Cob Workshops

Rocket Mass Heater Build (2 Day) — Montana
2026-08-22 11:00 - 2026-08-23 17:00 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Rocket Mass Heater Build (2 Day)

In this two day workshop you will learn how to build a Batch Style Rocket Mass Heater. Learn about the principals behind creating these high temperature, beautiful, and efficient wood burning stoves.

This hands on class is located at Spiritwood Natural Building, in Victor Montana. Attendees will join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to build a rocket mass heater in an existing earthen sauna.

This class will demonstrate the materials and tools needed to build your own stove. Participants will gain hands on experience building a batch box rocket mass heater.
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Participants will also receive a tour of four complete structures; a balecob home, strawbale workshop, balecob guest studio, and pallet cob chicken coop. Included in the tour are 3 Rocket Mass Heaters (batch and J-style) for winter heat, earthen floors, and many other natural elements for discussion. Learn how you can build a home for less than a year of rent and still be comfortable and warm.
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A first come first serve guest cottage (sleeps 2) and pop up camper (sleeps 4) is available to rent on upon request on a first pay first serve basis. Camp sites are available at no cost. Please inquire ahead about availability for parking live in vehicles. Composting toilet and an outdoor shower are available for use.​
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Those joining us are welcome to explore the 5 acre property, forage (many berries), swim in the ponds, and walk to the frisbee golf course just down the road.
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We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
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Food:
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An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden. The first evening of the class we will host a pizza party using our cob oven.

Space is limited to 10 participants.

Date: Saturday-Sunday August 22-23
Start Time: 11am, August 22
Cost: $290
5% discount for family + friends participating together

Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

Advanced Fast Cob/Roofing and Foundations for Fast Cobbers!
2026-09-03 15:30 - 2026-09-07 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
Roofs
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.
Foundations
For any cob structure, foundations take on another critical role beyond providing a stable base: they prevent cob walls from wicking moisture up from the ground.
We’ll show you how to build stacked rock foundations, aka mortar-less stone foundations. We’ll also show you a couple of other options as well as discuss the pros and cons of more mainstream foundations.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. It is also part of our Complete Builder’s Programme. This course will complete your learning journey and allow you to complete your own natural buildings!
We offer discounts to those who register in pairs or who take multiple workshops with us. Please note that all of our fees are in Canadian dollars; if your currency is US or Euro, our fees are significantly less (30-50% less!).

Clay and Lime Plaster Workshop-- Montana
2026-09-06 10:00 - 16:30 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Clay and Lime Plaster Workshop

In this one day workshop you will learn how to mix and apply earth based plasters.

This hands on class is located at Spiritwood Natural Building, in Victor Montana. Attendees will join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to learn how to mix and apply earth based plasters onto earthen walls.

Earthen plasters can be used to protect wall systems against the elements while also being aesthetically pleasing. This class will give participants the opportunity to apply thick protective plasters and work with much finer finish plasters to make a beautiful finish!

Participants will also see examples of how cob is used to construct a balecob house and rocket mass heaters.
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Food is not provided. Participants should bring a lunch to this workshop.

Space is limited to 15 participants.

Date: Sunday, September 6
Time: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Cost: $150
5% discount for family + friends participating together

Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

Morocco Natural Building
2026-09-06 12:00 - 2026-09-19 12:00 (America/Denver) | FL
The Building Project
We’ll help build a 400 square foot earthen cabin alongside local craftsmen at beautiful Farm Finn. We’ll also build and use a cob oven.
We’ll teach foundations, wall building and how to attach a roof. You’ll learn cob, adobe, slipstraw, cordwood cob, balecob, rammed earth, and the basics of base and finish plasters. We’ll also have time for sculpting and carving and earthen floor basics. The course will include instruction from a local tadelakt experts and deep dives into the sustainability systems on site.
Go here for all the info
This is a special class for us at Cobitat. In addition to having a fascinating culture and history, diverse geography and ecosystems, and serving as the gateway between Europe and Africa, Morocco has a long history of earthen building. Earthen blocks, cob, and rammed earth walls along with lime plaster called tadelakt have all been used for centuries and into the modern era. But, like many vernacular building styles around the world, this knowledge is being lost as less sustainable and industrialized materials like concrete take over. Farm Finn, however, has worked with local knowledgeable craftsmen to build an earthen house and are excited to host us to help foster an exchange of learning around natural building. But, it doesn’t end there.
For us, natural building is just one part of living in a way that helps create a new and regenerative paradigm to foster a more just, verdant, and beautiful future. Farm Finn is working to be a part of that new paradigm by utilizing tourism at it’s organic and “permacultured” farm and micro-hotel to support traditional ways of life while demonstrating how to adapt to a changing environment.
Our host Paul has spent decades working with organizations like Oxfam, UNICEF, and Save the Children helping communities around the globe clean and protect water resources, improve sanitation, and adapt to a changing climate. Farm Finn is his attempt to do the same work on a local and regional scale over a longer period while rooted in a community. His vision includes creating a climate change adaptation learning center that will teach and demonstrate permaculture, natural building, and other appropriate and democratic technologies.
We are excited to be a part of that vision and hope you’ll join us on this a once-in-a-lifetime natural building experience in Morocco.

Tennessee Complete Cob Cottage For ALL in the Fall!
2026-09-06 12:00 - 2026-10-11 14:00 (America/New_York) | River & Michael's Farmstead, Decatur, TN, United States
OUR LOVELY HOSTS

A Southern-Style Welcome awaits us with River & Mike:)

River & Mike will welcome us with open hearts and smiles into their sanctuary home for this southern-style US workshop! Born in South Dakota, River has travelled throughout the States constantly, led by her deep hungry passion for learning all kinds of primitive, survival and natural wilderness living skills. She loves attending workshops and as a host she will be very well-prepared after attending her first full-build cob workshop taught by CruzinCobGlobal in Tasmania in 2026. Her partner, Mike, is an Ohio native. He is a full-time dentist who loves carpentry and building with his hands, and taking care of people’s teeth who can’t afford it. Together, Mike and River enjoy gardening and spending time in nature, whether it’s kayaking the local rivers, hiking mountain trails, or foraging for mushrooms.

Soil testing lookin’ good!

Our home in the woods is set on a 30-acre plot in Decatur, TN, halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga. This cozy homestead is one-third relaxing forest and two-thirds rolling grassy pasture. Deer and many small forest animals call this place home. The host site will have many beautiful and varied camping spots in the woods and open pasture for the students, as well as outdoor compost toilets, an outdoor and indoor shower, a massive outdoor movie screen with firepit, a beautiful vegetable garden and much more as we grow this year. We plan to use the cob house as a center for learning and healing.
Here there is no shortage of ways to spend time in the great outdoors on the weekends. We are about an hour’s drive from The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, America’s most visited park and only 17 minutes from the Hiawassee River for kayaking. This region is home to some of the best hiking trails you can find, with caves, waterfalls and gorgeous views. River will be a great guide for those who want to explore every weekend. For those who want to ditch the hiking boots and explore the city life, both Chattanooga and Knoxville are rich with art, culture, rich cuisine, and entertainment.

THE PROJECT

Belgium Cob Cottage, 2025

Workshop students will be building the first COB structure on the Land and we are honored River & Michael have chosen COB to represent the start of his project, to be built in an intimate, sacred and soulful way and created, as always, with 12-15 pairs of loving and passionate muddy hands and feet. Starting with the “boots”, symbol for the stone foundation, to the “hat”, our indestructible, gorgeous trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover EVERYTHING important in between! You will leave blissed out, confident, transformed, inspired, motivated, excited, and ready for more. Be prepared for a total life makeover, and renewed strength and empowerment to fearlessly lead a life TRUE to yourself! We see this in every workshop year after year. It’s called “Cob Therapy” and it happens organically whether you intend it or not:)

The sheathing before the green roof goes on! Belgium, 2025

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number but this is usually the outcome). The breathtaking reciprocal roof structure we build in all of our workshops is the strongest roof there is, due to its interlocking spiral structure, which holds itself up with no outward pressure on the monolithic round wall of the building. In addition, it mirrors the horizontal social structure favored in indigenous societies, who meet under these types of roofs for council circles, as we will do weekly throughout the 5 weeks, to support all the inner and outer work happening.

