The SunDog 9-day workshop is designed to teach ordinary people the skills to build their own cob cottages, from the foundation to the roof. Our projects are small, mostly under 200 square feet, geared towards attaining a high level of completion in a short amount of time.
we’ll take you through an intensive, step by step, beginning to end, instructional course on how to: site/design, excavate, build a foundation, build the walls AND get the roof assembled on a small cob cottage . We also cover floors and plasters.

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This post was submitted by Donkey.

Let’s face it, not everyone is going to buy land and build their dream house. But now you don’t need to! This workshop will give you the skills and confidence to transform your existing house into a natural building, all on a shoestring budget!

We will start by looking at 12 ancient natural design principals and learn how to apply them within the context of your home (bring pictures and drawings if you can). You will learn to adapt houses so that they may coexist in harmony with natural principles, while at the same time serve us better as human beings. In that process we will look at design possibilities that strengthen our connections with the people that we live with, as well as the place that we find ourselves in.

Next, we will look at how we can bring in natural materials into any existing building. These materials are non-toxic, inexpensive, easy and fun to work with, and pleasant to live with (think earthen floors and plasters, clay paints, straw insulation, cob “Pony” walls, outdoor cob garden walls, and more). We will teach you where and how to find materials and the tools you will need. Plus, everyday during the workshop, you will be using these materials and techniques. We will also teach you how to prepare surfaces and foundations for the application of natural plasters, and we will look at how to do all this within the restrictions of the building codes.

Last but not least, we will look at how we can bring in “Appropriate technologies” that will improve your lives, lower your cost of living, and help you connect to the seasons and cycles of life. We will build a $50 hot water heater from scratch, as well as a composting “Bucket toilet,” an olive oil lamp, and a solar oven. We will also cover rainwater gathering and grey water systems. During this workshop, students will have an opportunity to acquire some basic plumbing and carpentry skills.

Expect long days with lots of hand-on time, and slideshows and lectures in the evenings.

No previous building experience is necessary. Class size is limited to 14 people, so register now and reserve your spot! As a bonus, after participating in this workshop you will have access to free phone and e-mail consultations from House Alive while working on your own project. This workshop is very comprehensive but questions still may come up and we want to see you succeed.

House Alive is a leader in combining natural building with appropriate technology. Our teachers live in natural structures themselves and love to teach and build! Visit our general workshop information page if you would like to know more, or feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our programs.

This post was submitted by Coenraad Rogmans.

Building Cob Walls
Sculptural Cob & Furniture
Natural Plaster / Lime Plaster
A Simple Poured Earthen Floor
$379 – 30 day advance price.
$599 – Couples 30 day advance,
Or Later…
$479 includes registration for five
days, camping, breakfast & lunch

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 w/ foot mixed & tractor cob
 - Trim & shape walls using a cob saw
 - Build and set lintels in cob over windows
 - Bury roof anchors & build cob up to beams

We will cover just about every aspect of building cob walls including, site selection and passive solar design, building your home on a solid foundation, sourcing materials for a good cob mix, setting windows and doors, and placing anchors in cob walls for the roof.

SCULPTURAL COB
During this part of the workshop we will learn how to sculpt and trim, as well as use cob to build furniture, including building a couch, a bench for a breakfast nook, & ‘learn by doing’ as we:

- Mix corbel cob and cantilever furniture seats
- Create sculptures in the walls
- Build window sills

NATURAL PLASTERS
Working with natural plasters is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of creating an earthen structure; the dessert after the main course of building with cob. We will explore and compare a variety of recipes.

LIME PLASTERS AND PAINTS
We will consider the advantages and challenges of using lime, and will work with natural mineral pigments to create various colors & effects.

EARTHEN FLOOR
As a special treat, we will combine pouring a natural earthen floor on the final day of the workshop. We will learn how to prepare materials, prep the building for the pouring the floor including setting up the frame, and see the final step to building with earth.

Contact: Diane Jennings
dianejennings@disputantacob.com
(606) 256-8954

This post was submitted by Diane Jennings.

Start Date / End Date:: Sept 17th – 25th, 2011

This is one of the most comprehensive cob course available in North America. In the past 15 years, we’ve taught almost 200 major cob courses. In 9 intensive days, we’ll cover in depth all aspects of cob and the many techniques of building with cob including arches, details, shelving, furniture and earthen floors. In this expanded version of our most popular program ever, we’ll take the ground out from under your feet and turn it into a versatile medium to sculpt a whole house. You will learn construction of walls, doors, windows, roofing, foundations, siting, design and artistic details. And you’ll leave confident enough to build a cob building of your own!
Space is limited to 20 people to allow personalized hands on instruction.

