Cob Workshops

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2023-07-10 - 2023-07-14 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: July 10 – July 14, 2023 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a cob house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building, mixing and applying lime plaster, building with cob, and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with the tarp method and with a mortar mixer!)
– How to build cob walls using traditional hand-sculpting and using innovative slipforms (learn all the great advantages of building cob walls with forms)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Lime Plaster and Earth Plaster (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster and earth plaster)
– Creating window and door frames (learn how to install frames into cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)

Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Building Solid Foundations (Learn all about constructing proper building foundations)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob 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 don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – 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!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each 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!

The 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, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and 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.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

“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!” Tony Romo, Texas

“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!”
Marybeth Babos, Tennessee
Lodging
There 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.
Nearby are the Meadow Creek Moundation Lodge in Parrottsville, TN, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private compost toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, but no electricity yet. Please bring your own solar generator if needed.

Food
Meals 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!
Each 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!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville 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.
Family & Groups
Ask about discounts. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/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.
Prices
Price: $499

Additional Discounts: 10% for family and friends participating together.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.

Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please click the “Sign Up Now” button above.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

Natural Plasters and Earthen Floors
2023-07-13 15:00 - 2023-07-18 15:00 (America/Denver) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Sought-after natural builder and artist Athena Steen will show you how to beautifully plaster your walls and floors with natural clays. Educator, designer, builder for over 28 years of strawbale, adobe, and other natural buildings with artistic vision and sustainable design. Co-author of several books including, “The Straw Bale House”,”The Beauty of Strawbale Homes,” “Built by Hand,” and “Small Strawbale.” Co-director and founder of a small non-profit, The Canelo Project, dedicated to creative and simple living, growing and building practices that connect people, culture and nature. Visit caneloproject.com for more information about Athena.

Versaterra Weekend Intro to Earthen Building
2023-07-15 08:00 - 2023-07-16 21:00 (America/Denver) | Be the Change Project, 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Be the Change Project
Reno, NV
July 15-16, 2023 (Saturday & Sunday)

Number of Students: up to 12
Cost: $320 ($280 for locals)
Class Description
Our two-day introductory workshop will get you started on natural building. We give you a taste of all the steps involved with making a cabin or garden wall. Your learning will be enhanced by all of the natural and alternative features at our urban homestead including four earthy cabins, a cob oven, cob walls and appropriate technologies in use from greenhouses to solar wall heaters solar showers. If you’re curious about natural and earthen building and want to test the waters before taking a longer course, this is the opportunity for you.
We’ll start early on Saturday with the basics of a rubble trench and earth bag stem wall and move on to cobbing and adobe brick making. From there we’ll do some infill techniques like cordwood cob, light straw clay (slip straw), and bale cob. We’ll demonstrate how to put in windows and doors and take time for basic plastering, carving, and art.
On Sunday night we’ll have a pizza party that will showcase our cob oven.
Each participant will receive Conrad’s book, “House of Earth” in the mail prior to the course.
About the Site
The Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes, tours, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013.
Reno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm, clear, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot, and rain is unlikely.
Along with earthen cabins, landscape walls, ovens, and plasters on site, we’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop:

Solar cooking and wall heaters

Small scale solar PV

Wood stove and solar thermosiphon water heating

Composting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles

Alternative septic system – the Watson Wick

Basic principles and practices of Permaculture

Organic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses, root cellaring and solar dehydrating

ScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream

Living with little electricity and fossil fuels

Wood-fired hot tub

Lodging
We have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins, rooms, and tent sites, and parking for camper vans.
Participants are welcome to arrive on Friday evening to get settled for the next morning.
Food
Participants are responsible for their own meals except for the the pizza party on Sunday evening for which we’ll provide all of the food. Please bring your own mess kits.
We will make coffee to share in the mornings.
Registration, Payment, & Refunds
This workshop requires a $100 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made, Kyle will reach out to you, welcome you to the course, and get you in the email loop with all the details.
Go here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $100 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted.
Deposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled, your deposit will not be refunded.
Full payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class.
The Daily Schedule
We 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 two full days with lots of building and learning. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable, memorable and fun experience.
7:30 breakfast
8:30 site tour on day 1, building session one
1:00 lunch
2:30-6:00 building session two: other techniques, lecture, appropriate technologies…
7:00 Dinner
Instructors
Lead 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.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and played with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer, urban garlic farmer, and former math teacher and school designer. 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.

First Mini Complete Cob Build in only 9 days!!! A Cob Playhouse for the McCarall Family in Chattanooga, Tennessee
2023-07-15 12:00 - 2023-07-23 16:00 (America/New_York) | Casa Miguel, 3624 Elder Mtn Rd, Chattanooga, TN, United States
HOST & LOCATION

Lennie, Ellie, Jamie and Sean: a beautiful family!

Hello everybody! I am Sean and Jamie (my wife), Lennox (3), Ellie (4 months) and Alfur (my niece who lives with us) are super excited to host our first cob building adventure. Learning about cob building interests us for multiple reasons. The first being we intend to provide affordable housing for friends, family, and travellers in the future. I’ve looked into traditional home building and even on a small scale it costs a small fortune to build. We hope to learn the process and be able to continue to construct small shelters with our family and friends. Second, I am interested in the eco-friendly nature of cob building seemingly made from more sustainable resources, requiring less upkeep, and lasting longer than traditional homes. And lastly the potential for lots of aesthetic appeal. Once we understand the fundamentals I feel as though it can be a truly artistic outlet to creating all different designs in buildings. Something I have not tapped into since I was a child. Having received the “Hand-Sculpted House” as a gift from Claudine who we hosted as she biked through Tennessee (how we met), we are now even greater cob aficionados and super excited to build with y’all!

Taco Fiesta with the McCarall Family!

A little background on us, we love the outdoors and experiencing new things. In our free time we enjoy traveling, meeting new people, cooking, biking, hiking and camping. My wife and I are geologists by trade and spent 10 years in west Texas living out of our motorhome working and saving up. Then we decided to prioritize building a family and moved to Chattanooga, TN to start that. We now have a VERY funny 2 year old son and an old soul little 6 month daughter who we want to experience some of the cob magic with us too.

We are nestled into a home by Raccoon Mtn and only 10 minutes from downtown Chattanooga. There is plenty of space for everyone whether you would like to stay indoors or out. My wife cooks most of our meals and enjoys changing up cuisine, while trying to stay healthy so there will always be something good to eat. We look forward to hosting and connecting with everyone and hope you are able to join us on our journey of learning this craft. Expect the weather to be hot (90’s) but with plenty of shade and cool breezes. Bugs are not usually an issue.

The McCarrall Family

Our cozy shaded backyard where we will build the playhouse!

Me and the Fam in April

My Goodbye Dinner

Jamie n’ Ellie

Taco Fiesta Dinner!!!

Mom’s happy! Notice Baby Mohawk:)

THE PROJECT

A cob cottage and sauna built by a workshop in the Azores

This is the very first CruzinCobGlobal 9-day Complete Playhouse Build in which students will learn every step of building a cob building on a micro-scale. From foundation to reciprocal frame roof, including cob floor and plaster, sculpting, electricity and plumbing, we will build a 30ft2 round playhouse for Lennie and Ellie. The idea is to give you a taste of what it’s like to build with cob and, if you are already a builder or super savvy, you will DEFINITELY be able to transfer this knowledge and experience to building a full-size cottage. This workshop is ideal for those who are short on time and money for attending our traditional 35-day full build or who want a taster before committing to the extended workshop (we have one happening just 2 hours east in Pulaski, TN August 27th to October 1 with time to register…https://cruzincobglobal.org/events/complete-cob-bungalow-in-southern-tennessee-pulaski/).
This workshop will be easy on the energy as we will build right behind the family’s home in their tree-studded Tennessee backyard, in the shade, and as everything will be small-scale, each step will be completed in about 1/3 of the time of a usual build, in which there are 25 working days. The maximum group size will be 8 as opposed to 15 in the longer-term build. Students will receive a Certificate for a Mini Complete Cob Building Workshop! Even though this is a Playhouse, the workshop is strictly for teens and adults as it will still be an intensive training in order to reach our goal!
Please be prepared to work hard and have fun doing so, bring your favorite playlists and comfortable clothing!

Success!

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The Mini Complete Cob Building Workshop consists of 9 days (Saturday 12pm through Sunday 4pm) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) to complement the hands-on experience.

Cabo Verdean student making cob breads

Students arrive on Saturday morning between 10am and noon to settle in (camping or indoors). The workshop begins with a delicious lunch by Chef Jamie at noon, followed by our traditional Opening Circle, a Host Site Orientation, and an Introduction to the Project by Instructor Krystal Alexander. We will open the hands-on learning by digging the trench and filling it up with the first elements of a foundation on Saturday afternoon.
A Breakfast buffet will be served from 7:15-8:15am and the morning learning/building session begins at 8:45 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.

Sifting plaster materials

There will be a lecture each day from 2:30-3:30, followed by more construction time. After class in the afternoon there will be a 60-minute break before dinner at 7:30pm, in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, and/or just relax. There is sometimes a student informally leading yoga and movement practice in the mornings or afternoons (depending on student preference). There will also be one or more evenings after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are free and sometimes students offer up informal courses in their specialties and passions just for fun. Fire circle, music, singing, dancing…are all part of our workshops! The last night (Saturday) there will be a Council Circle, also a CruzinCobGlobal tradition.

DAILY SCHEDULE

The Mini Complete Cob Building Workshop begins on a Saturday at noon and ends on a Sunday at 4pm (a week later) with Lunch and a Closing Circle/Graduation. If necessary due to long-distance travel, students may arrive on Friday afternoon to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food needs unless a work trade is approved by Host.
The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:
7:15-8:15 Breakfast
8:45-1:00 Class
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-6:30 Lecture/Class 6:30-7:30 Rest/Yoga
7:30-8:30 Dinner
8:30-9:30 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)
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 , and budgeting.
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 wiring and plumbing in walls
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plasters (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (1 coat)
preparing walls for roof connection
building roof frame
putting on sheathing and other elements
building green roof
In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:
legal cob construction practices & the international cob code
cost analysis

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Students will need to come prepared for 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 (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Carving Knife
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)
Hammer (if u can)
Rounded triangular trowel (5 inches long)
Level (2-foot)
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Wood Chisel (standard)
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Safety Glasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Sample of Your Soil (Optional)

INSTRUCTOR

Krystal Alexander (Cob Instructor & Builder)

Krystal is always joyful when she’s cobbin’!