The sprint to the door and a completed finish floor, the last step of the workshop! Belgium, 2025

Happy Cob Sculptor in Costa Rica, 2025

Students in this Advanced Cobber Certification training will, as always, learn all the steps to building a complete Cob Building from scratch. In week 1, we dig the foundation trench and fill it with landscape-wrapped drainage rock/gravel followed by a sturdy 30cm-wide aesthetic natural stone stemwall to support the cob wall and roof. We finish the week off by pouring the first layer of adobe/cob floor on a layer of insulation underlain by a gravel drainage base and wrap up with the door(s) installation. In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall, layer by layer, with all its detailed insertions (windows, shelves, electrical housing, hooks, niches, bottles, desk/counter, anchors and roof connectors), and finish week 3 off with 2 days of relaxed sculpting. In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and solid wall with an earthen/fermented manure scratch coat mix. On Friday we build and install the Reciprocal Roof primary rafter structure and in week 5 we complete the structure and sheathing to support the impermeable Green Roof covering. On the final days we will finish the top of the wall as well as the second finish floor coat, ready for Graduation and the Celebration on Saturday evening. Sunday morning is our Closing Circle followed by our final Lunch together and before the afternoon public Open House, when the final project is revealed to the outside world!

Kenya Cob friendship, 2025

We encourage non-White and multiracial students who are curious or already interested and passionate about earthen construction to come learn the art and technique of cob building with CCG. We want a workshop that feels comfortable for non-white students, and aim for a healthy balance of races, cultures and languages. CCG has taught in many countries of the world and our mission is to create access to everyone interested, especially the local people, so we can create international cob building families where all students grow and learn on a personal and interpersonal level. We aim to create intercultural and interhuman bonding experiences through our Cob building workshops to heal the world one Cob house at a time. So please follow your Heart & Soul, listen to the Call, and embark on a life-changing adventure in 2026!

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Belgium Cob Maker, 2025

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience. Students arrive on Saturday before dinner and Sunday by 12pm and settle in. The two meals offered on Saturday (dinner) and Sunday (brunch) are optional and an additional fee of 10€ each. The Workshop begins at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 5 weeks later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch, around 2pm. Students can arrive a day before (Saturday) to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs, or pay the extra meal fees . The Opening Circle begins promptl

All hands on deck fo the Ancestor Stones which will support our build! Belgium, 2025

y at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7:30pm. We require that students arrive Saturday before dark or Sunday by 12pm AT THE LATEST!!! We need to begin ALL TOGETHER, as the most important information for the success and smooth-running of the workshop and the well-being of the students will happen on Sunday between 4pm and 8:30pm. It is very inconvenient for students, Host, Instructors and the group, when someone arrives late and misses any of the opening sessions. Please be punctual because Monday morning at 9 am we begin digging the trench for our Cob Building and students need to be prepared and ready to go!!!!
Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:30 am and lasts until 1pm with a 20-minute snack pause at 11am. Lunch break is from 1pm to 2:30pm, which includes a rest time before the 3-hour afternoon session begins, from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 60-minute lecture at 2:30pm, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again right after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner (served from 7pm to 8pm), in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming, walking and just relax.

