Roofing for Fast Cobbers!

The Roofing for Cobbers 3 day intensive workshop is new for 2024!  After building almost 20 roofs of 5 different materials, including Lasqueti’s Arts Centre, it’s time to share these skills with you.  I’ve delayed this offering because being off the ground is inherently dangerous, but this year we’ll have a roof design that uses two different “shed” styles that will be easily accessible from low, stable scaffolding.  Of course, safety will be foremost in our minds at all times.

The roof itself will be made of metal, the longest-lasting (other than slate) and lowest cost (over its lifespan) material currently available.  We’ll see and examine liquid membrane roofs, hand-split cedar shake roofs, and many other metal roof examples in between our workshop sessions.

Every roof has multiple layers, and we’ll experience installing all the standard ones: the main decking, tar paper, and then the metal itself.  We’ll also install a glass skylight that is far from standard but has proven to work like a charm without the exorbitant cost of building in and buying commercial skylights.

Our Workshops begin on a Thursday evening with a welcoming dinner and end with a Farewell breakfast on Monday before you depart on the 11 am ferry.

Food, Food, and more Food!

Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start learning.  In the morning, two hands-on sessions sandwich a hearty snack break.  A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session),  to make sure we have the strength and stamina to absorb all the learning we can, precede a longer afternoon session.  After an hour break to clean-up, a hot gourmet dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community.

Please visit our workshop page for all the details and to fill in our online application.  This course will complete your learning journey and allow you to complete your own natural buildings!

We also offer discounts to those who register in pairs or who take multiple workshops with us.