The desire to incorporate healthier practices into modern day living has led Krystal to a life of natural building. After years of growing her practice as a Massage and Sound Therapist she was ready to take the next step on her journey of creative and self-sufficient living. As an artist clay has always been her medium of choice, so once her feet hit the mud she was hooked. From that first workshop with CruzinCobGlobal in 2017, she has dedicated her time to traveling and learning with others (making lifelong friends around the globe). She has assisted, instructed and helped to build 6 earthen structures as well as 5 cob pizza ovens!

Krystal is fueled by the passion to spread awareness that living consciously and comfortably is an attainable (and sustainable) reality. She believes that through this hands-on work, we can unlock our creative potential to share our truth with the world around. When she is not cobbin’ she is running her bodywork practice back home in St. Louis, MO. One day she plans on settling down with her little family on a plot of land and building earthen structures galore. Krystal is eager to share the healing and empowering benefits of cob and community with all!

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Students will have 3 delicious, hearty vegetarian/vegan meals every day. Animal protein (meat or fish) may be added to some meals if there are non-vegetarians in the group. Also vegan and gluten-free restrictions can be honored. There will be a Welcome Lunch on the first Saturday, and a Celebration Lunch on the last Sunday, followed by our Closing Circle.
All students can camp onsite or sleep indoors on various pull-out couches and on the floor. Students can also choose to stay in other local accommodations (ask Host for suggestions) but will need to be able to get to the site on time every day. They can also carcamp.

TRANSPORTATION

Students driving in will receive directions to the workshop site in the Welcome Letter sent two weeks before the start date. Nearest airports are Chattanooga and Nashville, and also Atlanta. More information will be sent regarding transportation from the airports to the site, unless students want to share rental cars.

REGISTRATION

The $900 Fee for the workshop includes tuition, camping and daily meals.
To register, please email claudine@cruzincobglobal.org or send standard text or Whatsapp text to (831) 212-7225 with your email address to receive the two registration forms. Payment can be made by Zelle, Venmo and Paypal using claudinedesiree@gmail.com. With Paypal, please check the “Send to Family and Friends” box or add 3% for the fee. If you are using a credit card with Venmo or Paypal please add 3% for the transaction fee. Venmo ID is @claudine-desiree.
Europeans and others who want to pay internationally can use Wise to pay in USD. Pls ask Claudine for more info and an invite with a free first transfer.
It is preferable that you pay in full when you pay however 50% deposit is required to hold your place with the rest due by July 1st at the latest.
We will offer 2 work trade discounts of $90 each for an hour of work each class day, onsite or making breakfast from 6:30-7:30am. Full payment or 50% deposit to hold your spot with final balance due by July 1st. Please see work trader cancellation policy below.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who cancel before June 1st, 2023 will receive a full refund minus a 5% administration fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel between June 1st, 2023 and June 15th, 2023 will receive a full refund minus 10% admin fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel after June 15th will not receive a refund or a credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation beyond their control, in which case they will receive a credit to be used within 2 years, minus 10% fee.
*Work traders who cancel after June 15th will receive a full refund of what they have paid minus $90.

EXCITED TO COB WITH YOU IN 2023!!!

Natural Building Intensive
2023-07-17 - 2023-07-29 | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
Instructors: Michael G. Smith, Avani Leitz, and Blair Phillips
Want to build an earthen sauna?

In this two-week course, get your hands muddy and leave with the skills to build a small structure from the ground up. We will be building the foundation for a sauna, then adding earthen walls and a round-pole roof structure for a living roof. This workshop will include:

• Wall systems including cob, redwood bark and slip, and others
• Gravel bag foundations – a simple, low cost, low-carbon foundation
• Intro to natural plasters including clay-straw and lime-sand base coats
• Simple roof structure for a living roof

Daily hands-on building sessions will be supplemented with lectures on the theoretical background you need to design and build effective natural structures, including a thorough grounding in both the structural and thermal properties of different natural materials and the fundamentals of passive solar design.
The course will be five days of intensive learning (17th-21st), followed by a weekend tour (22nd & 23rd) of local natural building sites and a restorative nature excursion, with the hands-on intensive resuming from 24th-29th. Camping is included and all meals are prepared for you with food grown on site or locally sourced with your optimal health in mind. Families are welcome. Inquire for kiddo participation.
Get a 5% discount off the price of this or any other 2023 Wanosh workshop by entering the coupon code “Michael5” when you check out. Other offerings this year include round pole timber-framing, Rocket Mass Heaters, and more! https://wanosh.org/

Natural Building Intensive (sauna build) with Michael G. Smith, Avani Leitz, and Blair Phillips
2023-07-17 08:00 - 2023-07-29 17:00 (America/Denver) | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
In this two-week course, get your hands muddy and leave with the skills to build a small structure from the ground up. We will be building the foundation for a sauna, then adding earthen walls and a round-pole roof structure for a living roof.
Daily hands-on building sessions will be supplemented with lectures on the theoretical background you need to design and build effective natural structures, including a thorough grounding in both the structural and thermal properties of different natural materials and the fundamentals of passive solar design.
Camping is included and all meals are prepared for you with food grown on site or locally sourced with your optimal health in mind.

Oakland, CA Cobin Workshop
2023-07-21 08:00 - 2023-07-23 17:00 (America/Denver) | Funky Turtle Ecovillage, El Sobranto, CA, 94803, United States
Learn to convert small sheds and wood frame structures into a backyard tiny home, animal housing or storage. We will be spending time at the Funky Turtle Ecovillage near Oakland, CA, working with earthen materials and growing our community of natural builders. You may attend one, two or three days. Experience, instruction, camping and simple meals are included for $75 per day or $175 for all three days. Just bring your camping gear and comforts. Visit the website for more information and to register for July 21-23. You will receive an information document with details when you sign up.

Cob Oven Build
2023-07-22 - 2023-07-23 | Be the Change Project, 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Build it with Earth: The Cob Pizza Oven

Complete Oven Build & Pizza Party

Be the Change Project Urban Homestead
Reno, NV July 22 & 23 (Saturday and Sunday)

Number of Students: up to 10
Cost: $320
The Building Project
A two-day complete oven build from the foundation all the way to the finish plaster. We’ll build a new oven at our neighbor’s place and re-plaster our existing oven at the Be the Change Project.
After this weekend, participants will have the knowledge and skills to build an earthen oven on their own. Oven builds are great for learning so many of the basic natural building techniques that are transferable to other projects: cob, light straw clay, fix-all plaster, brown coat, and finish plasters and sculpting.
While at our homestead, participants will get to experience the other examples of natural building and appropriate technologies on site including earthen cabins, garden walls, solar wall heaters, a root cellar with a green roof, a solar PV system, and more.
Each participant will receive Kyle’s book, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” in the mail prior to the course.
The course concludes with a pizza party on Sunday night.
About the Site
The Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes, tours, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013.
Reno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm, clear, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot, and rain is unlikely.
We’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop:

Solar cooking and wall heaters

Small scale solar PV

Wood stove and solar thermosiphon water heating

Composting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles

Alternative septic system – the Watson Wick

Basic principles and practices of Permaculture

Organic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses, root cellaring and solar dehydrating

ScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream

Living with little electricity and fossil fuels

Wood-fired hot tub

Lodging
We have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins, rooms, tent sites, and parking for camper vans.
Registration, Payment, & Refunds
This workshop requires a $100 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made, Kyle will reach out to you, welcome you to the course, and get you in the email loop with all the details.
Go here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $100 made out to “Cobitat” and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted.
Deposit is refundable (minus $20 for books and mailing cost if it’s already been shipped to you) until six weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled, your deposit will not be refunded.
Full payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class.
The Daily Schedule
We are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop such as this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect two full days with lots of building and learning. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable, memorable and fun experience.
7:30 breakfast
8:30 building session one
1:00 lunch
3:00-6:00 building session two: other techniques, lectures, and oven building
7:00 Dinner
Delicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options.
Instructors
Lead 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.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and played with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer, urban garlic farmer, and former math teacher and school designer. 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.

35-Day MASTER Natural Building Workshop – Strawbale, PermaHome, Off-Grid
2023-07-31 08:00 - 2023-09-03 17:00 (America/Denver) | TN
From July 31st to September 3rd we will start another 35-Day Natural Building MASTER Certificate Workshop in Powell River, Canada. This workshop will provide you an opportunity to get hands-on experience in Natural Building, all the skills, and especially the confidence you need to build a little cabin/hut/studio/guestroom for yourself. The highlights of this workshop are building winter-proof, with passive heat management, a natural rock foundation, a wooden frame and roof, strawbale walls, earthen floors, earthen plasters, a tiled roof, and even cob sculpting.

For more details and registration, visit https://permaskills.org/natural-building-workshop

Rocket Stove Series with Viva Hansen
2023-08-07 08:00 - 2023-08-25 17:00 (America/Denver) | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
This 3-week workshop is designed to immerse participants in the world of rocket stoves.
(you can take just one of the weeks)
Taught by earth bender & stove expert Viva Hansen.
Attended as a series, this course includes the construction of three rocket stoves over three weeks, a new stove each week, with weekends off.
This is an advanced Rocket Mass Heater course designed to explore clean combustion; from principles to building and arranging advanced Rocket Stoves and Rocket Mass Heater systems.
This is a hands-on class in which students will experience several Rocket Stove types, change their configurations and experience the differences, similarities, advantages and disadvantages of system types firsthand. Covering Dakota Fire Pits, L-Tube and J-Tube design, and Batch Box Rocket Stoves, this course integrates hands-on construction of stoves with lectures, demonstrations, and AMAs.

In the first week (August 7th – 11th) of the course we will build an 8” J-Tube style Rocket Mass Heater inside of a 10’x12’ cob studio.

In the second week (August 14th – 18th) we will build an 8” Batch Box Rocket to act as the primary heat source for a cob sauna.

The third week (August 21st – 25th) we will build another 8” Batch Box (this time with an adjacent heated bench) to supply primary heat to a 30’ yurt.