All smiles in Week 1! Belgium Host got to be a student, 2025

There is sometimes a work trade student officially or informally leading yoga and movement practice in the mornings or afternoons (depending on student preference). There will also be 3-4 evenings throughout the workshop after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings except Tuesdays are mostly free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Tuesdays are reserved for our weekly Council Circle, where we do a deeper sharing and listening to attend to the inner worlds of our students, staff & Host(s) during this intense experience.
On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval. All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome to use the kitchen. Host and/or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions.
The 35-day Course will offer practical learning by building a complete 14m2 curvilinear building from foundation to roof, as  described in the “Project” section. Those who complete the 35-day Workshop will receive an Advanced Cobber Certificate of Completion for Foundation, Cob Walls (which includes Door, Windows, Shelves, Bottles, Niches, Art, Electrical Housing & Plumbing preparation, Sculpting), Floor, Plaster & Roof.

DAILY SCHEDULE
The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:
7:30-8:15 Breakfast
8:30-1:00 Class
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Council Circle (Tues) & Slides/Videos/Discussion (Thurs)
Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!
COURSE CONTENTS
Students will learn every phase of building a cob building from foundation through the reciprocal roof in hands-on building and lectures/theory. In addition to the lectures,  slideshows and videos will be shown to support and enhance their understanding of cob materials, cob building, design, geography, budgeting, business options and legal issues.
Our hands-on practice will include:
digging foundation trench
pouring gravel and inserting drainage pipe (if applicable)
building foundation stemwall
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
deciding on correct mixture
deciding on best location
making cob w/ partner and solo  building with cob
preparing and inserting the door
preparing and inserting fixed and opening windows
preparing and inserting shelves
inserting bottle windows, glass and other objects
inserting electrical housing and outlet/switch boxes (when applicable)*
insert PVC pipe for plumbing in walls (when applicable)*
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plaster (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (2 coats)
preparing walls for roof connection
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on roof sheathing and other elements
installing impermeable liner and green roof components
making small-scale cob designs of future projects (time permitting)

In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material  also includes:
legal cob construction practices & the international cob code (Appendix AU in the IRC)
cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, building and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal
*While the insertion of electrical housing and one or more outlet/switch boxes and PVC pipes to hold plumbing are always included in the workshops, the simplicity or complexity depends on the host’s design and preferences. There will be no electrical wiring or plumbing pipes installed during workshop. That is beyond the focus of this course and requires professional experience and certification/licensing.
REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Students will need to come prepared for demanding physical work from Day 1.
This includes bringing:
Work clothes appropriate for the country and climate we are in
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes (for foundation and roof)
Flip-flops or Crocs (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tool Belt
Tape Measure
Box Cutter /Straight Edge
Wood Hand Saw with medium teeth (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (order online)
Basic pointed steel mortar/plastering trowel
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer  for Hands & Feet
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)
Any other power tools like skillsaw, grinder with metal blade, cordless drill, chop saw, extra hammers, trowels, saws, levels…will be very welcome if you have them and are driving in. Some students fly in with only carry-on luggage and can’t bring some of these tools.
*These tools will be very helpful to bring if you can, to minimize sharing and waiting, but if you can’t the Host will provide them.

***PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFO!***

Door frame goes up with everyone participating on Day 5, the final goal for Week 1! Belgium, 2025

Everyone is essential to the completion of the build! These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building and lecture learning hours unless absolutely incapable due to illness or have some other significant/emergency reason. This is because we design the size of the building  and organize the structure of the workshop in accordance with the number of students and when people are absent, it impacts the whole group and the other students have to work harder and it disturbs the integrity of the group. It takes the whole village to see the building through from start to finish! In addition, Instructors set up building work according to students’ strengths and learning needs. In short, if you don’t feel that you will be able to be present every day for every session, please re-think your readiness for our Advanced Training. We attract serious and highly-motivated students so if that’s you, you will be surrounded by others with the same desire to learn and build! Everyone has a role every day all day!

