You Can Build a Straw Bale House

The Anvil Straw Bale Method- the best way to build straw bale houses!

Building your own home can be one of the most rewarding and challenging accomplishments of your life. Therefore it is not something to embark upon lightly. It can indeed test the resolve of even the most Zen individual.

Thankfully, straw bale homes are energy efficient, wholly pleasant to live in, and user friendly. Especially so when constructed using the Anvil building method.

Brian Hodge developed the Anvil straw bale method, using his 30 years of building experience to design the best way to build straw bale houses. Over that time Brian tested his method on many builds, refining his techniques to fit changing building codes and regulations. Consequently, the Anvil construction method has helped many people build their own strawbale homes.

“As a Kinglake bushfire survivor my priorities as an owner builder are speed, ease, cost and fire-proofing. Brian provides the information and the confidence to use it. Strawbale also allows beauty and individual expression.” – Julia Holmes, Kinglake Victoria

Why should you complete our online course?

Our online course will teach you everything you need to build your own straw bale house. And we do mean EVERYTHING. It’s not just videos about rendering or installing straw bale walls (although we certainly do cover that), because those aren’t the only things you need to know to build your own home. You have to know about permit applications, how to understand engineering and construction design, how to build your foundations, and so much more.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! You don’t have to have a building background to understand our course! It has been designed to be accessible to everyone, and is invaluable to anybody who is ready to become a straw bale owner builder.

To see a full list of the topics we cover, see our Online Workshop page. 

How is the Anvil Method better than other straw bale house building courses?

Some old techniques are too dangerous, too tricky, too time consuming, too expensive or too damaging to the environment. For example, these concepts are now outdated:

• Bamboo pegs through the middle of the bales
• Threaded rod through the middle of the bale
• Wire mesh over the whole straw bale structure
• Gripples and wire to tie down the bales
• Threaded rod on either side of the bale
• Cement render

How do we know that you don’t need to use these approaches? Because Brian tested thousands of combinations, working with draftsmen and engineers. As a result, he developed a method of straw bale house construction that is safer, easier, more cost effective, and more sustainable.

“Having completed Brian’s course my husband and I now have absolute confidence that we can build our own straw bale house. Brian’s ability to break every facet down into simple steps enables people of every ability to tackle the building process. We have had the most fantastic time on this course..” – Jackie & Jason Bell of Singleton NSW

Who are we?

We are a family run, straw bale consultant business. Brian was a builder, and turned to straw bale as a more affordable and sustainable option than traditional building.

Brian’s son, Micah, has worked with him since he was a teenager- retrofitting and building straw bale houses. Micah has taken on the Anvil business and specialized straw bale construction method, to inspire the next generation of straw bale owner builders. Furthermore Micah, and his wife Gabbi, have a history as accredited Thermal Performance Assessors, and so are uniquely equipped to advise you on the best ways to achieve a 6-Star Energy Rating for your home.

“Dear Brian, Just a short note to thank you for all your work regarding a very enjoyable Straw Bale Workshop. I found the whole experience very informative and worthwhile. In particular I gained a great deal from your ability to patiently explain the process of building Straw Bale and owner building in general, which obviously came from your wealth of experience. I’m happy to recommend the course to anyone who would like to call me personally.“ – Peter Vasila

Sign up to our online workshop today, to learn how to build your very own straw bale home! This website is also regularly updated with free information, to help you on your house-building journey!

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you would like to know more about building your own straw bale home.