Cost: $400 Additional Discount: 10% for family and friends participating together The foundation is arguably the most important part of a structure, as it determines how that structure interfaces with the earth (it’s also very difficult to change a foundation later, after a building sits on top of it!). There are many different types of foundations, and we want to focus on some systems that are simple, time-tested, and effective. We will be constructing a foundation for the building that the…

LOCATION Guatapé, Colombia is one of the most beautiful, serene, appreciated and well-known areas of central Colombia. Only one hour from the well-known and vibrant cultural center of Medellín, it has an altitude of 2000m and a year-round consistent climate ranging from 60F to 75F. This area of Colombia is very rich in fruits and vegetables and characterized by a lush, green vegetation cover, with giant bamboo (guadua) and ever-present ochre, sienna and multi-colored clays used in the traditional construction…

Dates: May 28 – June 1, 2018 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida   Come and join us in Florida for our Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a small cob cottage. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing cob walls…

Earliest Bird: $350 (90 days advance payment) Early Bird: $400 (30 days advance payment) Regular Rate: $450 Additional Discount: 10% for family and friends participating together Plastering + painting is often the final touch of any natural building project, and it’s like putting the icing on the cake. It’s one of the greatest transformations, seeing a space go from looking like a work site to looking finished and beautiful. We aim to provide a solid understanding of the basics of…

This workshop is focused on hands-on building and learning with natural materials. Our project is the construction of a timber framed outdoor kitchen, with a cob wall supporting the counter-top. We will spend our mornings learning carpentry and building the roof structure with wood. Our afternoons will focus on cob building and finishing cob with earth and lime plasters. There will also be opportunities to explore straw bale building and earth floors. As well as explore the existing natural buildings…

Earliest Bird: $170 (90 days advance payment) Early Bird: $210 (30 days advance payment) Regular Rate: $250 Additional Discount: 10% for family and friends participating together This will be a full weekend of natural building: mostly hands-on work, coupled with a photo presentation and discussion. We are beginning a very ambitious garden wall project at our campus, and each weekend workshop group will complete another section of wall! You will learn about: mixing and applying cob trimming and shaping cob…

Dates: June 11th – June 14th, 2018 Location: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica   Come and join us in beautiful Costa Rica for our Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a small cob cottage. This is a perfect class for both beginners and experts alike! This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals.…

Kids Cob Camp at Disputanta Cob General Kid’s Cob Camp at Disputanta Cob is an opportunity for younger children to have hands on experience with cob building that is tailored to your child’s individual needs along with other creative activities and play that honors the natural world. Flow of the Day Each day will start with breakfast with, “Kids Cob Camp,” participants (the kids) and, “From the Ground Up with Cob,” participants (the parents) eating together. Kids Cob Camp will…

~ Natural Stone Foundation, Building Cob Walls, Sculptural ~ Artistic Cob, Natural & Lime Plasters, Tadelakt Plaster (Waterproof), Earthen (Adobe) Floor, Roofing a Cob Building. As much as is reasonably possible.. We  try to prepare you to go home and be able to build your own home out of cob after attending a six day workshop with us. Natural Stone Foundation – Site Selection, Site Prep, & Establish Drainage – Choose Materials & Build a Rubble Trench – Prep Stones, Slake Lime, & Make Lime Mortar – Build…

Building Cob Walls Earthen Plaster Lime Plaster Tadelakt Plaster Building waterproof ​ tubs, sinks and showers! Building Cob Walls During this part of the workshop we will learn how to build cob walls, and ‘learn by doing’ as we: – Choose materials and mix cob – Build cob with forms and free form – Trim & shape walls using a cob saw Based on our soil tests, we will choose materials, clay soil, sand and straw, and mix cob using the tarp mixing…

Fast Cob! is a technique that we developed over the past 12 years that has all the benefits of traditional West Coast Cob but is 10x faster to mix and up to 30x faster to build with…all without machines! Your instructor built a 900 sq.ft. split level home to lock-up in 5 months: 80% of it by himself! During this workshop, at a relaxed pace, we’ll learn and practice mixing and building with Fast Cob!  As the week progresses, you’ll…