Costa Rica All-Women Cob Team, 2025

We need and depend on everyone’s full participation in each day of the workshop. This is a total group effort on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. If someone is physically absent from the site and lectures due to illness or other urgency for more than one full day, they will need to make up the days missed in a subsequent workshop to receive the Certificate (only paying food costs). If physically injured or ill (and capable), it is requested students still be present at the site and for lecture and other required evening activities, so as to not miss out on information and keep learning by observation, and thus still qualify for the Certificate.

Tire foundation prep in Costa Rica, 2025

The first step of the Reciprocal Roof, a moment of joy! Costa Rica, 2025

The workshop intensity changes from week 1 to week 5 with the focus of the week. The first foundation week breaks people in with the work of moving, lifting, rolling and placing rocks and is a new and demanding physical and mental experience for most students. It also includes  the first layers and coat of cob floor. The second week and part of the third week of cob-making and building are similar to the rock foundation week in physical demand, but are more flowing, multi-faceted and cardiovascular in movement. On Thursday & Friday of week 3, the workshop takes a turn and slows down and the body can rest as students connect with their creative source now to design sculptures and beautify the walls around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with personal meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by the Host(s). Plastering follows sculpting and is another enjoyable more lightweight physical experience, that lends itself to talking and sharing at the wall in a meditative rhythm as the students have bonded and shared deeply through a variety of experiences for a month. On day 5 of week 4, after the wall has been plastered, the roof begins. This part is the beginning of a change of pace from the earthen building work to carpentry skills, power tools, measuring, sawing, drilling, hammering, screwing, trimming, etc. But now the workshop is in its final stretch and there is a boost of energy to wrap up the roof, close the top of the wall, and tend to finishing touches….the grand finale!
For students wanting a more mellow slow-paced cob experience, along with time for personal exploration and experimentation following their own rhythm, these workshops are not for you! However, you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that offer a  shorter period, focused on building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.

Reading up on the Reciprocal Roof is essential for building your confidence with this tricky roof! Costa Rica, 2025

Students are required to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” and “Essential Cob Construction” (see website Resources page) before the workshop begins, and any other books they find or are listed on our Resources page, ideally on plastering and reciprocal roof building. We ask that you watch the many videos on our our “International Cob Workshop” playlist on Claudine’s YouTube channel, the new educational YouTube series “Building a Mud Home” by Cooper Green, posted by Natural Buildings and created from our North Carolina workshop footage, and the ones posted on CruzinCobGlobal’s website under Gallery, to get an idea of what is expected. Also it is a great idea to watch as many other videos on cob and reciprocal roofs as you can to come mentally prepared. Please bring your book(s).
Students must tend to their own personal needs, drink alot of water, rest when needed and exert themselves at a steady pace. Students who cannot do the strenuous physical work should let us know when registering, so we can make sure the workshop is a good fit. If approved before the workshop begins, we will aim to adjust appropriately. There is alot to do to support making and building with cob, while respecting your physical limitations!!!

Trying capoeira on the cob floor with one of the students during downtime! Costa Rica, 2025

Finally, please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the Course, including mealtimes. Please make sure you share your dietary restrictions/allergies with CCG in your registration form. Note that very demanding dietary needs will not be  able to be met (vegan & non-gluten ok) and those students may be recommended not to participate, unless they are willing to meet their special needs on their own, which will not include kitchen access on weekdays. Please discuss with Claudine at time of desire to register. Also please bring your essential snacks and foods, pillow and whatever you NEED to be comfortable and happy. Feel free to also bring playlists, speaker, slides, videos, movies and books to share, as well as a sample of your soil to test.
We look forward to opening you to a whole new world of experience, skill, growth and transformation as you bond with your new COB family for life!

