PROGRAM OPTIONS
3 Program Options at Strawbale Studio, outside Oxford, Michigan, USA:
Intern, 1/2 Pay Worktrade, Wwoofer. All 3 Programs include room & board, classes & materials, plus sharing of household activities such as cooking & cleaning.
- Internship = Focus on the Projects. $950 or $850 prepaid 1 month in advance.
- 1/2 Pay Worktrade = 10 hours Worktrade per week toward upkeep (office, grounds, gardens, based on participants skills & needs of Strawbale Studio). The rest of the time, participate in the Internship & all classes. Cost per month: $475 or $425 prepaid 1 month in advance.
- Wwoofer = 20 hours Worktrade per week toward maintenance of gardens, grounds, office. The rest of the time participate in the Internship & all classes. No money exchanged.
WORK -TRADE 2019
- Office – Data Entry – names & contact information to a Main List. Publicity, email & phone messages.
- Grounds – wood harvesting, cutting, splitting. Mowing / scything lawns.
- Beauty & Order around Red Shed, Kids Cottage, Hobbit Sauna, Open Pole Barn.
- Fix It / Make It – Chairs in Red shed and Strawbale studio. More wood Storage in Red Shed. Close in hole in Red Shed roof. Garden Cart bicycle wheel and floor replacement.
- Insta Cob – A product we make to sell; bags of earthen Cob mix with project ideas.
- Gardens – prepare, maintain gardens and permaculture areas. Hops plant replaces bittersweet on Courtyard Arbor.
- Workshop Prep – gather materials, preparing the house and teaching spaces, roles related to the workshop.
PROJECTS 2019
- Mezannine Loft – designed/constructed during the Winternship. Pascal & Rob. Braces by participants in the Round Pole Workshop.
To do: Ladder redo & tie in, safety railing, strawbale mattress. - Practice Structure – Install and plant a Living Roof, stack, stabilize & plaster a strawbale wall segment + construct various wall sections (light clay, wattle & daub, bottle wall).
- Strawbale Studio – Finish Floor, Oil on Benches, Oil logs, Restore surfaces: Earth Plaster on exterior, details on interior. Fix interior roof. Finish lower earthen floor. Decide what to do with the Compost Furnace system. Contact Derek at WMU.
- Timber Barn – install basic foundation, frame & roof in workshop lead by timberframer, Jim Clark.
- Hobbit Sauna – Rocket Sauna Stove (taught by Chris McClellan). Finish earth floors, wall plasters, Hot Room, close in, finish plasters. Hobaddion: completion, door. Exterior: Finish Living Roof details, finish Earth Plasters, sculptures, benches complete and oiled.
- Identity Cabin – Strawbale & Hybrid Wall Systems, Shake Roof on East, Window Wall on South – find, buy, frame, seal windows. Flooring – replace as needed. Screens – door and roll-up side walls on East Porch. Possible: Loft, Ladder, Band Shell from paper mache.
- Kids Cabin – Rocket Stove Mass Heater – complete construction of combustion unit, bench, and exhaust pipes. Insulate exterior pipe. Finish Plasters, Earthen Floor & floor insulation.Site Drainage & Beauty. Stone Wall- finish stonework & insulation. Install new windows made by Gene.
- Spiral Chamber: Stabilize, Construct and foundation & wall. Re-grade for water flow away from building.
- Gardens – Agro Forest, continue tree cages. TBD. Plan Winter Greenhouse – plants & schedule. Plan a Greenhouse seedling workshop with Jared to grow seedlings for winter harvesting, or buy from woman in Romeo. Korean pine
- Compost Furnace System – dismantle exterior parts. Tarp the pile, create a garden with the soil. Explore what to do with antifreeze and interior pump area.
- Woodshed – Finish living roof details & add support posts.
- Hops Trellis – add beautiful forages poles for support, bench construction.
- A-Frame Woodshed by SBS –
- OPTIONAL Stretch Goals: CT composter add an addtional section, cover middle with post and roof/water collection. Use soil from 2 years ago on trees (agriforest and moved apple tree). Korean Pine trees, tend. Design Charettes for West Wing Loft and Wood heat to main house. Kiva firepit, Tom Hoyt help. Repair Sun Face, Earth Oven door. Mushroom log inoculation. Fix low Tree House, Hops Frame.
MARCH-APRIL GOALS: Camp Tamarak Earth Oven.
SPRING GOALS: Hops Frame, restoration. North Garden Beds. Grains planted in Mid Meadow. Rocket Stove Cooker class – rebuild stoves. Living Roof.
- 2019 WORKSHOPS (under construction) Rocket Stove Cooker Living Roof & Strawbale 2-day or 5 day class. Earth Oven & Rocket Stove. Sauna Rocket Stove, Foraging & Mushrooms. Womans Nature Renewal Weekend. Stretch Goals: Mushroom log inoculation. Kids Workshops or plan for Fairy Forest 2020. Permaculture Design Course.
- PROGRAM OPTIONS3 Program Options at Strawbale Studio, outside Oxford, Michigan, USA:
Intern, 1/2 Pay Worktrade, Wwoofer. All 3 Programs include room & board, classes & materials, plus sharing of household activities such as cooking & cleaning.- Internship = Focus on the Projects. $950 or $850 prepaid 1 month in advance.
- 1/2 Pay Worktrade = 10 hours Worktrade per week toward upkeep (office, grounds, gardens, based on participants skills & needs of Strawbale Studio). The rest of the time, participate in the Internship & all classes. Cost per month: $475 or $425 prepaid 1 month in advance.
- Wwoofer = 20 hours Worktrade per week toward maintenance of gardens, grounds, office. The rest of the time participate in the Internship & all classes. No money exchanged.
WORK -TRADE 2017 - Office – Data Entry – names & contact information to a Main List. Publicity, email & phone messages.
