Learn how to frame a cob roof both using the walls as a support and also putting in extra support beams. We’ll be using round timbers and milled timbers on an oval cottage with Cob cottage Company instructors Dave and Fernanda. Come and either commute or camp!

INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL PLASTERS

Description: Learn the basics of how to select and prepare clay soils, sands, and natural fibers to make beautiful, long-lasting earthen plasters. Learn the feel and characteristics of a well-prepared plaster, how to prep a wall to receive it, and how to apply it. Emphasis will be placed on exterior plasters, with plenty of hand-on experience. We will cover the use of lime for lime-based paints and as a stabilizing additive to an earthen plaster. We will also cover the application of linseed oil as a preservative after other treatments have been applied. On-site earthen building displays include a cob cottage under construction, a completed earthen oven (which we will cook with during the workshop), and earthen finishes inside a conventional structure.

Notes: Limited to 12 participants to preserve quality of experience for everyone. Accommodations are camping on site, lodging and food included in workshop fee. If you require special food, please notify the instructors of your needs at least a week in advance. There is a fully operational home on site, so no one will have to “rough-it” too much

This is a 4 day workshop divided into 2 weekends July 6-7 & July 20-21. During this workshop we will mix and apply different layers of earthen plasters to earthen walls and drywall, incorporating bas relief and tile work. We will work with finish plaster and lime on an outdoor courtyard. Lunch provided Saturday/Sunday. Camping available. All workshops are hands-on and open to all ages. They are fun and physical by nature, we encourage each person to work at a sustainable pace. Pre-registration required. Sign up with a friend, receive a discount.

Come out and join us in this exciting community arts based cob building project. Opportunities to build with cob, learn to create art tiles and sculpting with cob.

We will be building a wood-fired cob oven over the weekend of July 12-14. Participants will leave with hands on experience and the know-how to build their own back yard oven. The instructor, Shawn, has taken a basic cob oven design and added and inset doorway and chimney, to keep smoke and heat out of the bakers workspace. Cost of workshop is $150 and includes meals and camping.

“The Cob Hat: Roof techniques for your cottage
We will be hosting a workshop, framing a roof on a cob cottage in Royal Oaks, CA. It will be a gable roof with a southern hip. We will use round wood and milled lumber, at the same time we will be playing with fitting the wood onto an oval shaped structure. Also we will learn about shaping wood with hand tools, simplifying the mystery of roofs. We will discuss about different types of roofs and ways to insulate them. The cob cottage was built on the property in a previous workshop, so there will be opportunity to learn more about that, and ask plenty of questions.

All meals are included, and there is plenty of space for camping.”

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Enjoy this 3-day weekend workshop in which you will learn all about cob and how to build a cob oven encircled by a round bench with built in roof. Learn how cob ovens work. No experience needed, just a willingness to get muddy and have fun! Family friendly. Youth 12-18 are half price and kids are free! Family/Couple discounts!
Organic lunch included daily.
$240 for whole weekend, ok to come for less than 3 days too and pay per day ($80)….
Foundation on Day 1, Oven on Day 2, Sculpting and Plaster on Day 3
Check www.cruzincob.com and/or call Claudine Desiree at (831) 419-8017 to register and for more information.

Join the Cob Cottage Company at Raw Roots Farm nestled in the foothills of Yosemite
California’s dynamic glacial valleys for the most comprehensive cob
course available in North America. This Fall David Gonzales
& Pedro Pizaro, seasoned Cob Cottage Instructors are back from
Mexico where they just completed a small cob home for a couple living in
Xalapa, Veracruz in Mexico.

David & Pedro will be teaching a 9 dayintensive where we will literally take the ground out from under your
feet and turn it into a Fireproof Farm Apprentice (WOOFER) Cottage/Home. We will cover the construction of
Cob walls, arches for doors and windows, and artistic details, finish work , and some introduction in to
fresco wall decoration as well. We will discuss design, rubble
trench foundations, roofing options, passive solar, plasters, earthen
floors and more. And you’ll leave confident enough to build a cob
building of your own! Space is limited to allow personalized hands on
instruction.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn with David Gonzales & Pedro Pizaro from September 27th – October 5th, 2013 in beautiful Yosemite.
Please arrive on the 27th no later than 6pm ready for introductions, games, and Dinner.
Please call Rebekah at Cob Cottage Company office at 541-396-1825 to register (M/W/F 10am-2pm) or email Tammy at cob@cobcottage.com
PREPAY 90 days in advance and receive a $50 discount! Locals please inquire for special LOCALS discount too!!!
You can google for the exact location of the site at: RAW ROOTS FARM4944 Owens Creek Rd.Catheys Valley, CA 95306

Taught by top-notch instructors at a leading eco-urban demonstration site, the 5-month Natural Building School at Ashevillage Institute empowers participants to build beautiful, long-lasting, climate-appropriate structures using local clay, sand, straw, bamboo and other affordable, abundant materials. Through hands-on projects, demonstrations, classes and field trips, students learn techniques such as cob, adobe, slipstraw, wattle & daub, living roofs, earthen finishes and more.

The Natural Building Extravaganza offers a comprehensive smorgasbord of hands-on workshops, classes, slideshows, field trips and special projects. Participants will learn how to create beautiful, affordable, natural dwellings using local clay, sand, straw, bamboo, and other abundant and salvaged materials.

Hands-on projects
• Oh, the glorious art of mixing and making with mud, quickly!
• Wall systems: Cob, adobe, slipstraw, wattle & daub, and more
• Natural finishes: Exterior and interior earthen plasters and paints
• Basic additions: Installation of windows and doors
• Roofing: Connections, considerations & installation
• Foundation, flooring & drainage systems

Theory & presentations
• Community mud stories from around the world
• Characteristics of natural materials and Mud 101
• Site selection and passive solar design
• Pro’s and con’s of various wall systems
• Natural engineering and structural integrity
• Designing a Nest: Intuiting your sweet home
• Basics of electricity and plumbing
• Thermal mass and insulation
• Foundations and drainage
• Building with straw bales
• Living roofs
• And more