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Kenya Workshop spread, 2025

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch. On weekends students will be on their own for food and may use the onsite kitchen. Meals will be vegetarian and locally-based as much as possible, including farm produce and eggs! Carnivores & pescatarians & omnivores will, if desired, be offered non-vegetarian options of meals a few times a week and/or supplemented with canned fish, dried meats, cold cuts. They are also welcome to buy or bring their own supplements.
We will attend to vegan and gluten-free diets if needed, but any other restrictions & allergies that require extensive preparation needs, will probably not be able to be honored, and kitchen will only be accessible on weekends for students.
Camping with your own tent or hammock and bedding or and in your vehicle are free. There may be indoor sleeping options at neighbors’ houses. We will have more info on that in the Spring.

COB INSTRUCTOR
CLAUDINE “COB QUEEN” DÉSIRÉE

Born and raised on the 22nd floor of a skyscraper in NYC to two Jewish European immigrants from France and Romania via Morocco, I carried my Manhattan/European roots with me to California and beyond. I studied Geography, International Relations/Development and International Environmental Policy in the academic world in California, France, and Switzerland before and while raising Viva, Joia and Xica, my three stellar sons, currently established all over the U.S. and honing their unique journeys… and all cob lovers of course!!!! My eldest Son Viva has become a Master Cobber in his own right, specializing in Fire & Cob, meaning beautifully-sculpted heaters, cookstoves, and ovens, as well as stand-alone Cob Art.

With Tennessee 2026 Workshop Host River looking for the perfect clay soil for the Cob mix!

My academic pursuits soon gave way to the obligatory West Coast Yoga/Meditation/Massage path and thus the work of a Spiritually Awakened life was initiated. My academic interests were also complemented with hands-on learning in every aspect of Sustainable Living skills, which I then put into action in our 5000 square foot homestead in downtown Santa Cruz, near the beach, with cob buildings, permaculture, a compost toilet, chickens, fruit trees and the lowest utility bill in SC! When my youngest son turned 18 in 2014, and I turned 50, my next Dream was manifested with the sale of our Mini-Urban Ecovillage in Santa Cruz to fuel a solo Global Ecovillage and Cob Teaching Bike Tour for the next five years through 15 countries in Africa, South America, the US and Europe, in which I taught over 30 workshops, most of them 4-5-week full builds.

Azorean Cob-Loving Cat

In January of 2019 I bought 5 hectares in the Alentejo region of Portugal, planning on manifesting a Cob Ecovillage there. However the isolation and dependence on a vehicle, as well as the extreme winter/summer climates and drought conditions led me back to the Azores Islands, that had caught my Heart the first time I stepped out of the plane and smelled/felt the air. I had been brought to the Azores by an astrocartography reading in which my Venus and Neptune lines were strongly activated there. My Neptune line runs right through São Miguel and one kilometer from the Quinta da Vida Beleza Ecovillage Farm

Sunrise behind the Majestic Azorean Cob Villa at the Quinta Da Vida Beleza, 2025

that I created from scratch between January 2020 and 2023, with the help of many workshop students, teachers, volunteers, friends and my sons. It is the present culmination of my 20+ years of Cob Life! It is a fearlessly manifested Vision. It is my comfort as I wake up every morning on the 2nd floor of my Cob Home and look out at the Atlantic Ocean to see if it looks good for an early morning swim. The Azorean moist pleasant breezes that are always a perfect temperature wrap me in LOVE, nurturing my Soul and Spirit every day. The village I envisioned became a reality in a mere 3 years, and is now highly enjoyed by campers, bungalow guests, volunteers, family, friends, students, cats, chickens and many other living beings visible and invisible. It is the first if its kind in the Azores and a unique phenomenon on the Planet. You can find it on GoogleMaps and visit the website, and come visit us for a dose of Natural before it is sold and transferred to the next fortunate caretaker.

Cob Outdoor Rocket Stove Kitchen & Oven built by students led by Brazilian Instructor Paula Carneira, 2023

Our last additions are my beloved and magnificent 2-story personal Compost Toilet with ocean view and an Outdoor Rocket Stove Kitchen. My unending love of travel, speaking in other languages and cultural immersion will always continue, and I envision having beautiful cob houses to come to in all of my favorite places, which I am continuing to discover. I am so grateful for the strong support of the Universe confirming this path every day.

