Class Description

We will learn to construct a beautiful, natural, earth friendly,
energy efficient home! Foundation, walls, windows, framing, and roof
construction will be taught. Natural plasters will also be covered as
well as poured adobe floors.

Costs: $250 for this 5-day Workshop. (Mail in payment by April 15th for a $25 discount.)

This includes breakfast & supper on the work days, camping fee, and all instruction needed to build a Straw Bale Structure.

Daily rate if you can't make the whole workshop is $60/day, which includes breakfast and supper.

Length of Time:  Workshop will last 5 days.  Depending on distance traveled 4-6 nights. 

Instructors

Robin Foote, owner of Whitehawk Construction Co, will be
heading up this Straw Bale Building Workshop. He is an expert on
ferro-cement and thin shell cement systems. He is a master carpenter and
master painter, and he has built many earth sheltered homes. A Green
Builder, he is also a solar energy expert and has experimented with wind
generation systems.

Mark Blessing will be the workshop consultant. Mark has
built four Straw Bale buildings and worked on numerous others. His
background is in engineering, with a passion for alternative methods. He
loves to build things. Mark has built both Post & Beam and
Load-Bearing (Nebraska-Style) Strawbale structures. He enjoys putting an
artistic finish into a building, using the versatility of Stucco.  Mark
has also designed alternative energy systems, using solar and wind to
power off-the-grid homesteads.

April Holtzman, director of Camp Tonkawa, will be assisting. 
She learned Straw Bale construction in 2004, when the camp built their
first Straw Bale Structure with the folks from  "Earth knack" Stone Age
Living Skills, in Colorado.  Many of the campers have been fascinated by
the method and the end product that stands proudly in the woods on the
property.

Randy Scism, Owner of Craiggs County Repair, will be
assisting.  He his worked on the finishing aspects of Camp Tonkawa's
Straw Bale structure; flooring, final stucco coating, roof adjustments,
and maintenance.  He is a master carpenter, heating and air specialist,
general handy man, and problem solver.

Details

Vegetarian Fare Available - just let us know your diet and we will do
our best to work with it. Bring your own lunch food!  We will have wash
stations to clean up your own  plate, bowl, mug, eating utensils after
meals.

Bring your own Camping gear, sleeping bag, tent, personals, etc.
Optional items chair, flashlight, insect repellant. We have outdoor
showers and swim pond.

Families & groups welcome. We need plenty of helping hands to
complete the structure within the time frame of this workshop.

We have a swimming pond, so bring provisions to enjoy.

NOTE : All classes have a minimum number of registrants to make or
sorry to say it will be cancelled. So bring your friends and tell
everyone you know. Some classes are listed but are not currently on the
schedule for the upcoming year. If your group has an interest we can
schedule a date for you.

Large Family Rates are available.

Scout and other large groups of 12 or more are eligible for a group discount, contact us for more information.