Although each week acts as its own standalone workshop, we have designed the course to support those wanting to immerse themselves in the rocket stove world, and finish the course feeling confident and sufficiently prepared to build a Rocket Mass Heater on their own.

Cob Oven & Benches at Quinta das Flores on São Miguel Island, Azores (Portugal)
2023-08-13 16:00 - 2023-08-19 17:00 (Atlantic/Azores) | Quinta das Flores, Rua Outeiro dos Alamos Brancos, 14, Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
OUR HOSTESS

Claudine and Ana at the annual Wine Festival on São Miguel, Azores

Ana Henrique is a Portuguese, passionate woman living in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in a paradise called Azores. Her formal skills are tourism management and regenerative agriculture.
She lives in Quinta das Flores, an 8,600m2 orchard, located in Ribeira das Tainhas, a small parish in the Municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, where she and her young son Francisco, grow most of their veggies and fruits. At the moment they are introducing more biodiversity and polycultural strategies for more resilience and security on their food production system. Permaculture, Agroforestry and Biodiversity protection are the main action guides in their garden and life.

Endless green Azorean landscape!

Her love for the natural world led her into a great passion for herbs and plants. She is very curious about living food potential to nurture and heal the body and soul. Ana believes in natural, unpolluted, authentic food production as a healing instrument for individuals and communities. One of her dreams is to plant a giant Food Forest that can inspire and nurture others, encouraging them to step forward and embrace Earth Care. Natural soap is also one of her passions, integrating her paradigm shift of desiring a beautiful and healthy planet. She is passionate about holistic and systemic thinking and believes in the potential of regenerative behaviors, such as love, friendship, companionship and trust.
Ana has been waiting to build her Cob Sanctuary since 2017, when she first met Claudine while cooking for her first cob workshop in the Azores. Finally she is READY!

THE LOCATION

Vila Franca do Campo is the 4th largest town on the island of São Miguel, the largest and most diverse of the Azorean islands of Portugal. It is located in the central section of the island with great access to an offshore islet (see gallery below) for swimming and snorkeling/scuba diving/kayaking, wonderful hiking in all directions, hot springs only 20 minutes away in the famous town of Furnas, and an almost private small black sand beach just a 3 minute walk from Ana’s property, Quinta das Flores.

Amazing vegetable garden!

Students will have 5 weekends plus before and after the workshop to explore the natural wonderland of São Miguel with a variety of hot springs, hikes, restaurants, surf spots, biking, rock climbing, museums and three incredible botanical gardens!!!
Ana loves to take people around to visit her island and if he isn’t too tired she may borrow her parents’ 9-person van to take students around on the weekend. Students can also share a rental car (reserve EARLY for good rates and availability), use the bus system or rent bikes for the 5 weeks.

Permaculture garden

Quinta das Flores is also a wonderful refuge from the world with its endless citrus groves, permaculture gardens, flower gardens. Students will be very fortunate to experience 5 weeks on Ana and her sons’ Quinta in summer with all its abundance and variety of healthy produce…not to mention Ana’s unforgettable meals! Forget about the COB;)!!!

Beach near Ana’s Quinta

Islet

the islet of Vila Franca

Mini-horses

Volunteers on the land

Lagoa do Fogo

Vila Franca

Yummies

view from the land

THE PROJECT

Under the expert guidance of Chilean natural builder and architect Nicolas Pimentel, students will build a beautiful Cob Oven as a centerpiece for an outdoor eating area with artistic sculpted Cob Benches and, time permitting, a work table and wood storage area. Students will start from the lava stone foundation and end with sculpting and plaster and ideally, a pizza party!

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

New Mexico Outdoor Kitchen Workshop, 2022

The Cob Oven & Benches Workshop consists of 7 days of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) to complement the hands-on experience.
Students arrive on Tuesday August 15th, 2023 between noon and 2pm and settle in. The workshop begins at 4pm with the Opening Circle followed by a Host Site Orientation and Introduction to the Project. Dinner is served at 6pm, and will be followed by an Introduction to the 7-day Workshop by the Instructor Nicolas Pimentel.
Wednesday morning we begin digging the trenches for the Oven & Benches Foundations and building them!
Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:45 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. Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is a 60-minute lecture, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner, in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming if possible, and just relax. 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 1 evening after dinner for showing slides and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. We will have a Council Circle on Friday evening. In the afternoons after class students can go swimming at the nearby beach and kayaking to the islet.

Pucón, Chile Outdoor Kitchen with Cob Oven Workshop, 2019

DAILY SCHEDULE

The Cob Oven & Benches Workshop begins on a Tuesday at 4pm and ends on a Tuesday, 1 week later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch. Students can arrive a day before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food needs unless a work trade is approved by Host.
The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:
8:00-8:45 Breakfast
9:00-1:00 Class
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF’s)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion on Wed or 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 to make cob and build an oven and benches in hands-on building and lectures/theory. In addition to the lectures, slideshows will be shown to support and enhance their understanding of cob materials, cob building, and design.
Our hands-on practice will include:
digging foundation trenches
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
making decorations in cob
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plasters (1 coat)

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Students will need to come prepared for 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 (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves
Tape Measure
Two-foot Level
Rounded triangular trowel
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Safety Glasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Sample of Your Soil (Optional)

INSTRUCTOR

Nicolas Pimentel (Cob Instructor)

Nico in his happy place!

I was born and raised in Santiago de Chile and went to Architecture School. At the end of my studies, I travelled to Portugal to study Arts, and somehow I learned about natural building and a completely new perspective came to me. I took a CruzinCobGlobal workshop with Claudine in the Azores in 2017, and my life changed by learning this new technique.

After 2 years, I went back to Santiago to finish Architecture School, and specialized in BioArchitecture. I continued assisting workshops with Claudine in different places, while developing my own project. I built my “natural” home in 2020 in Pucón, south of Chile, where I am rooted now. I am involved with different projects nowadays, and have my own architecture studio and also participate in other projects related to nature, conservation, arts and tourism. I love to live surrounded by nature, mountains and good people.

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Pizza time!

Students will have 3 delicious, hearty vegetarian meals a day. There will also be a Welcome Dinner on Tuesday night, a Celebration Dinner on Monday night, and a Goodbye Brunch on Tuesday morning after the Closing Circle.
Students will be camping onsite for this workshop in their own tents or can inquire about renting a tent from Ana for 3€/night. There will also be five indoor mattress spaces in a communal room for 7€/night. All students renting should bring their own sleeping bags. Pillows and blankets can be provided.
Students can also stay offsite in local accommodations but should be within easy walking distance. Check Airbnb.
More information will be sent a month out in the Welcome Letter and students are also welcome to contact Ana our host once they are registered.

TRANSPORTATION

The arrival airport is PDL (Ponta Delgada) on the island of São Miguel, Azores, Portugal. The airlines that fly there from the US are SATA/Azores Airlines, TAP, United and Delta. From Europe take SATA, TAP or RyanAir. There are no ferries to the Azores, but you are welcome to find a private boat sailing here! Just dont be late for Day 1!
Once you arrive at the airport, or will be in Ponta Delgada before the workshop starts, we will be organizing a shuttle on Tuesday to bring everyone to the site. Otherwise there is a public bus or shared taxi. It is recommended to arrive a day early for the US folks, to get adjusted to the jet lag and new climate and visit the island before the workshop starts.

REGISTRATION

Thrifty Bird Rate : 650€, pay in full by March 15th, 2023
Chill Bird Rate: 700€, pay in full by May 15th, 2023
Super Chill Bird Rate: 750€, pay in full by July 15th, 2023
Payment includes tuition, camping and weekday meals plus first and last dinners and last brunch.
To register, please email claudinedesiree@gmail.com or send standard text or Whatsapp text to (831) 212-7225 with your email address to receive the two registration forms. Payment can be made by Zelle, Venmo and Paypal using claudinedesiree@gmail.com. With Paypal, please check the “Send to Family and Friends” box or add 3% for the fee. If you are using a credit card with Venmo or Paypal please add 3% for the transaction fee. Venmo ID is @claudine-desiree. You can also use the Wise app or website for international low-cost transfers.
European students and others can make a bank transfer or use Wise as well. Information will be provided.
It is preferable that you pay in full when you pay however 50% deposit is required to hold your place with the rest due by July 15th at the latest.
We always offer 2 work trade discounts of 70€ each for an hour of work each class day. There is one kitchen work trader who prepares breakfast from 6:30-7:30am and one work trader that does site prep from 6:30 to 7:30am. If you want a work trade, please email or text Claudine (contact info above). These are first come first serve. Payment should be made in full or 50% deposit to hold your spot with final balance due by July 15th, 2023. Note that the work trade discount is applied to the amount that is being paid off in full. So if you are making your payment in full by the Thirfty Bird date, it will be deducted form that rate. If you pay in full after the Chill Bird deadline, then it will be deducted from the Super Chill Bird rate. Please see work trader cancellation policy below.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who cancel before June 15th, 2023 will receive a full refund minus a 5% administration fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel after June 15th, 2023 and before July 15th, 2023 will receive a full refund minus 10% admin fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel after July 15th will not receive a refund or a credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation beyond their control, in which case they will receive a credit to be used within 2 years, minus 10% fee.
*Work traders who cancel after June 15thth will receive a refund of what they have paid minus 70€.

EXCITED TO COB WITH YOU IN 2023!!!

Build a Regenerative Tiny Home and Furnishings
2023-08-20 - 2023-08-25 | Tan Oak Park, Laytonville, California
A five-day immersion in practical skills for developing a healthy reciprocal relationship between people and place. Imagine inhabiting the landscape in a way that simultaneously enhances the health and resilience of the local ecosystem while harvesting materials to meet human needs. Such a lifestyle is not only possible but has been the standard practice of many cultures around the world. Learn with us how to re-evolve a regenerative place-based culture.

Instructors include renowned natural building author and educator Michael G. Smith (strawclaywood.com), veteran professional natural builder Colin Gillespie (polecraftsolutions.com), and esteemed pole furniture craftsmen John Cunnan and Vincent Brown.