My first international cob workshop in the Canaries in 2015…been a full 11 years on the road and 22 years of spreading the COB word!

Learning to build cob houses has been an unexpected gift in so many ways. The joy I see on people’s faces at my workshops when they roll up their pants for the first time and stick their toes in the cool soft mud, the laughter and heart-to-heart conversations ignited while mixing and building with a partner, the meditative concentration of working on a sculpture, the satisfaction of stepping back and seeing your beautiful trimmed wall section, the excitement at embedding bottles and sculpting an art window, the bliss of relaxing with good food and a cold beer after a full day’s building in community, and the gratitude of leaving confident in starting a dream project….are why I do this work. Over and over again, all over the world, cob building creates childlike joy, love, community, and empowerment. It has shown itself to be much more than a building technique. It is a remedy for a better Life on Earth. It creates Happy People living in Happy Houses. May the legacy of CruzinCobGlobal continue to heal the World one workshop at a time, one new cobber and one more cob house at a time. Aho.

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Decatur, TN by car and rideshare/carpooling, bus or train/plane to Knoxville or Chattanooga or if necessary for international flights, Atlanta. Airport pickups will be organized by hosts and among students diving in from similar direction We will setup a Whatsapp thread once we are a month out for students to organize carpooling and povide info on airport pickups..

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: $2600, paid in full by January 6th, 2026
Early Bird Rate: $2700, paid in full by May 6th, 2026
Standard Rate: $2800, paid in full by August 6th, 2026
We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a $250 discount for working one hour each weekday from 6:30am to 7:30am either on the site prepping materials and other work as guided by the Instructors or preparing & putting away breakfast. Two persons for each service. These are the first options to go. Depending on when you pay in full, the discount is taken off the appropriate amount.
Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros at the current conversion rate using the Wise app/website using same email. You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined
Please contact claudine@cruzincobglobal.org or Whatsapp +1(831) 212-7225 to register and ask any questions.
To hold your spot (there are 12 for new students and 3 for returning students), you can make a 50% deposit. The balance owed depends on the date of payment in full. Final payment deadline is May 1st, 2026.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by June 6th, 2026 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by July 6th, 2026 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after July 6th, 2026 will not receive a refund or credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation or other reason out of their control, in which case they will receive a credit for two years minus the 10% admin fee.

SEE YOU IN THE MUD!

Cob Hill 21-Day Natural Building Cert
2026-09-19 16:00 - 2026-10-09 12:00 (America/Denver) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Service Description
This intensive hands on workshop is for adults wishing to begin their natural building journey toward building for others, or to start their own home build. This class will give you a physical workout. Natural building is tough. Are you tougher? Find out during 21 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor and Danny Holmes teach the techniques and skills you will need to get from choosing property, building the foundation to the roofing system. Your class will be building a structure from start to finish, with hands on experience covering: property site selection soil testing home designing passive solar foundations stem wall cob straw bale palletable cob timber framing windows and doors LSC – light straw clay insulation roof designs living roofs roof sheathing tree felling log peeling log milling (saw mill) Shou Sugi Ban(Japanese art of waterproofing wood) budgeting/planning basic electrical/plumbing facts and myths common mistakes composting toilets. This is a certification course, to receive your certificate you must attend all class time activities and pass a written test. Tent camping sites are available on-site including access to hot showers, plus 3 plant-based meals a day are included in your tuition! You will need to bring your own camping gear, contact us if this is an issue. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, children or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill. The $1975 tuition includes a $200 deposit to secure your spot that is is non-refundable unless NaturalBuildingOrg has to cancel the workshop for some unforeseen reason. If registration includes two or more people there is a $50 discount per person. Active duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans with valid ID or DD214 may select the appropriate tuition tier to receive 20% off, and eligible Cob Hill Lifetime of Learning (L.o.L.) Members can register as such by selecting that tuition tier.