- Grounds – wood harvesting, cutting, splitting. Mowing / scything lawns.
- Beauty & Order around Red Shed, Kids Cottage, Hobbit Sauna, Open Pole Barn.
- Fix It / Make It – Chairs in Red shed and Strawbale studio. More wood Storage in Red Shed. Close in hole in Red Shed roof. Garden Cart bicycle wheel and floor replacement.
- Insta Cob – A product we make to sell; bags of earthen Cob mix with project ideas.
- Gardens – prepare, maintain gardens and permaculture areas. Hops plant replaces bittersweet on Courtyard Arbor.
- Workshop Prep – gather materials, preparing the house and teaching spaces, roles related to the workshop.
PROJECTS 2019
- Mezannine Loft – designed/constructed during the Winternship. Pascal & Rob. Braces by participants in the Round Pole Workshop.
To do: Ladder redo & tie in, safety railing, strawbale mattress. - Practice Structure – Install and plant a Living Roof, stack, stabilize & plaster a strawbale wall segment + construct various wall sections (light clay, wattle & daub, bottle wall).
- Strawbale Studio – Finish Floor, Oil on Benches, Oil logs, Restore surfaces: Earth Plaster on exterior, details on interior. Fix interior roof. Finish lower earthen floor. Decide what to do with the Compost Furnace system. Contact Derek at WMU.
- Timber Barn – install basic foundation, frame & roof in workshop lead by timberframer, Jim Clark.
- Hobbit Sauna – Rocket Sauna Stove (taught by Chris McClellan). Finish earth floors, wall plasters, Hot Room, close in, finish plasters. Hobaddion: completion, door. Exterior: Finish Living Roof details, finish Earth Plasters, sculptures, benches complete and oiled.
- Identity Cabin – Strawbale & Hybrid Wall Systems, Shake Roof on East, Window Wall on South – find, buy, frame, seal windows. Flooring – replace as needed. Screens – door and roll-up side walls on East Porch. Possible: Loft, Ladder, Band Shell from paper mache.
- Kids Cabin – Rocket Stove Mass Heater – complete construction of combustion unit, bench, and exhaust pipes. Insulate exterior pipe. Finish Plasters, Earthen Floor & floor insulation.Site Drainage & Beauty. Stone Wall- finish stonework & insulation. Install new windows made by Gene.
- Spiral Chamber: Stabilize, Construct and foundation & wall. Re-grade for water flow away from building.
- Gardens – Agro Forest areas – mulch & label Permaculture Plants. Continue removing tree tubes and installing tree cages. Hay Bale Gardening – get bale, place & plant them in North Garden. Green House – add compost, plant. Possibly Ginger, Tumeric, other TBD. Plan Winter Greenhouse – plants & schedule. Plan a Greenhouse seedling workshop with Jared to grow seedlings for winter harvesting, or buy from woman in Romeo. Stretch goals: burn/clear north garden. Jared.
- Design Charettes for West Wing Loft and Wood heat to main house.
- Compost Furnace System – dismantle exterior parts. Tarp the pile, create a garden with the soil. Explore what to do with antifreeze and interior pump area.
- Woodshed – Finish living roof details & add support posts.
- Hops Trellis – add beautiful forages poles for support, bench construction.
- A-Frame Woodshed by SBS –
- Options: CT composter add an addtional section, cover middle with post and roof/water collection. Use soil from 2 years ago on trees (agriforest and moved apple tree). Korean Pine trees, tend.
- Worktrade: Done Clear around the Red Shed. 2 chairs fixed. To Do: bamboo chairs, kitchen chair, drawer, picnic table, round table.
PROJECTS 2018
- Practice Structure – Designed and constructed a 7×10′ frame, practice building and plastering a strawbale wall segment, constructing a bottle wall. Designed & co-constructed by Ankita Gandhi.
- The Vista Garden – phase 1. Area to south of Practice Structure cleared, and around the Get-away Cabin. Matthew McCoul.
- Kids Cottage wall system at Wellfield Botanical Gardens, Elkhart Indiana. Light Clay walls, earth plasters, bottle wall and sculptural sun design. Tyler Schaeffer, co-teacher.
- Earth Oven construction at Camp Tamarak. Design, construct and sculpt and oven with Alex Rosenberg, Ankita and others.
- Red Shed – tool re-organization. Spenser, Paul, others.
- Strawbale Studio ~ Restoration of exterior plasters in some areas. Patch interior ceiling. Finish plaster on lower floor + oil finish.
- Hobbit Sauna – Wooden Floor in Sauna, Phase one of earthen floors, Sauna room doors and vine handles. All windows and doors finished framing. Repair on Living Roof by Skylight. Caulk as needed.
- Identity Cabin – Loft Ladder, Window/door to living roof, Finish plasters, Sculpted interior bench & sculptures. Strawbale Walls, earth plasters, Window frame and window installation. Seal wooden battons with cob. Emily and Paul. (2017 or 2018)
- Basket-making with black ash log wood strips. Tyler and Davin.
- Round Pole Bucking Horses. Tyler, Paul. Tree Harvesting.
- Kids Cabin – Gene Vilenni built and installed bi-fold window and kids exit door.
- Spiral Chamber: Wattle and Daub was removed from the posts. New posts were installed on stone supports and stabilized. Roof was tied to near-by trees.
- Gardens – Agro Forest areas – mulch & label Permaculture Plants. 30 tree tubes were replaced with 5′ metal cages. Green House – Fall, Cleared out, composted manure and biochar added, planted. Waterfall Garden planted by Catherine.
- Woodshed – Finish living roof details & add support posts.
- A-Frame Woodshed by SBS – Thatch finished, Spiral Chamber roof peak redone. ~ Tyler and Abby (2017)