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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250915
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250920
DTSTAMP:20261023T175125
CREATED:20250619T154137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250619T154255Z
UID:9845-1757894400-1758326399@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
DESCRIPTION:Dates: September 15 – September 19\, 2025 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)\n \nLocation: Greeneville\, Tennessee\n \nCome and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing both a cob building and a straw-clay building. This workshop is perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings. \n \nThis workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and straw\, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in natural building fundamentals. You will learn the advantages of high thermal mass cob versus high insulation straw materials. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and a straw-clay building\, mixing and applying lime plaster\, and studying Natural Building together each day. You will also get to see living examples on-site of a completed cob building and straw-clay building. These are excellent examples that you can learn a lot from! After this workshop\, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own cob and straw constructions or buildings. \n \nHands-On Work Topics: \n– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with the tarp method and with machinery) \n– How to build cob walls using traditional hand-sculpting and using innovative slipforms (learn all the great advantages of building cob walls with forms) \n– How to make straw-clay (also known as light-straw-clay) \n– How to build highly insulating straw-clay walls (learn how to frame and pack the walls) \n– Selecting and testing soils for cob and straw-clay (learn several ways to test your soil composition) \n– Lime Plaster Finishing (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster finishes to your walls) \n– Creating window and door frames in cob walls (learn how to install frames into cob walls) \n  \nClassroom and Discussion Topics: \n– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles) \n– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials) \n– Building Solid Foundations (learn all about constructing proper building foundations) \n– Building codes and how to successfully get building permits for cob homes and straw homes. \n– Best practices for building a healthy\, non-toxic home. \n– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes and straw homes \n– Installing windows and doors \n– Roofing and Bond Beams. Proper roof ventilation practices! \n– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes) \n– Overview of all Natural Building materials\, and how to hybridize them! \n \nThis workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and light-straw-clay homes\, and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from\, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops and strawbale workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here\, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop! \nPlus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas! \n \nThe workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville\, Tennessee. \nEach day will begin at 9:00 AM\, and the days will include hands-on building\, classroom sessions\, discussions\, and learning activities related to cob\, straw\, and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:00 PM\, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny! \nTeacher \n \nThe workshop will be taught by Alex Sumerall\, an east coast Earth Building Mason who has a focus on creating earthen structures that are healthy\, aesthetically pleasing\, and functional for modern life. He is the owner of This Cob House\, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove\, Oregon\, and continues to teach\, present\, consult\, and construct. \n  \nAlpaca Farm Tour! \nAs an added bonus to the workshop\, we also offer a free alpaca farm tour at my neighbor’s Two Roots Farm. They have over 50 friendly alpacas\, alpaca infrastructure\, and a gift shop! We usually go on this tour Wednesday after class. \n \nListen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying! \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“The cob workshop was a life-changing experience. I learned a lot about natural building\, not only from Alex’s instruction\, experience and demonstrations\, but from interacting with people from different backgrounds who were a great source of collective knowledge. The hands-on experience was priceless!” \n\n\nTony Romo\, Texas \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized\, extremely inspiring\, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me\, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!” \n\n\nMarybeth Babos\, Tennessee \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“We thoroughly enjoyed and benefited tremendously from our Building With Cob workshop experience with you. Workshops that are fun\, informative and full of practical application and guidance through hands-on experiential learning like this are a real joy. \nAs an instructor we found you to be knowledgeable\, well organized and flexible addressing the needs and questions that came up.  We appreciated your careful considered responses to every one of the many and varied questions our group threw your way.  And the pace and mix of lecture and activity was just right for us. \nThank you Alex for a workshop that did all you said it would do\, and more!” \n\n\nWes Shattuck\, New Hampshire \n\n\n\n\n \nLodging \nThere are two options for lodging: free camping on site\, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnBs. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Greeneville\, Newport\, Parrottsville\, and Hot Springs. \nNearby is the Briggs Brother’s Ranch in Parrottsville\, TN (highly recommended)\, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs\, North Caolina. \nCampers will have access to a private portable toilet and a private outdoor shower. \nThe workshop location has running water available\, and an electrical hookup to charge phones and small devices. \n \nFood \nMeals will not be included in this workshop so participants will need to provide their own food and drinks. There are several local restaurants and grocery stores nearby the workshop site. We even have an amazing corner-store within a walkable distance from the workshop site! \nEach student is responsible for their own meal preparation. An hour for lunch is provided\, allowing adequate time for food\, a quick nap\, or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site yet. Coolers are welcome and encouraged! \nRecreation & Surroundings \nGreeneville is located near the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Tennessee. It is a beautiful area\, and there are many scenic places to visit nearby. You can also travel to places like Gatlinburg\, TN or Asheville\, NC within a one hour driving time from the workshop site. \nFamily & Group 10% Discounts \nAsk about the 10% discount. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice. \nTeens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free. \nChildren/young people of any age are welcome to join in and learn. Please be aware that some areas are under construction\, as is the purpose of this workshop\, but it is generally child-safe. \nPlease email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration\, please sign up below.\n \nIf you have any other questions about the workshop\, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com \n  \nPrice: $499 \nClick here to Register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/intro-to-cob-and-straw-workshop-tennessee-september-2025/
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/intro-to-cob-and-straw-workshop-east-tennessee-5/
LOCATION:Greeneville\, Tennessee\, Greeneville\, TN\, 37743\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/intro-to-cob-and-straw-workshop-2024-7.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alex%20Sumerall":MAILTO:alex@thiscobhouse.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250919
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250922
DTSTAMP:20261023T175125
CREATED:20250712T171557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250712T171557Z
UID:9864-1758240000-1758499199@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Clay Plasters\, Paints\, and Sculpting
DESCRIPTION:Clay Plasters\, Paints and Sculpting\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNumber of Students: 10 \nCost: $400 (includes all meals and camping) \n​Overview of the Three-Day Weekend  \nThis is a hands-on class designed to get you comfortable with basic clay plasters so you can take on projects in your conventional home\, a natural building\, or for art projects. You’ll learn how to source\, mix\, make\, and properly apply base and finish coat plasters from local/native sources as well as purchased materials including fine clays and pigments. We’ll also make and use clay paints and lime/clay plasters and use special mixes to make sculptural and decorative elements on the recently completed sauna. \nAbout the Site \nRosewater Ranch sits on 130 acres of high desert steppe and coniferous forest 30 minutes north of Reno\, NV. It features permacultured grounds\, organic gardens\, dairy goats\, a mushroom business\, a small community of residents\, Prema Farm\, a new earthen sauna we built in July\, and a cob cabin from our 2021 workshop. The property borders expansive national forest with miles of trails and offers stunning vistas and sunsets. \nLodging and Food \nCampsites\, van and RV sites are available at the site and are included with the workshop. Guests are welcome to arrive during the afternoon of Thursday\, September 18th. Class ends the afternoon of Sunday\, September 21st. Hot showers are on-site. \nDelicious home-cooked meals\, coffee and tea are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options. \nThe Daily Schedule \nWe are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop like this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect long days with lots of building and learning. On some evenings we will show slides and films featuring our previous projects and that of other people and cultures. Believe it or not\, we also still like to make time for a campfire and some music. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable\, memorable and fun experience. \nWe start Friday Morning\, September 19th with breakfast at 7:30\, and end with lunch on Sunday\, September 21st. \n7:30 breakfast \n8:30 plaster session 1 \n1:00 lunch \n2:30-6:00 plaster session two\, lectures\, discussion \n7:00 Dinner \n8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time \nInstructors \nLead instructor Kyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive and the Be the Change Project. Kyle has a background in construction\, teaching\, and simple living.  He’s worked as a framer\, carpenter\, and commercial roofer and recently finished building a “green” conventional house in his neighborhood in Reno. He was a science teacher for 7 years\, is a frequent speaker on sustainable living\, and is a contributing writer for Mother Earth News magazine and blog. Kyle enjoys basketball\, hiking\, reading\, and martial arts. \nKaty Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and worked with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener\, certified permaculture designer with over 12 years of hands-on implementation\, urban garlic farmer\, and math teacher.  She loves to dance\, laugh\, and pore over seed catalogs while cozied up to the wood stove on long winter nights. Kyle and Katy also have two teenage sons. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $150 payment to reserve your spot. Once a payment is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to pay with Venmo or send a check for $150 made out to “Cobitat” and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. \nPayment is refundable until 2 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than two weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a full refund. If it can’t be filled\, we’ll issue a partial refund or put your payment towards a future workshop.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/clay-plasters-paints-and-sculpting/
LOCATION:Rosewater Ranch\, 30 minutes north of Reno\, Nevada\, Reno\, CA\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20240619_193301189-1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
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