Building a Vaulted Straw Bale Wall (Blue Rock Station Style)

For those who have always been curious on how straw bale construction works - or for those who want to build a small project but don't want to pay more than the cost of the building for an instruction manual. Here is a booklet for you. This handy little guide provides all the basics for straw bale construction - along a few observations about life, philosophy, the size of candy bars, and other essential construction details. More that half of all the buildings on this planet are constructed using earth and straw. Many have stood for hundreds of years without the benefits of modern construction techniques. Annie and Jay Warmke have taught numerous straw bale workshops, constructed and live in their 2,200 sq ft Earthship, lived in a 700-year-old English village waddle-n-daub cottage, religiously avoid shopping at Wal-Mart... so obviously they are experts. Learn from this experience (especially the Wal-Mart part) and enjoy this lighthearted look at building your own vaulted straw bale building. Along the way you may discover that the natural and comforting nature of straw bale construction is that unknown thing that has been missing from your life. This easy-to-read, light-hearted booklet contains step-by-step instructions on how to plan and build a small vaulted straw bale structure. In addition, you will find a list of all the tools and supplies you need to build your masterpiece. This 36-page illustrated book includes the following chapters: * The Philosophy of Straw Bale Construction * Load bearing vs. Non-load bearing walls * Site orientation * Building the "Falseworks" guides * Using a straw bale needle * Sewing the bales together * Stacking and Pinning Layers * Corseting the Walls