Participants will encounter:
• Round pole framing and furniture crafting
• Clay-based floor and wall construction (cob, light clay-fiber, wattle-and-daub, etc.)
• Alternative foundations (with little or no cement)
• Materials selection and harvesting to improve forest health
• Fire-resistant building techniques
• Energy-efficient design and planning
• Epic swimming
• Delicious, nutritious food
• Campfire fun
• Positive, practical EMPOWERMENT

On-site camping and cabins available. This workshop is a production of the Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance. For more info or to register, go to nm-era.org

A Complete Cob Bungalow in southern Tennessee (Pulaski, TN, USA)
2023-08-27 08:00 - 2023-10-01 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Fairy Forest, Pulaski, TN, United States
OUR HOSTESS

Arrrriella trimming the wall in Casais, September 2022

nurse carpenter, go girl!

Welcome fellow cob enthusiasts! My name is Ariella (the Ar is pronounced like a pirate would say Rrrr ? I’ve always had a dream to help people. I became a nurse at a young age and have had some amazing opportunities to work all over the U.S. in nursing. I love music, festivals, dancing, traveling, yoga, friends and family, fires, all things nature, and naps. As my passion for alternative modalities for health have grown, so has my vision for creating a space for healing, personal growth, and authentic sharing. In 2020 my best friend (Pearl) and I bought 28 acres in a small town in Tennessee called Pulaski. My dream has been to build a few small and comforting spaces for people to stay while they reconnect with nature along with their inner truth, eventually expanding the dream into hosting retreats and workshops. When I learned about earthen homes, I knew they were just the perfect spaces I had envisioned. Many adventures have ensued with learning about Cob, the last one being a 35-day workshop in Portugal with CruzinCobGlobal. I learned so much and I absolutely loved the aesthetic and natural feel of cob, it really called to me.

La casa

This will be the first cob house built on the property. There is already a brick home on the property a little further from the building site that Pearl and I live in. While you are in Pulaski, you will have access to my kitchen, bathroom (shower), and living room with plenty of spots to set up a tent outside. There is some flat room at the top of the driveway to bring RV’s and camper vans. Mostly what surrounds us is neighbors with small homes and similar or more acreage.
There are deer and cows that love to roam about. Although I have never seen them on the property, this part of the U.S. does have snakes, spiders, mosquitos, and coyotes. The weather in September is in the process of changing between summer and winter temperatures. Early September will be between high 70’s and low 80’s farenheit and decrease as the month goes on. While it’s rare, nights could get down into the high 40’s to low 50’s, so warm clothes are recommended.

LOCATION

The workshop site will be on my and Pearl’s land we call Fairy Forest! The town of Pulaski is about 15 minutes away. A gas station, two restaurants, and a motel are 3 miles away and take about 5 minutes to get to from the property by car. In the town are some cute shops, restaurants, and a small grocery store. There is a Walmart and home Depot 20 minutes from the building site (5 more minutes down the road from the town.)
Pulaski is exactly in the middle of Nashville, TN and Huntsville, AL. The most cost effective airport is BNA in Nashville. Nashville is one hour north of Pulaski and is known as music city. Nashville has many museums, bars, restaurants, shows, and attractions. I grew up in Huntsville which is an hour south of Pulaski (also has an airport but usually more expensive). Huntsville was voted the best place to live in 2022 by the US News & World Report. Some of that can be attributed to the Marshall Space center, a vibrant growing art scene, and Monte Sano (lots of hiking and biking there).
There is Tim’s Ford which has some camping, hiking, and swimming about an hour away in a different direction from the property. I would love to explore some places in the area that I haven’t seen yet and could arrange some day trips. If you are looking to help build the first cob house on this property, I know it will be nothing short of an exciting adventure with the satisfaction of seeing a project to completion. I am very excited to welcome each and everyone of you to my home and looking forward to all of the experiences and growing that only cob can bring. See you soon!

THE PROJECT

Students will be building a 10-15m2 cob cottage (size depends on number of students) for Ariella as a guest space/studio on her land.
The cottage will be built from foundation to reciprocal green roof including floor, sculpting and plaster, as well as electrical outlets, switches and housing and plumbing connection. Students will receive an Advanced Cobber Certification for the 5-week training workshop.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Sifting for plaster mix

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 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays afternoons to complement the hands-on experience.
Students arrive on Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The workshop begins at 4pm with the Opening Circle followed by a Host Site Orientation and Introduction to the Project. Dinner is served at 6pm, and will be followed by an Introduction to the 5-week Workshop by the Instructors Krystal Alexander and Merle Jahn.

Our host Ariella (on the right) at her first cob workshop in Portugal!

Monday morning we begin digging the trench for our Cob Building!!!!
Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:45 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. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 60-minute lecture, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner, in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming if possible, and just relax. 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 (once a week) after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Mondays are reserved for our weekly Council Circle.Weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, with Instructor approval.
The 35-day Course will offer practical learning by building a complete 10m2-15m2 (depending on number of students) 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, Art, Electrical & Plumbing installation), Floor, Plaster & Roof.

DAILY SCHEDULE

The Advanced Cob Building Workshop begins on a Sunday at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 5 weeks later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch. Students can arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food needs unless a work trade is approved by Host.
The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:
8:00-8:45 Breakfast
9:00-1:00 Class
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF’s)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)
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 wiring and plumbing in walls
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plasters (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (2 layers)
preparing walls for roof connection
building roof frame
putting on sheathing and other elements
building green roof
In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:
legal cob construction practices & the international cob
code
cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, interning and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal

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 (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Carving Knife
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)
Hammer
Rounded triangular trowel
Level
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Wood Chisel
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Safety Glasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Sample of Your Soil (Optional)

***VERY IMPORTANT***

Closing the reciprocal roof, Casais 2022

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/learning hours unless ill or have some other significant 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. In addition Instructors try to set up building work according to students’ preferences and learning needs.

Casais, Portugal 2022 “ahhh, plaster bliss”

Teacher Lea leading the plaster mix instruction

That being said, the workshop intensity also changes from week 1 to week 5. The first foundation week breaks people in with the work of moving, lifting, rolling and placing rocks and is a new and demanding physical experience for most students. It also includes the first layers and coat of cob floor. The second and third weeks of cob making and building are similar to the rock foundation week in physical demand but are more flowing and active in movement and cardiovascular exercise. The
fourth week finally slows down and the body can rest as students tap into their creative source and design and sculpt the walls and around niches, shelves, windows, etc. Plastering follows sculpting and is also an 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. In the fifth week, the roof is the beginning of a change of pace from the
earthen building work to carpentry skills, power tools, drilliing, hammering, screwing, trimming, etc. But now the workshop is in its final stretch and there is a boost of energy to wrap up the green roof and the second floor coat and closing of the wall, the grand finale on the last day.For students wanting a more mellow slow-paced cob experience along with time for personal exploration and experimentation, these workshops are not for you. However you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that are usually for a shorter period building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller-scale project.
Students are required to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” before the workshop begins and any other books they find, as well as watching our “International Cob Workshop”
videos on Claudine’s YouTube channel, 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 can adjust appropriately. It is totally OK to come for the lecture/theory part, and then help the building part in less physically demanding ways, ie cutting straw, sifting for plaster, hammering nails into frames or shelves, sculpting, plastering, cutting bottles. There is alot to do besides making and building with cob!!!!

Always a masterpiece!

Finally, please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the Course
including meals. Please share your dietary restrictions/allergies with CCG as soon as you register. 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 may 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 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!

INSTRUCTORS

JOSHUA BURG (Cob Instructor)

Josh with North Carolina Hosts and co-teacher Paula Carneiro celebrating the end of the build and their new home!
I am a carpenter and residential remodeler based out of Portland, OR, and have been transitioning out of conventional construction and into the world of natural building. Growing up in an adobe home in central New Mexico, earthen architecture has always held a special place in my Soul. Years of conventional building have convinced me that the way forward is really to look backwards…to our collective heritage as muddy humans making homes from healthy, abundant, earthen materials. As a teaching assistant in 2022, I brought my carpentry experience to help build a community space at the CruzinCobGlobal
relaxing after the completion of another reciprocal roof primary structure…
Headquarters in the Azores.
Then earlier this year, I joined fellow Brazilian cobber Paula Carneiro to co-teach a 5-week full build workshop in North Carolina, where we completed a beautiful 175 sq ft “cobbin” for hosts Molly and Daniel, above. I am so excited to further my CCG journey in Tennessee, where I will be the Main Instructor assisted by my student and colleague, Sara Crippen. Vamos!

SARA CRIPPEN (Cob Assistant)

home sweet home…
I was born and raised in the Great Plains of Iowa, where my love for the Earth, building, tending land, and connecting with the Divine through movement was first fostered. I grew up working in conventional construction and landscaping with my family. In 2012 I had the opportunity to be a natural building apprentice with The Possibility Alliance in NE Missouri. Having seen the
first-hand effects of conventional construction, from irresponsible resource extraction to health problems of families living in those dwellings, I recognized the infinite possibilities for freedom and abundance that natural building offers. Over the years I honed my skills while living in the mountains of
teaching women in Mexico
south-central Mexico by building with strawbale, light clay straw, cob ovens, living roofs, superadobe, earthen floors, lime plasters, and clay plasters. While there, I hosted and taught natural building and permaculture workshops for women in Spanish.
This year I dove into building a whole cob cottage with CCG and fell in love all over again with Natural
Building, as well as the community here in the US. Cob embodies all the qualities I hope to foster in my daily life. It is forgiving, abundant, cozy, protective, purifying, and flexible, yet sturdy. Cob creates community and cohesiveness between the land and humanity. I can’t wait to build something beautiful with all of you.

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Students will have 3 delicious, hearty vegetarian meals a day Monday through Friday. There will also be a Welcome Dinner on the first Sunday night, a Celebration Dinner on the last Saturday night, and a Goodbye Brunch on Sunday morning after the Closing Circle.
On weekends students are on their own for food, and can travel and explore the area, go camping or stay onsite. They will have access to the kitchen and any leftovers from the week. Otherwise they will need to get their own food for the weekend and can collaborate to get rides to the food stores in town.
All students will be camping onsite for this workshop. Students who don’t want to camp can find other local accommodations (ask Host for suggestions) but will need to be able to get to the site on time every weekday. They can also carcamp obviously.

TRANSPORTATION

Students driving in will receive directions to the workshop site in the Welcome Letter sent a month before the start date. Nearest airports are Huntsville, Alabama and Nashville, TN. More information will be sent regarding transportation from the airports to the site, unless students share rental cars. There will be one shuttle on Saturday and one on Sunday from Nashville/Huntsville to site, depending on where students are arriving.

