COB CLUBHOUSE IN COSTA RICA
November 19, 2026 - December 6, 2026
$990
One more time we are going back to Costa Rica, this time to the mountains of San Ramon to the intentional community Rainbow Village.
Join us for this beautiful cob building experience in this 2-week intensive certified cob workshop. In this theoretical and hands-on course, we are going to build a children’s cob club house from foundation to the top of the walls!
During the first weekend, we will start with the stone foundations and earthen floors, to continue during the week with all about cob, bringing the structure to life: building walls, integrating windows and doors, sculpting niches and shelves and many other creative possibilities of this earthen building technique.
In the second week we will focus on the finishes: sculpting the walls, bringing the building to life, and plastering the walls with earthen and lime based plasters.
Through this immersive process, you’ll gain the knowledge and practical skills to build your own cob structure – from the ground up. The workshop is designed with a balance of 70% hands-on practice and 30% theory, covering essential topics such as cob wall techniques, stone foundation principles, the benefits of earthen building, soil testing, how to prepare and apply earthen and lime plasters, how to sculpt with cob, and much more, as well as living and creating a community of enthusiast people from around the world for the duration of the course, crossing paths and sharing good quality times!
Whether you’re dreaming of building your own cabin or natural structure, this workshop will give you the confidence and tools to get started, and connect with like-minded people! This workshop is family friendly, so you can bring your kids to play in the mud!
Join us for this intensive experience and become part of the TIERRAMIGO community, gaining access to the community chat to connect with others and learn about additional trainings with special discounts.
THE PLACE
Rainbow Village is an all-age, family and queer friendly community in central Costa Rica, coming together to make life simpler and more enriched. It was officially born in August 2025 when the founders acquired 6.5 hectares on the edge of the cloud forest. The village is equipped with 7 cabinas, an outdoor kitchen and dining space, and hiking trails around the land. The main goal is to be a safe space for all, seeking for self-sufficienty and offering people a simple life.
The community is located near the city of San Ramon, about 10 minutes by car and with public transportation right at the entrance. It is located about 1 hour away from the airport, from San José and from the beach! Right in the middle of city and nature.
I met Cha, one of the founders, in 2019 when she attended a Cob Workshop in Chile. We got along very well and a friendship started, but we did not see each other until 2021 when she joined once again a Light Straw Clay Workshop in the Azores Islands. It was so nice to meet again! But then, recently in 2025 I was leading a Cob Workshop in Puerto Viejo, and I knew that Cha was kind of living in Costa Rica, so I called her and we arrange a way to meet. She came all the way from San Ramon to Puerto Viejo, with her friend Mel and Dani (and her lovely daughter Georgia). Thats when I another big part of the founders!
They invited me to stop by the community on my way back. I stayed with them for a while and we came up with so many creative ideas. The objective was clear: organize a workshop to bring people together and learn about earthen building techniques! It took us some meetings and a recent visit in April this year to finally come up with this beautiful idea: lets build a Children Cob Club House!
COURSE DETAILS
Building a space for children has always been one of my fantasies. Creating spaces for them, to explore, to play, to imagine, to have no limits, to have fun. Cob has been such a creative technique for me, and the way we build with cob is very intuitive, organic and extremely inclusive. We can shape walls freely, explore curves, sculpt a house! And thats what we are going to do: sculpt a little cob house for children!
In this workshop, we will dive into this technique to build a unique Cob Club House for Rainbow Village.
It is going to be an organic-shaped building, and we will start off with the stone foundations, lay an earthen floor, rise the walls and play with them: shapes, arches, niches, windows, bottles and explore all the possibilities. There will be a loft structure to make it 2 floors, and we will leave everything ready to lay the roof. Once the building is ready, we will sculpt it to make it unique, and plaster it all the way up with some beautiful earthen and lime plasters!
The 2-week intensive workshop will be divided in 3 modules, starting the 19th of November with a welcome dinner and the workshop introduction. There are some days off in between, to make sure you have time to rest, connect and explore!
Note: during the workshop we will prepare some steps for the roof, but the actual roof will not be built during the workshop. It will happen after the workshop, organized by the hosts and open for volunteers!
MODULE 1 – Stone Foundations
20th to 22th of November
In the first module, we will start with the basis of an earthen building: some good stone foundations! We will dive deep into the principles behind dry stone foundation, and will apply the knowledge in practice by building. From tracing the design into the ground, digging the trench, setting the drainage and piling up stones. Once finished, we will be pouring an earthen floor. Once our floor is in, door frames will be placed, so we can start with the cob walls!
MODULE 2 – Cob Walls!
23rd to 30th of November
In the second module, we’ll bring the structure to life by preparing and building with cob!
Alongside the hands-on work, we’ll dive into the core principles of earthen building. You’ll be introduced to different natural building techniques and explore clay soil as the essential ingredient of cob building. We will also talk about site selection and the importance of a good design while building with earthen techniques. Through practical exercises, you’ll learn how to test and analyze soils, developing the ability to understand, select, and work with materials from your own land. We will start the practice of Cob by building the walls. During this process, lots of wall insertions will happen: windows, niches, shelves, and more… making this building unique!
The walls will grow as we build, day by day. A mezzanine will be installed halfway, alongside some playful add-ons and creative ways of doing things with cob! Once getting to the end of the wall, we will place all the necessary structural pieces for a roof structure.
The intention of this module is to give you a strong foundation in earthen building: understanding its benefits, learning how to read and stabilize clay soils, preparing the cob mix, and how to build with confidence: step by step, layer by layer.
Note: during this workshop we will not be building a roof.
MODULE 3 – Art&Mud: Sculpting and Plastering!
1st to 6th of December
To finalize, we will make this building unique, by sculpting and customizing it. Lets get creative and playful with all the possibilities of cob!
You’ll learn how to design, test, and apply both earthen and lime plasters: understanding their composition, additives, and techniques. Using local soils and aggregates, we’ll create our own plaster recipes and apply them to the walls, bringing the structure to its final form with rich textures and natural earthen colors.
We will have the graduation on Saturday 5th, and finish the workshop on Sunday 6th with a farewell lunch.
During your stay, you’ll be immersed in the beautiful atmosphere of the hills of San Ramon!
We’ll be sharing delicious meals and there will be plenty of opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships. Bring your ideas and projects so we have time to explore them and help. If you are working on a project or intend to build something, we will be here to help and guide you in your next moves!
REGISTRATION AND FEES
The price includes the whole workshop, camping, three hearty meals per day, and access to the Tierramigo Community.
2-week Full Cob Workshop – Modules 1, 2, and 3!
US$ 990 VERY Early Bird until September 1st !
US$ 1130 Early Bird until October 1st !
US$ 1280 Regular Rate
There are shared rooms available in the Cabinas for an additional US$ 150, or a private room for US$ 300.
In case you want to attend to a specific module, please get in contact with us. Available spots will be reserved for those who take the full workshop.
The workshop is limited to a maximum of 14 participants. To register, fill out the form or contact Nico at tierramigo@gmail.com or via WhatsApp at +569 9089 7292.