options and any other necessary details at that stage.

Please book as soon as possible as places are limited.

We look forward to see you in Uriarra for this exciting event.

Regards, Frank & Ingrid
Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction
strawbales@bigpond.com
www.strawtec.com.au

All New: Strawbale Construction Teaching Workshop at AREC (Australian Rural Education Centre)

Where: Mudgee, central west of NSW. When: Monday the 22nd of March to Friday the 26th of March 2010.

A distinctive opportunity to learn about strawbale building details and techniques in a classroom setting, combined with hands-on demonstrations & experience.

We have finalised details for a 5 day strawbale construction teaching workshop from 22-26.03.2010, time: 08:30am to 05:00pm, facilitated by Frank Thomas from Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction.

This is a great opportunity for builders, carpenters, other building industry professionals and of course Owner Builders and everyone interested to learn about strawbale construction.

Our teaching workshops focus on:

v design issues for strawbale construction

v foundations

v framing options

v load bearing and hybrid techniques

v wall raising

v pre-compression

v openings

v general detailing to suit strawbales

v wet rooms

v rendering materials and techniques

Furthermore we will address topics such as termite protection, water proofing, fire safety, how not to build, and much more. The teaching workshops have a strong theoretical component taught in a classroom setting with visual aids such as drawings/white board, slides, photos, videos, books & magazines and product samples.

We will provide comprehensive hand-outs covering all topics addressed in the workshop. Usually we also have a guest speaker presenting a seminar on an issue such as energy efficiency, passive solar design, engineering matters, sustainability in general or similar, to tie in with our workshop.
Please note: guest lecturer sessions are subject of availability and are a complimentary component of the workshop.

The theoretical sessions will be complimented with hands-on practical experience where we will demonstrate techniques for wall raising and rendering.

This includes:

v installation of bottom plate system

v stacking bales in running bond

v making half and custom sized bales

v installing rough sawn frames for openings

v installing top plates

v pre-compressing and stitching bale walls

v bracing and corner reinforcements

We will also cover basic soil identification for rendering purposes, mixing and applying clay and lime renders, spray rendering, manual rendering with trowel, floats and sponges, surface finishing and creative touches such as niches, shelves and the obligatory truth window.

In the practical sessions we will build demonstration structures only, so there will be no pressure to finish someone’s home or building, the practical component serves your learning experience only.

The AREC facilities in Mudgee provide a great setting with conference room, modern classroom facilities, kitchenette and other essential amenities available for the event. The outdoor facilities allow space for practical sessions with plenty of room and opportunity to make your hands-on experience as valuable as possible. We count ourselves very lucky to have the opportunity to teach at such great facility and are proud to have the support of AREC for the advancement of strawbale construction. Please click on www.arec.com.au/ for more information on the centre.

Mudgee is located in the Central West of New South Wales, approximately 250 kilometres west of Sydney. Directions to the centre and “how to get there” options to Mudgee will be provided on registering. Please see http://www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au/j/index.php for information on the Mudgee Region

Costs: $770.00 including GST per person for the 5 day workshop. This includes all theory and practicals, morning & afternoon tea and light lunch from MON to FRI, workshop hand-out document and a 12 months membership for Ausbale (Australasian Strawbale Building Association). A certificate of completion will be issued by AREC. All materials and tools for the practical component will be available on site.

Note: Building Industry Professional may claim CPD points for this course.

Free camping with toilet and shower facilities is available at the centre. BYO tent, bedding, torch and other needed camping gear, BYO breakfast and dinner.

Please see booking conditions and register with AREC online at http://www.arec.com.au/strawbale-building-workshop.html

A complete programme will be available on registration.

Please register asap as places are limited.

We look forward to meet you in Mudgee for this exciting event.

Regards, Frank & Ingrid

Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction
strawbales@bigpond.com
www.strawtec.com.au

Strawbale Construction Teaching Workshop at AREC (Australian Rural Education Centre) in Mudgee, NSW, from Monday 30th of November to Friday 4th of December 2009.