This post was submitted by Tammy.

Taught by Scott Howard and friends. From small-scale projects to learning how to incorporate Eco-Building into a professional practice, this course will teach you the basics in do-it-yourself green design and building. Our demonstration projects are designed to be intellectually and physically accessible to laymen and professionals alike. Whatever your interest or skill level, the Eco-Building Program will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to develop your own green building projects. Examples include: basic shelter construction, rainwater catchment systems, waste management systems, bio-filters, composting, and food preparation and storage systems.

This post was submitted by Scott Howard.

The Essential Cob workshop will cover the basics of cob mixing, and building as we raise the walls of a structure. Bring some soil to conduct soil tests. Discussions will be held on material gathering, site and design, plasters, renders, foundations and floors.

Workshop size limited to 10 participants. Pre-registration is required. $50 non-refundable place holding fee due within 5 days of registration (taken off total amount). 10% off for payment in full 2 weeks before start date. Open to trade. Meals provided, camping available. Sign up with a friend and get 10% off each.

This post was submitted by Carrie Lewis.

For the seventh straight year, House Alive! is offering an opportunity for people to get beyond the basics and experience an extended Natural Building apprenticeship. This popular, hands-on, intensive course is designed for people who want to use natural building skills in a professional context or who want to take extra time to work on skill development for their personal project. Participants will get first-hand experience with every aspect of building a natural home, from the foundation to the roof. Learning how to build a natural home is one of the best investments you can make: once you know how to design, build and shape your own living space, you can save many thousands of dollars in living costs.

This program will be almost exclusively “hands-on” learning. Learning to build is like learning to play a musical instrument: It is hard to learn without another experienced person guiding you and, the more you do it the better you get. The apprenticeship program for 2011 offers 7 weeks of building, problem solving, designing and discussing all aspects of natural building, allowing you to take the time to develop new skills under the guidance of experienced natural builders.

This year we’re pleased to be collaborating with Lydia Doleman of Flying Hammer Productions (www.theflyinghammer.com). Lydia has been building with mud and bales for more than 12 years, and has a vast portfolio of beautiful natural buildings she’s built in Portland. Lydia and James will each teach approximately half of the apprenticeship.

Throughout the course we’ll be working on the different elements of building a small (about 200 sq. ft.) cob and straw-bale cabin from the ground up. Demonstrations and instruction will be given as needed to explain building techniques and design choices. Participants should expect full and exciting days.

The course will take place at Full Bloom Farm, a developing intentional community and large organic farm in a beautiful, secluded valley in Southern Oregon. It is also the home of Rise Up Bakery, which provides delicious fresh bread from their wood-fired oven to businesses and residents in the area. The farm has 280 acres of meadow and forest, 2 creeks and a swimming pond.

For more information or to apply to the program, please read the full workshop description!

This post was submitted by House Alive.

Participants will design a house of their choice that uses earthen building techniques. With a combination of models, sketches, and drawings, this class will cover the basics of what you need to know to design a small earthen building and how to think like a builder. Discussions and sideshows will cover: passive solar, engineering calculations, drawing/sculpting to scale, designing comfortable human spaces, various earthen building methods, project planning, and permits.

This post was submitted by Scott Howard.

Building the Village of Hope
Natural building workshop
October 10-17 2010
Ecoart and the Ecological Institute of Greece invite you at Elpidochori village in Argolis, to experience a creative as well as educating week of community living focused on building using natural material. During this intensive workshop, we will focus on constructions made of straw bale and cob (mixture of sand, clay and straw) as well as green roofs. Covering topics such as design, foundation, drainage, masonry techniques, door and window installation, green roof construction e.t.c., and we will familiarize with the fundamental principles of natural building, while acquiring the basic skills required for anyone to start his own building.
The workshop instructors will be Vassilis Tsolakidis (straw bale, green roof) and Alexis Christakis (cob).

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This post was submitted by Alex Christakis.

Spend a week in North Carolina learning about cob building as we work together on the construction of a small cob cottage. We will work on mixing and applying cob as we build up the walls, as well as incorporating windows, a door frame, built-in shelving and seating. There will also be discussions on siting, passive solar design, rubble trench foundations, dry stacking urbanite, and incorporating straw bales (balecob).

Our farm is located in the piedmont of North Carolina, 30 minutes south of Chapel Hill, and 15 minutes west of Pittsboro.

Food and campsite provided.

This post was submitted by Danielle Acres.