REGISTRATION

Super Chill Bird Rate: $2700, pay in full by July 30th, 2023
Payment includes tuition, camping and weekday meals plus first and last dinners and last brunch.
To register, please email claudinedesiree@gmail.com or send standard text or Whatsapp text to (831) 212-7225 with your email address to receive the two registration forms. Payment can be made by Zelle, Venmo and Paypal using claudinedesiree@gmail.com. With Paypal, please check the “Send to Family and Friends” box or add 3% for the fee. If you are using a credit card with Venmo or Paypal please add 3% for the transaction fee. Venmo ID is @claudine-desiree.
Europeans and others who want to pay in Euros can make a bank transfer to a European account or use Wise to convert into Euros.
It is preferable that you pay in full when you pay however 50% deposit is required to hold your place with the rest due by July 30th at the latest.
We always offer four work trade discounts of $250 each for an hour of work each class day. These positions are filled at this time. Full payment or 50% deposit to hold your spot with final balance due by July 30th.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who cancel before June 25th, 2023 will receive a full refund minus a 5% administration fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel after June 25th, 2023 and before July 30th, 2023 will receive a full refund minus 10% admin fee or a credit for another workshop within 2 years.
Students who cancel after July 30th will not receive a refund or a credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation beyond their control, in which case they will receive a credit to be used within 2 years, minus 10% fee.
*Work traders who cancel after June 25th will receive a full refund of what they have paid minus $250.

EXCITED TO COB WITH YOU IN 2023!!!

Arts Of Mosaic and Stone with Teo Briseno
2023-09-01 08:00 - 2023-09-08 17:00 (America/Denver) | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
In this week long course, learn from Teo Briseno, landscape choreographer of 30 years professional experience. Get your hands and body weight into this playful conversation with age old materials and leave with the skills to start applying what you have learned at your home or in your professional journey. We will start with the basics of materials selection, and design conception and cover all the ways they can be mosaicked for the magic of transforming a space for both energy function and beauty. During the workshop we will be focusing on the theme of water within the Wanosh commons area. This will lead to weaving colored tile and different types of stone into the flagstone floors and both standard as well as curved steps .

Complete Cob Compost Toilet: A Mini Full-Build Foundation to Roof on São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal)
2023-09-01 16:00 - 2023-09-10 16:00 (Atlantic/Azores) | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
Students will be building a 5m2 cob compost toilet with 2 chambers and oceanview! The structure will be built from foundation to reciprocal green roof including plumbing for bidets, sculpting and plaster, as well as instruction on inserting electrical outlets, switches and housing (the toilet will not have electricity). Students attending this Mini Full-Build will learn almost everything we teach in the 5-week Advanced Cobber Certification Training (minus the cob floor) on a small scale and without inserting electricity. They will have all the skills to transfer to a larger build. However in order to assist a 5-week workshop they would need to take the longer workshop. They will still be eligible to build on CCG building projects.
For all the details visit: https://cruzincobglobal.org/events/complete-cob-compost-toilet-a-mini-full-build-foundation-to-roof-on-sao-miguel-island-azores-portugal/

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2023-09-11 - 2023-09-15 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: September 11 – September 15, 2023 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a cob house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building, mixing and applying lime plaster, building with cob, and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with the tarp method and with a mortar mixer!)
– How to build cob walls using traditional hand-sculpting and using innovative slipforms (learn all the great advantages of building cob walls with forms)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Lime Plaster and Earth Plaster (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster and earth plaster)
– Creating window and door frames (learn how to install frames into cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)

Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Building Solid Foundations (Learn all about constructing proper building foundations)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob 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 don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – 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!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each 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!

The 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, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and 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.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

“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!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“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!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There 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.
Nearby are the Meadow Creek Moundation Lodge in Parrottsville, TN, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private compost toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, but no electricity yet. Please bring your own solar generator if needed.

Food
Meals 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!
Each 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!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville 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.
Family & Groups
Ask about discounts. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/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.
Prices
Price: $499

Additional Discounts: 10% for family and friends participating together.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.

Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please click the “Sign Up Now” button above.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

A 7-Day Cob Rocket Stove Kitchen Workshop on São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal)
2023-09-17 14:00 - 2023-09-24 14:00 (Atlantic/Azores) | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
Eight students will build a high-efficiency (low fuel consumption and maximum burning efficiency) rocket stove for cooking in the cob cottage that will be completed in the previous workshop. Rocket stoves were developed for ecological and economic sustainability, especially targeting the poor countries where access to wood has become harder. The rocket stove system’s efficiency is due to the thermal insulation together with the double combustion and retro-heating of the airflow producing a longer duration of the heat inside the system and thus less heat loss to the outside. The enclosed chimney prevents cold air from coming in and directs any smoke to the outside, though since all the fuel is burned so efficiently, hardly any smoke or heat leaves the exit chimney, and is all directed to the cooking. While rocket stoves can be used for many different functions, ie air heating, water heating, stove, oven, smoker, furniture heating, floor heating, etc, we will focus on channeling the heat for cooking on a stovetop. Of course a by-product of the cooking heat in the cottage will be air heating.
More details at: https://cruzincobglobal.org/events/a-7-day-cob-rocket-stove-kitchen-workshop-in-the-azores-sao-miguel-island/

The Arts of Natural Plasters
2023-09-18 - 2023-09-29 | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
Instructors: Athena Steen, Michael G. Smith, Viva Hansen and Blair Phillips

Want a deep immersion into the Natural Plaster rabbit hole?
In this two-week course, you will learn from facilatators with over 70 years of combined experience. The workshop is appropriate both for beginners and for experienced builders who are ready to take their plastering skills to the next level. We will start with the basics of how to source and identify appropriate materials and understand how they work together in a sucessful plaster mix. Learn to mix plasters by hand and using machines including hand-held and rotary mortar mixers. You will get hands-on experience with applying every layer of plaster from base to finish plasters and natural paints. This workshop will have a special emphasis on proper tool selection, care and usage.

Some of the many finishing techniques you will learn include:
• Straw-clay base coats for wall shaping and protection
• Earthen finish plasters using both wild and purchased clays
• Lime-sand base, scratch and finish coats
• The alchemy of lime-earth combinations
• How to develop and test your own plaster recipes
• How to prepare every kinds of wall surface to receive natural plaster
• Simple, durable clay paints you can make yourself
• Low-relief and high-relief sculpting techniques
• Lime fresco for murals that will never fade
• Sgraffito: the art of carving through multiple layers of colored plasters
Daily hands-on plastering sessions will be supplemented with lectures on theoretical background and critical design considerations to make your plasters into durable, crack-free works of functional art. Additionally, we will take you on a trip through space and time with slideshows showing the arts of plasters from all around the world. Camping is included and all meals are prepared for you with food grown on site or locally sourced with your optimal health in mind. Families are welcome. Inquire for kiddo participation.
Get a 5% discount off the price of this or any other 2023 Wanosh workshop by entering the coupon code “Michael5” when you check out. Other offerings this year include round pole timber-framing, Rocket Mass Heaters, and more! https://wanosh.org/

Arts of Plaster with Athena Steen, Michael G Smith, Viva Hansen, Blair Phillips
2023-09-18 08:00 - 2023-09-29 17:00 (America/Denver) | Wanosh Forest Gardens, Willits, CA, United States
In this two-week course, you will learn from facilatators with over 70 years of combined experience. The workshop is appropriate both for beginners and for experienced builders who are ready to take their plastering skills to the next level. We will start with the basics of how to source and identify appropriate materials and understand how they work together in a sucessful plaster mix. Learn to mix plasters by hand and using machines including hand-held and rotary mortar mixers. You will get hands-on experience with applying every layer of plaster from base to finish plasters and natural paints. This workshop will have a special emphasis on proper tool selection, care and usage.

The Art of Natural Building
2023-09-30 17:00 - 2023-10-07 12:00 (America/Denver) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults or youth ages 12 and up accompanied by parents. This week long courses touches on many aspects and styles of natural building, allowing you to get creative and have fun with cob. Get your creative juices flowing sculpting and turning walls into works of art. This is a great course for those of you curious about natural building and wanting to experience a little more. This 7 days will touch on the basic knowledge you will need to create your own natural building.
Primitive tent camping sites are available near the build 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. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, unregistered children under 12 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.

Large Community Cob Oven
2023-10-05 - 2023-10-08 | The Farm Connection, 2161 NC 213 Hwy, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
Join us for an immersive and hands-on 4-day workshop where you’ll learn the art of building a large cob oven from the ground up. Cob ovens are not only functional for baking delicious wood-fired pizzas and bread but also add a touch of rustic charm to your outdoor space. Guided by experienced natural builder Morgan Caraway of Sustainable Life School (https://sustainablelifeschool.com/), this workshop will empower you with the skills and knowledge needed to create your own functional and aesthetically pleasing cob oven.
Workshop Details:
Day 1: Foundation and Base The journey begins with understanding the importance of a solid foundation. Participants will learn about site selection, materials sourcing, and the basics of cob mixture. This day we will build the foundation.
Day 2: Forming the Oven Dome Discover the secrets of shaping the oven dome to achieve optimal heat retention and distribution. We will spend day 2 forming the dome and adding the first earthen layer.
Day 3: Insulation and Aesthetics This day delves into the critical aspects of insulation to ensure your oven retains heat efficiently. Explore various insulation techniques and materials while gaining insight into the final plastering process.
Day 4: Finishing Flourish and Culmination On this final day, participants will collectively put the finishing touches on the cob oven and master the art of earthen plastering. By the end of the day, you’ll have a completed cob oven to admire and take pride in.
Logistics:
Coffee will be available by 9am each day, and the day’s tasks will start shortly thereafter. Lunch will be served midday, and we will end our workday by about 5 pm.
Lunch will be vegan and gluten free with options for adding meat and/or cheese.
Free camping is available onsite, but space is limited so reach out as soon as possible to arrange camping. There will be noise from the road as we are off of a highway, so just be aware!
See our Lodging Options page for more lodging resources.
Why Attend: By participating in this 4-day cob oven workshop, you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to embark on your own cob building projects! Whether you’re a seasoned builder or new to the world of cob, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to engage with fellow enthusiasts, learn from experts, and create a functional piece of culinary art.
We will be under the shelter of a large timber frame structure that we will be building on Saturday September 9th. Join us for this preliminary shelter workshop, and be a part of the process from the very beginning as we build our outdoor kitchen!

