Addition to Century Home

This is the addition that every growing family who purchases a Century home could use: A mudroom, bathroom, laundry room, garage with living space above and lots of insulation in contrast to the home’s double brick walls. This is one of our only design-estimate-build projects that is not straw bale. The existing footprint left only…Read more

Headwaters Farm House

Our largest and most involved project is also our most natural and locally sourced. The 300 straw bales used to insulate the exterior walls were grown across the road. The same farmer felled pine and cedar trees on the property and milled them for the exterior porches and the cedar shingles. The compressed earth blocks…Read more

Midwife’s Home

We thought we worked hard until we saw the hours kept by the midwife we were building for, She worked day and night! This inspired us to put our all into the walls of her straw bale home so they would comfort her when she did finally get home. Every window was arched which meant…Read more

An Off-Grid Home for a Sailor

Small, simple and straw bale were the three requests this computer programmer came to Straworks with. He had been living on a boat while working in the Caribbean and was now looking to lay down some roots near Westport, Ontario yet remain off grid. It was refreshing to work for a minimalist who’s only possessions…Read more

Canteen Washroom Facility

Straworks first solo design-build project is worth a visit. It is located at the Centre Hastings Skate Park in Madoc Ontario, where there is something for everyone including delicious french fries, a state-of-the art skateboarding park, a playground, a water park and performing arts centre. It is open every day from the long weekend in…Read more

Vegetable Barn

Unlike the rest of our projects, these bale walls keep the inside cool in the winter and shutters keep the sun out. This 1800 sq.ft. barn stores 2 tons of organic vegetables making them available at local markets in the winter. Three cold rooms store vegetables at various temperatures and humidities. The large double doors…Read more

Annex to Cottage

Rather than alter a cottage built in the 1940s whose character is original and perfect, we renovated and winterized the garage into a tiny home. Working with an existing footprint and 2×4 frame, there was no room for anything other than conventional insulation. Inside there is a garage/workshop, a 3 piece bath, a bedroom, a…Read more

Artist Studio

Designed to be as round as possible, this artist studio has an arched door, an arched roof, sculpted exterior trim, curvaceous bale walls and is set amongst rolling hills in Northumberland County where it quickly became know as the hobbit house. The bales were installed over the course of a one day work bee where…Read more

Garden Shed

Built at Toronto’s Botanical Gardens, this is one of the city’s few straw bale buildings. Deep 16” wide straw bale walls are a hard sell where space is tight and real-estate is high. We did however receive many inquiries from visitors to buy or rent the shed upon its completion. The idea of living in a…Read more

Monk’s Cabin

Built originally for a monk visiting from Thailand, the Kuti (Thai for cabin) has been a retreat for a buddhist couple ever since. Its small size, the wood stove, the straw bale walls, the wood ceiling and floor, and the view through the large windows make it an inviting and relaxing get-a-way to a field…Read more

A Retirement Home

This couple worked along side of us all day every day and the bond that formed between us makes this one of our all time favourite builds. Downsizing from a large family home, this home was designed by the homeowners and Straworks with ease of construction and living in mind. At just under 1500 sq.ft.,…Read more

Root Radical Farm House

How sweet is it when you are building a house and your uncle down the road grows your insulation? Even sweeter when you are young organic farmers building a house while running a CSA. It’s inspiring to work with people that accomplish big things by working hard and rallying their community. By keeping the footprint…Read more

Judy’s House

This home was designed and built by Straworks Inc. in 2016 and in many ways was an ideal project: it was designed and estimated in-house, built on time and budget, built using local materials, built with super levels of insulation, located 40 kms from home, built by a happy crew for a happy client. We’d…Read more

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