Strawbale Construction Teaching Workshop at AREC (Australian Rural Education Centre) in Mudgee, NSW.

Monday 2nd of August to Friday 6th of August 2010.

Click here to Register 

Course description.

5 day strawbale construction teaching workshop facilitated by Frank Thomas from Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Strawbale Construction

"I consider it essential for anyone contemplating building a strawbale house to do this course" Peter J - Course attendee.

Frank is one of Australia's foremost experts on Strawbale Building and the techniques involved. He  has worked on major domestic and commercial Strawbale buildings. For more on Frank, please visit his website: http://www.strawtec.com.au

Building Industry Professionals - The Dept. of Fair Trading advises that participation in this course qualifies for 'Professional Development Points', as the course 
runs over 35 hours a considerable amount of points can be achieved depending on your professions requirements. Check for exact details with your industry association. 

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/ 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 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.

NB: Your registration can only be confirmed with FULL payment, cancellations will not be accepted after 14 days prior to the workshop. A 10% cancellation fee applies.

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

Click here to Register

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