Update March 2022

Covid-19 and Workshops and Consulting

Our work for sustainable strawbale building has for the past 26 years been based on workshops and personal consulting. Working closely with people to help design their strawbale homes, then leading workshops of 25+ people over a weekend of high intensity bale stacking in close quarters.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions and the health and safety of our staff, our clients, and our participants we are no longer able to provide workshop services at this time. For two and a half decades we have been advocates and educators for sustainable building and will continue to offer limited design and consulting for owners and builders.

You can still access all the information on this site but understand that any references to workshops are no longer offered and the website may not be updated. We wish you all a safe 2022 and we'll see what happens in the next year.

Take Care, Michael Thomas, Executive Director, The IronStraw Group

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Strawbale Wall Raising Weekends 2022
We do not have any construction projects at this time. All our wall raising weekends are building actual homes for people so we rely on new construction for our wall raisings. Check back here for updates.

Visit our Workshop Page!

Educators and advocates for sustainable strawbale building since 1994, The IronStraw Group became an IRS 501(c)(3) organization and active as a nonprofit in 1999.  As a compact, dynamic and effective business for environmental and social change, IronStraw has been busy! We have just returned from working nine years in New Zealand. You can click on the links above to visit all our web pages.

Ageing in Place Sustainably!
A How-To for Senior Citizens

Port Angeles, Washington: We finished building a model post and beam strawbale home to be an educational example for all who are interested.

June 2018 will see the completion of a new green home now open for tours. Built adjacent to Peabody Creek Ravine which is city owned land and is part of a greenbelt that meanders through a renewing historic city on the Salish Sea.

IronStraw Group has once again built a model strawbale house which will serve to teach a community. With a number of growing partnerships, our non-profit will educate through hands-on learning opportunities. More details about how to join in this exciting project and be in partnership with a growing community please go to our Ageing in Place Sustainably page.

As in past builds, we will bridge with local schools, Native Americans, design professionals, builders, city departments, senior citizens and the community at large as we construct a home that will answer these questions:

• How do we build affordably?
• How do we build green?
• How do we build so that we are not forced to leave our homes before we want?
• How do our buildings support us to live in them as affordably as possible?
• How do we build a home we can live in the rest of our lives?

Open House Tours to start in early 2018!
Watch this site for notices of the strawbale open house dates in Port Angeles.

If you would like to be involved please contact us using the info at the bottom of the page.
We will be having regular workshops so check out our workshop page.

Quick links to some of our successful past projects:

2016 Strawbale Workshops   1,800 sq. ft. Northwest style   1 1/2 Story on city lot on greenbelt   Post & Beam, 2-string bales   1st strawbale permit in City of Port Angeles     2005 Strawbale Workshops   3,700 sq. ft. southwest adobe style   Two Story split level   Timberframe/strawbale Photos of Workshops   2004 Strawbale Habitat for Humanity   Ellensburg Chapter 1st Strawbale House   Designed and consulting by IronStraw   1st strawbale permit in the City of Ellensburg Photos of Habitat Home   2003 Omak Strawbale Farmworker Housing   7,000 sq. ft. of strawbale duplexes   Funded by Washington Housing Trust Fund   1st Solar Grid-Tie with Okanogan PUD   Designed, built and owned by IronStraw Photos of Omak Project   2002 1st Strawbale Public Library in U.S.   Funded by CDBG Federal Grant   Meeting the needs of immigrant workers   Designed and built by IronStraw Watch a construction slideshow  (uses Javascript)

Feel free to browse our entire site, using the navigation links at the top of each page. We've had lots of success, awards, and great times building energy efficient, sustainable strawbale buildings For further information please feel free to contact Michael Thomas, Executive Director of IronStraw at the address and email below.