Services We Offer

We would love to have the opportunity to help you realise your dreams. From humble sheds to cottages and studios to full-sized homes, we can help guide you along in your building process. We specialise in timber frames, natural wall systems, and a variety of plasters. We can work alongside owner/builders.

 

 

We have a timber frame shop north of Ottawa, in the Gatineau region of Quebec. Working with a local sawyer, we work with as many hand tools as possible in the shop. For more information about our timber frames, please visit our parent company, Shelter By Hand. Inc. 

Applying the plaster to straw bale walls is the most labour intensive process of creating a bale building. Our team of experienced plasterers can provide a variety of finishes to your walls. We specialise in earthen and lime plasters, including tadelakt plaster. Skim coats of earth plaster can be applied over drywall or other interior walls, as can lime and tadelakt.

We are happy to sit down with you to discuss your design needs, and can make referrals to designers who are experienced in straw bale design, to help meet your needs and your budget. From simple bungalows to highly adventurous creations, we recognize the importance of proper planning in a successful building project.

We also offer site reviews, passive solar design and self-sufficiency consultations to ensure that your home makes the most of the natural advantages of straw bale construction.

We offer referrals to qualified and experienced architects, draughtspeople, and engineers with the ability to create building-code approved plans for your straw bale designs.

The proper detailing of straw bale walls is crucial to a successful building. We can put our extensive experience to work for you before you start your project by reviewing your plans and ensuring a well-sealed, sound building with properly considered interfaces between the bale walls and the other elements of the building. Even if you are building your own home, you can have the benefit of our experience to help avoid pitfalls and problems.

We can sit down with you and help coach you through the building process, offering experienced and unbiased advice that will help you to construct your own straw bale building with minimal problems and hassles. You can do the work yourself, and still benefit from the advice of experienced builders.

A communal bale raising is an excellent, cost-effective way to get your straw bale walls built. From on-site coordination to construction details to work-crew menus, we can help you make the most of your volunteer helpers and get your walls erected quickly and properly.