Please join the California Straw Building Association for:
Ray And Roman's Bale Raising!
North Fork, CA
June 14-15, 2025
Join us for a work party led by experienced natural builders, with the owners and architects. We’ll learn and work together to use straw bales to insulate the walls of a new home.
All are welcome. No prior experience required. There are a range of tasks in a bale raising so everyone can get involved at every level of interest and skill.
Invitation from Ray and Roman:
Friends, As you may know, we are rebuilding our home that was destroyed by a wildfire in North Fork, California. Some interest has been expressed in finding out more about the house, and the evolving fields of Sustainable Design and Green Building which is why we are inviting you to an old-fashioned straw-bale raising on June 14th -June 15th.
At the bale raising, we will shape and place bales of straw into the framework of the house and you are invited to assist! The house is a passive/active solar design which incorporates straw-bale, solar control, massive floors, and an off-grid solar electric system. Its straw-bale portion is a non-load- bearing (aka infill) straw-bale design, with the roof already in place. Roughly two hundred straw- bales will need to be placed into the frame and approximately 2/3 of these will need to be cut and tied to a size different from standard straw-bale size. Time (and daylight) permitting, we may also be attaching stucco wire to the bales.
Work will begin at 8:30am, and continue 'til the bales and wire are set, or sunset, whichever comes first. If you want to join us, but cannot be there the entire day, please let me know what hours work for you. It would be really appreciated if morning participants try to be there by 8:30, as we'd like to begin with a brief training (by the architects who are among the founders of the California Straw Builders Association) and then get right to work. Work will begin on Saturday morning June 14th, but you are welcome to arrive Friday night and set up camp. There are many great spots on the property for you to make a campsite. (There is a full bathroom and hot shower available for all) I know some of you are bringing camper vans to park, and there are also many Airbnbs in town if that is more your jam.
We will provide meals and drinks throughout the day starting with breakfast at 7:30 am sharp. If you are local to NF and want to bring a snack, dessert or side-dish to share just let us know! Also, if you are unable to attend but want to help out, you can Venmo Ray a donation for meals. ( His Venmo is @Ray-Ford ) Or you can Zelle him at 323-445-6365. If you don't want to deal with the straw bales at all we are also looking for someone to help wrangle food and meal prep. Just let Ray know. There will also be a small crew on site filming for our documentary so beware if you're on the lam.
The house is in North Fork, CA 93643. We will provide directions and related information to you once you let us know that you can join us. Please wear sturdy shoes and long sleeves, and bring gloves, a water bottle and a mask if you have them. Anyone with bale tools (hooks, needles, saws, etc.) is certainly invited to bring these.
Please RSVP at https://www.evite.com/event/0022FULWYXF2JM774EPQF2YYMCI63I?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=evitelink&utm_medium=sharable_invite by phone or call us at 323-445-6365 We plan to limit participation to around 25 people, so respond promptly to ensure yourself a 'spot'. We hope to see you there!
Cost: Free