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2023-10-09 - 2023-10-13 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: October 9 – October 13, 2023 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a cob house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building, mixing and applying lime plaster, building with cob, and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with the tarp method and with a mortar mixer!)
– How to build cob walls using traditional hand-sculpting and using innovative slipforms (learn all the great advantages of building cob walls with forms)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Lime Plaster and Earth Plaster (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster and earth plaster)
– Creating window and door frames (learn how to install frames into cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)

Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Building Solid Foundations (Learn all about constructing proper building foundations)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob 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 don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – 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!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each 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!

The 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, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and 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.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

“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!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“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!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There 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.
Nearby are the Meadow Creek Moundation Lodge in Parrottsville, TN, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private compost toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, but no electricity yet. Please bring your own solar generator if needed.

Food
Meals 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!
Each 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!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville 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.
Family & Groups
Ask about discounts. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/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.
Prices
Price: $499

Additional Discounts: 10% for family and friends participating together.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.

Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please click the “Sign Up Now” button above.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

Strawbale Building Workshop hosted by Oso Steen the Canelo Project
2023-10-10 08:00 - 2023-10-16 12:00 (America/Denver) | Sierra County, Kingston, New Mexcio, 88042
Oso Steen will be running a strawbale building workshop on our land in Sierra County, NM. We are building a 320 sq ft tiny home with locally sourced clay plaster. Partipants of the workshop will get hands on experience and instruction on putting up strawbale walls, raising a roof, and making and applying base coat clay plaster.

Cob Workshop – Exterior Plaster, Earthen Floor, Mass Sturucture
2023-10-27 09:00 - 2023-10-29 15:00 (America/Denver) | University California Riverside Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Parking Lot B, Palm Desert, CA, 92211, United States
This is an ongoing natural building project that is preparing us to establish a permaculture demonstration site on the campus. During our next workshop in October 2023, we will add a second coat of plaster to the interior and exterior of the shed, add an earthen floor and build benches on the exterior east and west walls. If we have time and enough students, we will start building the north wall, adding to our materials yard enclosure. Former students are invited back as volunteers.

Intro to Earthen Building Workshop
2023-10-30 - 2023-11-03 | Keystone Heights, Florida, Keystone Heights, FL, United States
Dates: October 30 – November 3, 2023 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Keystone Heights, Florida
Come and join us in Florida for our next Introduction to Earthen Building Workshop! We will be constructing a 6 foot tall rammed earth column, building a cob wall, and applying lime plaster to the cob cottage. A perfect class for beginners and experts alike! What makes this workshop unique is the opportunity to get hands-on experience with cob, rammed earth, and lime plaster! You will get the knowledge to build earthen building projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings. You will also get the opportunity to experience a completed cob building, which was built on-site from previous workshop students.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with rammed earth and cob, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in earthen building fundamentals. We will be constructing an outdoor rammed earth courtyard, and we will be studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic know-how and confidence to design and build your own earthen constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (with the traditional tarp method and with a mortar mixer!)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob and rammed earth (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building with rammed earth (we will be building a rammed earth 6 foot tall column)
– How to build foundations (learn hands-on how to build concrete foundations for earthen walls)
– Earthen and Lime Plaster (learn to mix and apply earthen plaster and lime plaster)
– Basic carpentry skills (learn how to build rammed earth forms)
Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Foundation Design (how to build strong foundations for heavy, earthen walls)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials
This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building earthen 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 earthen construction workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and earthen building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Keystone Heights, Florida.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:30 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!

The 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, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and 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.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

“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!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“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!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennesse

Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnB. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Stark and Waldo, per Google maps, and possibly in Keystone Heights.
Camping is FREE and is available throughout the property. There are plenty of great locations to set up a tent here. Multiple camp areas are available with oak trees shading the majority of the property. Trees can be used appropriately for hammocks & camp gear. Campers will have access to a clean bathroom and private outdoor shower.
A modernized, yet simple, building contains a flushable toilet with a private outdoor shower that’s tucked away. It is spacious with room to keep things up and dry.
Our location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools, in a single location. The water is well water and is drinkable, yet you may wish to bring your own.
Food
Meals will not be included in this workshop so participants will need to provide their own food. There are several local restaurants and grocery stores nearby the workshop site.
Each is responsible for their own meal preparation, unless decisions are made to share or combine. An hour for lunch is provided, allowing adequate time for a quick nap, a trip into town, fast food, cooking over the fire, or utilizing the grill. There is no official kitchen on site, but there is a small operational microwave, and a few pieces of kitchen camp gear available for use. Coolers are welcome and encouraged.
Local Places to Eat: McHenry’s (food & pub), Keystone Inn (country buffet, known for chicken) Hardee’s, McDonald’s, Subway, Johnny’s BBQ
Recreation & Surroundings
Bring a camp chair for some quality R&R. Build a community camp fire, while reflecting on the day. Enjoy the grassy area to throw a ball, walking trails through the woods, blackberry bushes, slightly traveled road that’s great for a leisurely walk, and the open field in the distance to spot deer, crane, & rabbits in the early mornings.
Family & Groups
Ask about discounts. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/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. Previous workshop parents have brought playpens, pop up tents, outside toys, and so forth. Children are welcome to explore through “hands-on” learning. It’s okay if they play in the dirt.
Prices
Price: $499

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-cob-workshop-keystone-heights-florida/
Additional Discounts: 10% for family and friends participating together.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.

Email me to register with the group or family discount. For regular registrations, please follow the “Sign Up Now” button above.
If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

Complete Cob Bungalow in Utuado, Puerto Rico
2024-01-21 16:00 - 2024-02-25 16:00 (America/Puerto_Rico) | Finca Remedio, Utuado, Utuado, Puerto Rico
INTRODUCTION & LOCATION

The mountains of Utuado surrounding the farm.

CruzinCobGlobal presents its first Carribbean workshop ever at Finca Remedio (visit website and Instagram page for more info), a 40-acre permaculture farm in the mountains of Puerto Rico, in January & February of 2024!. We are so excited to bring Cob to Puerto Rico and especially to the more indigenous traditional zone of Utuado, in the center of the island, where most people already live sustainably and from and in harmony with the land. The mountains of Utuado harbor a highly-fertile and mostly innocuous and

The Cañon Blanco River swimming hole nearby!

tranquil jungle environment with a more humid climate, clean rivers & waterfalls, fresh drinking water, breathtaking hikes and amazing views of the island. While the Finca is neighborless and a bit isolated, it is only a 10-minute car drive to the main town of Utuado, where everything can be found to support the workshop and students.

North Carolina Cob Workshop students built this beautiful version of what we build in our workshops…in May/June 2023, led by Josh Burg and Paula Carneiro!

Being a hurricane-prone location, we proudly bring our Cob Building as a first test site in the face of the 100+mph winds that can show up in summer and fall! Our monolithic Cob Cottage wall alone weighs about 30 tons and is an average of 10″ thick (larger at the base and narrower at the top). The reciprocal roof we build is also very heavy as it is framed with young tree trunks and has an extremely stable spiral configuration, in which each roundwood rafter supports and is supported by neighboring rafters in an interdependent structure. Any movement in the roof translates to a circular interlocking motion which strengthens it. Reciprocal roofs have no weak points as do rectangular post & beam roofs and buildings, in their corners. We will plaster with added protection for strong horizontal rains (in the rainy season) and always using only natural ingredients of course!

Proud Tennessee Cob students (September 2023) taking a much-deserved rest in week 5!

Our international workshops are always a beautiful life-changing and transformational experience as both the local and non-local students come together to build a small “house” in 5 weeks. Often the language and cultural differences at the start create the initial curiosities and desire to connect in other ways, and by week 2 the salsa dancing, singing, movement, and other personal activities at morning circle deepen the new bond and unite yet another Cob family at the heart level, sustained by and sustaining the physical work of building and creating for a common goal.
While the workshop will be taught primarily in English, if we have students that don’t speak English, we will be prepared to offer the teaching materials in both languages and support the Spanish-speaking students with simultaneous translation.

OUR HOSTS
We are your Hosts, Naldo and Alexa, and the caretakers of this precious land. We have been creating this homestead from the jungle for 7 years. “Finca Remedio is off-grid and off-road; we use solar power, gravity-fed fresh spring water and compost toilets. We have planted over 500 fruit trees in our dense forest, with the emphasis on cacao.

Naldo was born and raised in Puerto Rico near San Juan and is 38 years old. He went to California for college and met Alexa in Humboldt, Northern California. Naldo is very passionate about all things musical, he specializes in latin percussion, playing congas, bongos, timbales, clave etc. and has more

Naldo and a friend Alexandra jammin’ Boricua-style!

recently learned how to read music, play piano, bass, harmonium, DJ and is experimenting making electronic music. He is also interested in the healing arts with plant medicines and massage. He hosts men’s gatherings on our farm a few times a year.

Alexa was born in Southern California and is 35 years old. After college she travelled the world for 5 years as a backpacker, volunteer, artisan, rainbow triber, etc. until she met Naldo and they embarked on their journey together 9 years ago. Now Alexa is a dedicated homesteader learning all kinds of sustainability practices and DIY skills with farm harvests. She is also very

Yoga Retreat!

interested in the healing arts, medicine making and healing modalities, especially Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is happiest when singing. Alexa will be the main cook for the workshop. Naldo and Alexa are both devotees of Amma, the hugging mother and living Saint from Kerala. Amma is the guiding inspiration of Finca Remedio as we strive to provide a healing space for those seeking to elevate consciousness. The name Finca Remedio or Remedy farm symbolizes this intention of being medicine, the medicine of nature, community and spirit. Remedio – returning to a balanced medium.

Four-dome newly-painted neon pink superadobe home seen from the garden!