Dear friends of strawbale construction,

we have finalised details for a 5 day strawbale construction teaching workshop from Monday the 30th of November to Friday the 4th of December 2009, 08:30am to 05:00pm, facilitated by Frank Thomas from Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction.

This is a great opportunity for builders, carpenters, other building industry professionals and of course Owner Builders and everyone interested to learn about strawbale construction.

Our teaching workshops focus on:

v design issues for strawbale construction

v foundations

v framing options

v load bearing and hybrid techniques

v wall raising

v pre-compression

v openings

v general detailing to suit strawbales

v wet rooms

v rendering materials and techniques

Furthermore we will address topics such as termite protection, water proofing, fire safety, how not to build, and much more. The teaching workshops have a strong theoretical component taught in a classroom setting with visual aids such as drawings/white board, slides, photos, videos, books & magazines and product samples. We will provide comprehensive hand-outs covering all topics addressed in the workshop. Usually we also have a guest speaker presenting a seminar on an issue such as energy efficiency, passive solar design, engineering matters, sustainability in general or similar, to tie in with our workshop. Please note: guest lecturer sessions are subject of availability and are a complimentary component of the workshop.

The theoretical sessions will be complimented with hands-on practical experience where we will demonstrate techniques for wall raising and rendering.

This includes:

v installation of bottom plate system

v stacking bales in running bond

v making half and custom sized bales

v installing rough sawn frames for openings

v installing top plates

v pre-compressing and stitching bale walls

v bracing and corner reinforcements

We will also cover basic soil identification for rendering purposes, mixing and applying clay and lime renders, spray rendering, manual rendering with trowel, floats and sponges, surface finishing and creative touches such as niches, shelves and the obligatory truth window. In the practical sessions we will build demonstration structures only, so there will be no pressure to finish someone’s home or building, the practical component serves your learning experience only.

The AREC facilities in Mudgee provide a great setting with conference room, modern classroom facilities, kitchenette and other essential amenities available for the event. The outdoor facilities allow space for practical sessions with plenty of room and opportunity to make your hands-on experience as valuable as possible. We count ourselves very lucky to have the opportunity to teach at such great facility and are proud to have the support of AREC for the advancement of strawbale construction. Please click on www.arec.com.au/ for more information on the centre.

Mudgee is located in the Central West of New South Wales, approximately 250 kilometres west of Sydney. Directions to the centre and “how to get there” options to Mudgee will be provided on registering. Please see http://www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au/j/index.phpfor information on the Mudgee Region

Costs: $770.00 including GST per person for the 5 day workshop. This includes all theory and practicals, morning & afternoon tea and light lunch from MON to FRI and workshop hand-out document. All materials and tools for the practical component will be available on site.

Free camping with toilet and shower facilities is available at the centre. BYO tent, bedding, torch and other needed camping gear, BYO breakfast and dinner.

Please see booking conditions and register with AREC online at www.arec.com.au/

A complete programme will be available on registration.

Please register asap as places are limited.

We look forward to meet you at Mudgee for this exciting event.

Regards, Frank & Ingrid
Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction
strawbales@bigpond.com
www.strawtec.com.au

Bohdan Dorniak has been invited to participate in a 2 day conference which looks at various "green" materials. The conference is to held in Melbourne 9-10 September .Strawbale and other materials will be discussed on day 2 . A 2 minute snapshot will be presented by Bohdan then followed by a group forum.

Straw Bale Building Update - the shed comes first
Article by Angus Stephen from
THE OWNER BUILDER • 153 June/July 2009
© www.theownerbuilder.com.au • 02 4982 8820

Available from our Downloads page

There is a new article by Bohdan Dorniak available in our Downloads section.
from:
THE OWNER BUILDER • 152 April/May 2009
© www.theownerbuilder.com.au • 02 4982 8820

I am looking to build an s/b house with portal frames, and so s/b ceiling insulation. There is very little info on ceiling construction details. I am happy to collate all info received and write a comprehensive report on s/b ceilings, as well as recording what we do. All emails, to the web or private will be responded to. Many thanks. Warwick Rowell.

(refer to Warwick's profile to email him - Admin.)

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