After Hurricane María we built a 4- dome Superadobe home with the guidance of our teacher Ayal Bryant and the support of volunteers. We also have 4 dogs (not good if you are afraid of dogs) 2 cats, 40 laying hens, and a humble vegetable garden. To sustain ourselves financially we offer community workshops most Sundays on a variety of healing arts, sustainability practices and artistic expressions. We also sell value-added products made from farm harvests like medicines, jams, hot sauces etc. and rent out a glamping deck on Airbnb. We are just two souls trying to grow and serve as much as we can in this human experience. You can see our project at fincaremedio.com as well as on FB and IG at Finca Remedio.

We live in an epically beautiful area with endless river spots, including our magical river, Cañon Blanco and los Morrones. Utuado is also home to one of the highest peaks on the island for adventurous hikers and the Caguana ceremonial park for those interested in prehispanic history.
Our farm is a deep nature experience in the steep mountains of the central mountain range. It is a very humid tropical rainforest and rains most days of the year. In January & February the weather is perfect, with cool nights and comfortable days ranging from 65-85 F. Usually it rains less this time of year but it will still rain. We recommend being rain-ready with rubber farm boots, rain jacket, tarp for hanging over your tent, rain jacket, umbrella, hat, long pants and long sleeves with quick-drying fabric. Also you should bring a swimsuit, quick-dry towels, head lamp, sleeping bag etc. We can do a quick trip to the local hardware store for students who want to buy boots, tarps, ropes etc.
Students will be camping on our land, where we have flat spots for tents not far from the communal kitchen deck and build site, the compost toilets and cold showers. We are blessed to have lots of clean water. Our farm is bordered by two creeks and a crystalline river, Rio Pellejas, which has epic swimming holes and waterfalls for the adventurous hikers (300 steps down a steep slope). Fortunately our forest is a balanced ecosystem and mosquitoes are not a big problem,

Our home-grown cacao beans for making chocolate!

and you won/t even notice them if you wear pants. This is a very friendly jungle and there are no dangerous spiders or snakes. Our farm is relatively isolated, we have no close by neighbors and the town of Utuado is a 10-minute drive away. We are 40 mins from the town and beaches of Arecibo, 50 minutes from the town of Ponce, and 1h20mins from San Juan. You can see Finca Remedio on Google Maps. If you want to travel the island on the weekends we recommend renting a car or hitchhiking. There is very limited public transportation in Puerto Rico and now Uber is beginning to serve more areas, including ours. We do have WIFI and most cell phone carriers have good service in our zone.

Ecstatic Dance celebration with DJ Naldo!

The glamourous glamping deck

Alexa and Naldo with Shanti, Rama, Oxun and Laksmi!

Superadobe living room!

Communal kitchen nook for guests

Superadobe living room

home-grown chocloates!

Communal kitchen deck

Sauerkraut fermentation workshop

Altar to Amma, the hugging Saint

At Sardinera beach 45 minutes away

THE PROJECT
We will be building a 14m2/150ft2 round cob bungalow/cottage for Alexa and Naldo’s Finca that will serve as an additional dry structure on our very wet land. It might be used for receiving friends, family, volunteers, giving massages, as a music studio and probably will be rented out during the high tourist season to generate income for our project. This will be their 2nd natural building and first Cob building. Their existing home is a Superadobe structure with 4 domed areas that was built over 3 months with many volunteers. Students in this Advanced Cobber Certification training will, as always, learn all the steps to building a complete cob building from scratch: digging the trench and building a stone foundation and pouring the floor in week 1, building the monolithic cob wall with all its detailed insertions in weeks 2 & 3, sculpting the wall in week 3, plastering in week 4, building the completed roof in weeks 4 & 5 and finally finishing and oiling the wall on the last day of week 5.

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Tennessee Beauty built by 12 newly-certified Cobbers and led by Josh Burg and Sara Crippen in September 2023

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 Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The workshop begins at 4pm with the Opening Circle followed by a Host Site Orientation and Introduction to the Project. Dinner is served at 6pm, and will be followed by an Introduction to the 5-week Workshop by Instructors Claudine Désirée and Josh Burg. Monday morning we begin digging the trench for our Cob Building!!!!
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. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 60-minute lecture, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin

Adding stones to the wall for filler and more thermal mass!

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.

The final wall beautification before plastering!

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 (once a week) after dinner for showing slides,videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are mostly free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Mondays are reserved for our weekly Council Circle, where we do a deeper sharing and listening to attend to the inner worlds of our students and staff during this intense experience.

Outrageously-decorated kitchen counter window! Who would wanna leave the sink???

On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, with Instructor approval. Weekend meals are provided by students who can use the kitchen. Hosts will take students to Utuado to buy food for the weekend.
The 35-day Course will offer practical learning by building a complete 10m2-15m2 (depending on number of students) 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, Art, Electrical Housing & Plumbing preparation), Floor, Plaster & Roof.

DAILY SCHEDULE
The Advanced Cob Building Workshop begins on a Sunday at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 5 weeks later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch. Students can arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs unless a work trade is approved by Host.
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’s)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)
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 plasters (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (1 layer)
preparing walls for roof connection
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on sheathing and other elements (if applicable)
installing metal roof covering
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, interning 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 (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)
Level (2ft)
Hammer (if possible)
Japanese plastering trowels (email:goldhillclayplaster@gmail.com)
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Wood Chisel
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Safety Glasses
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)

***VERY IMPORTANT***

Weeks 2 & 3….COOOOOB every day till you can do a mix in under 10 minutes!

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/learning hours unless ill or have some other significant 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. In addition Instructors try to set up building work according to students’ preferences and learning needs.

Brady the cob sculptor in recovery from a previous life of computer programming!

That being said, the workshop intensity also changes from week 1 to week 5. The first foundation week breaks people in with the work of moving, lifting, rolling and placing rocks and is a new and demanding physical 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 and active in movement and cardiovascular exercise. On Thursday & Friday of week 3, the workshop takes a turn and slows down and the body can rest as students tap into their creative source now and design and sculpt the walls and around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with visual beauty and meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by Host(s).

Sandy’s first Cob Sculpture after Color and Finishing Plaster Work! Now is that satisfying or what???

Plastering follows sculpting and is also an 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, the roof begins. This part is the beginning of a change of pace from the earthen building work to carpentry skills, power tools, 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, these workshops are not for you. However you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that are usually for a shorter period building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.

Cooper Green filmed our whole North Carolina workshop to create this YouTube series on building with Cob! Check it out!

Students are required to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” before the workshop begins and any other books they find or listed on our Resources page, ideally on plastering and reciprocal roof building, as well as watching our “International Cob Workshop” videos 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).

Chris in the cob zone…

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 can adjust appropriately. It is totally OK to come for the lecture/theory part, and sometimes help the building part in less physically demanding ways if you have physical limitations, ie cutting straw, sifting for plaster, hammering nails into frames or shelves, sculpting, plastering, cutting bottles. There is alot to do to support making and building with cob!!!!

Chillin’ after a hard days’ COB!

Finally, please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the Course including meals. 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!

INSTRUCTORS
Claudine Désirée

Claudine and her best most dependable trustworthy first tool given to her by a carpenter in Santa Cruz, blessing her journey!

Well here I am back in the Instructor’s seat for a Puerto Rico workshop, el Caribe, my Soul. I grew up in NYC on the 22nd floor of the Mayfair Towers building, next door to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and who would ever have thought I would end up being the “International Cob Queen”, biking around 4 continents for 5 years leading cob workshops where my Heart called me. And the Carribbean is where my parents took us for every vacation and the culture has been a part of my life since I was little. So…. I was determined to teach in Cuba or Puerto Rico this winter, and make it happen with great hosts. Again I will be landing with bike and bike bags and riding up the steep climbs to the Finca Remedio to meet Alexa, Naldo and their animal family and discover Utuado and the mountains of Puerto Rico as well as their healing land. Adding another workshop to the more than 100 I have taught since 2004 and never getting tired of COB and sharing the passion and joy and love for the act of building with these most natural materials with newbies. This year has been a significant marker for me in transitioning from Instructor to Trainer of Instructors and what a team we have already! Josh

Welcome to my Quinta in São Miguel, Azores Islands, Portugal!

Burg will be co-teaching with me and I am so proud of Josh’s determined and swift decision to follow his Heart into the Natural Building world several years ago! We are so blessed to have him in the Instructor seat! Josh is one of the kindest, most humble, talented, intelligent and dedicated beings I know who can teach a full workshop with patience, love, laughter and joy emanating from his Being every day. His passion for Cob oozes out of each of his cells. He is taking these workshops to the next level, along with our other Instructor Nicolas Pimentel from Chile.
Of course I will use my skill and love of languages to add the Spanish element to this workshop and so look forward to having another intercultural mutilingual workshop where we will actually be dancing salsa with live music daily for our Morning Circle! In all my years of leading workshps, it’s the finest way to start the day! So you better start warmin’ those hips up! Maybe we will even put together a Salsa de Cob and invent some new moves! Of course focusing on the build the rest of the time:) Nos vemos en Puerto Rico en 2024!

Josh Burg

And another Reciprocal Roof standing proud with The Builder Burg at the helm!

Josh is a natural builder and carpenter, originally from New Mexico and now living in Portland, OR, with a background in conventional construction and DJing large events before he followed his heart’s call into Earthen Building. Growing up in an adobe home in central New Mexico, earthen architecture has always held a special place in Josh’s soul. A landscaper since the age of 15, Josh studied Environmental Science at the University of New Mexico, and was always drawn back to working with his hands as a builder. Years of conventional building convinced him that the way forward is really to look backwards…to our collective heritage as humans creating homes from the natural materials that surround us. As a teaching assistant in 2022, Josh brought his carpentry experience to help build a community space at CruzinCobGlobal headquarters in the Azores.

A moment of chill with the Cob in Tennessee (September 2023)

In May of 2023, Josh joined fellow Brazilian Cobber and Instructor Paula Carneiro to co-teach a 5-week full build in North Carolina, where the 12 students completed a beautiful 175 sq ft Cob Home for hosts Molly and Daniel. This was Josh’s first Instructor position and it opened him to an even greater passion for teaching and leading these workshops. He learned alot in this first workshop about teaching and managing within a tight schedule and was able to take this experience to lead the next workshop just three months later with an even greater level of confidence and success. Assisted by Sara Crippen in Tennessee, their group of students completed one of the most beautiful and extensive cob bungalows ever finished in a 5-week workshop! You can see these builds on the Insta pages for “cruzincobglobal” and “theburglr” Merging the worlds of carpentry, earthen materials, music, and clay-therapy, Josh is excited to reunite with his Cob Sensei for another amazing project in the Puerto Rican jungle. Vamos!

Josh and Sara admiring this Cob masterpiece created by their 11 students in just 5 weeks of intensive learning and building!

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday and lighter breakfast supplies for students to prepare will be available on Saturday morning for those that will be onsite. Meals will be vegetarian and locally-based as much as possible, including farm produce and eggs!
We will attend to vegan and gluten-free diets if needed but any other restrictions & allergies that require extensive preparation needs will not be able to be honored. And kitchen will only be accessible on weekends for students.
Camping is the only accommodations offered at the workshop. Other possible indoor housing may be available and may require a rental car. Please inquire with Claudine. Please bring a good tent and lightweight sleeping bag and mat and pillow or camping hammock.

TRANSPORTATION

Students from outside the island should fly into SJU (San Juan airport). Hosts can organize group transport to and from the Finca for a fee (1.5 hour drive). Students should arrive on Sunday morning ideally but may arrive on Saturday as well remembering that workshop meals begin on Sunday evening and kitchen will be busy for workshop. Hosts will organize a ride into town for pre-workshop food supplies for students arriving on Saturday, who are free to use the communal kitchen.
As stated above in “Our Hosts” section, students wanting to move around freely can share a rental car for the duration of the workshop or just on the weekends. Otherwise there is hitchhiking and Uber and hosts will also offer rides when they go into Utuado or Arecibo.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: USD$2500, paid in full by November 21, 2023
Early Bird Rate: USD$2600, paid in full by December 21, 2023
Standard Rate: USD$2700, paid in full by January 7, 2023
We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a $250 discount on either food or tuition for working one hour each weekday supporting the site before breakfast 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 can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in USD using the Wise app/website using same email.
If you are a low-income local Puerto Rican resident, we are offering 5 discounted spots that will require some type of work exchange helpful to the Instructors or Hosts. Please contact claudinedesiree@gmail.com or Whatsapp +1(831) 212-7225 for information.
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. Deadline is Jauary 7th, 2023.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by December 1, 2023 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by January 1, 2023 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after January 1, 2023 will not receive a refund or credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation or other reason out of their control. They will receive a credit for two years minus the 10% admin fee.

SEE YOU IN THE MUUUUUUD!

Claudine and Josh in the Azores in front of Claudine’s first 2-story cob house and the first legal permitted cob building in the Azores Islands of Portugal!!!

Complete Cottage Build with Cobitat Natural Building
2024-03-02 08:00 - 2024-04-06 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Maui Majesty, Kula, HI, United States
Complete Cabin Build in Hawaii

Offered by Cobitat. Go here to see this workshop on our website
Five weeks from Foundation to Roof

The Farm at Maui Majesty
Maui, Hawaii
Saturday, March 2, 2024 – Saturday, April 6, 2024 (5 Weeks)

Number of Students: up to 13 (Just 3 spots left!)
Cost: $2700
This workshop was planned before the devastating fires on Maui. While our host’s farm has not been impacted by the fires themselves, the community has been. We are moving forward with this educational workshop because we feel strongly that earthen construction is one of the strategies to employ for an uncertain future with the potential for more frequest and destructive wildfires.
The Building Project
During this five week workshop we will build a beautiful 200 square foot cabin and an earthen bread/pizza oven. Starting with a rubble trench foundation and earth bag stem wall we will build a complete cabin with windows, doors, shelves, basic electric and plumbing, arches, niches, artwork, finish plasters and roof. It will be a combination of cob, straw bale, adobe, bale-cob, wood-cob, and more!
Participants will leave with the knowledge and hands-on experience to build their own small cabin and oven and even teach a basic cob course.
About the Site
From their website:
The Farm at Maui Majesty is a 24+ acre farm in the heart of Maui, on the slopes of the Haleakalā volcano, in lower Kula on the island of Maui in Hawaii, USA. Our location is incredibly beautiful with bi-coastal ocean views as well as views to the top of Haleakela. While we are in the middle of farm country here, we are only 12 minutes to the major town of Kahului which hosts the main harbor/port, airport, and the main industry of the island. We are just up the road from several other of Maui’s famous farms including Surfing Goat Dairy and Ocean Vodka.
Maui Majesty promotes education around living WITH the land, more than living off the land. As a professor at several universities and as a licensed therapist, Dr. Holstein, owner/founder of Maui Majesty, is supremely passionate about this work and works hard to live in harmony with nature. We have facilitated work-groups in medicine making, growing food and medicine, and regenerative sustainability. Our courses address topics such as earth batteries, atmospheric water generation, composting toilets, biogas, cob building, passive solar, and other regenerative systems that allow humans to enjoy modern conveniences in a way that is “off-grid”. Most importantly we are working on systems that do not use up natural resources faster than the earth can regenerate them, systems that do not cause harm to other living creatures or the environment and hopefully even enhance them.
Overview
This is one of the most comprehensive natural building workshops you can find. Together, VersaTerra instructors have decades of experience on four different continents. This has helped us design rich learning experiences giving students the tools they need to become confident earthen builders.
Earth is the mother of all building materials. For millennia, and all over the world, people have used earth to build beautiful, simple, efficient and inexpensive homes. It’s plentiful, ecological, and non-toxic. Plus, it can’t burn, won’t rot and is much simpler to build with than conventional construction.
We will teach you how to use clay-soil to build just about everything: from strong structural walls (cob and adobe) to beautiful floors, plasters and light-straw-clay walls. Because the materials are fireproof, they are ideally suited to sculpt ovens, fireplaces and cook stoves.
The essence of your learning experience will revolve around developing a deep understanding of how to process and combine a few simple materials: clay-soil, sand, and straw. How you apply that in your building adventures is then up to you, but you will find the possibilities endless and exciting.
What you will learn
After this workshop, you will feel confident that you can

Design and build yourself a cottage using earth (cob) and other natural materials

Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials

Build and use an earthen oven

Use natural materials to create garden walls and hot tubs

Teach a one-day natural building event yourself!

Specifically, you will get hands-on experience and skill development in the following areas:

Foundation systems, rubble trench, stem walls, earthbag construction (as a stem wall)

Identifying the right materials, screening, processing, testing, costs, amount calculations

Mixing cob efficiently

Making adobe bricks and using straw bales (“balecob”) and cordwood cob

Building with cob: strong sculptural walls, arches, windows and doors, niches, and sculptural artwork

Electricity and plumbing, how to install wires and pipes in the walls

Roof attachment and roof design

Light-straw-clay: this is an infill technique perfect for code-approved buildings and natural renovations of existing homes

Natural plasters, tools, making your own plasters and paints, colors, applications, how to apply it on earthen and bale walls, drywall, wood, concrete

Tamped floors, finished earthen floors in natural buildings, earthen floors in existing homes on plywood, oriented strand board, and concrete

Earthen ovens: from start to finish and how to use them (we’ll finish with a pizza party!)

Different design strategies, natural design essentials, passive solar, using cob to make models

Building codes, how they work, how to work with and around them

During every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a careful look at different climates and regions, living with families or in communities, dealing with the building code, physical and financial challenges, appropriate technologies and more.
Kyle’s book, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” and Conrad’s, “House of Earth” are both included with the workshop and will be mailed before we begin. They will serve as guidebooks for the workshop.
Lodging
There are tent spaces (bring your own tent), parking areas for RVs and camper vans, and a couple rustic cabins for anyone seeking such comforts (at extra cost). Composting toilets, outdoor covered sinks and showers are also provided.
Local Attractions
When in Hawaii one might as well take some time to enjoy the natural beauty. Our workshop schedule has half days on Saturdays with Sundays off.
Nearby is Haleakala volcano, the Road to Hana, whale watching, beaches for snorkeling & surfing, waterfalls, hikes, farms, resorts, and so much more. There are tons of websites that go into more detail with lots of info on tourist attractions. We’ll likely plan some optional group outings once we’re together.
Pickup and Dropoff
Airport pickup and drop off is available from the Kahului Airport the Friday evening and Saturday morning before the workshop starts (12:00 start time on Saturday the 2nd) and on Saturday afternoon after the workshop ends.
Registration, Payment, & Refunds
This workshop requires a $700 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made, Kyle will reach out to you, welcome you to the course, and get you in the email loop with all the details.
Go here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $700 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted.
Deposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled, your deposit will not be refunded.
Full payment is requested by two weeks before the start of the class.
The Daily Schedule
We 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.
7:30 breakfast
8:30 building session one
1:00 lunch
3:00-6:00 building session two: other techniques, lectures, and oven building
7:00 Dinner
8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time
Delicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian.
START and FINISH: We begin on Saturday, March 2nd with lunch at 12:00 and end with lunch on Saturday, April 6th, after lunch.
Instructors
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.
Kathleen O’Brien started natural building with two VersaTerra workshops several years ago and has gone on to teach with us in India, Mexico, Oregon and Reno. She has extensive carpentry experience, is a certified permaculture designer and talented grower, and has over 20 years of public school teaching experience. She is an avid reader and writer and is currently building her own off-grid home at Long Ranch in Surprise Valley, Nevada.
Jonathan Vocke started natural building with a VersaTerra course years ago and has since built and taught with us in India, Mexico, and Nevada and on his own in his hometown of Baltimore. When not slinging mud he’s a professional musician and music teacher and an avid traveler and adventurer. Every workshop he’s a part of benefits from his musical talents, his energy, and his skill as a teacher.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and played with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer, urban garlic farmer, and former math teacher and school designer. 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.
VersaTerra* Certification
After full participation, every student will receive a VersaTerra certificate. We believe that after taking this workshop, participants are qualified to teach a weekend or cob oven event in their community. By providing a certificate, we want to empower our students to become facilitators of community revitalization through building with earth!
*VersaTerra is a holistic design, building, and living philosophy, celebrating clay-soil as its primary building material. Clay-soil is:

Plentiful, inexpensive or free, durable, easy to maintain and modify, and endlessly reusable

Non-toxic, breathable, soft, beautiful, and displays superior performance in a wide variety of climates

Sculptural by nature, inviting to work with needing only simple tools and methods, and easily combinable with other natural and human made materials.

By focusing on these specific qualities of clay-soil, we can make the design, building, and living process a conduit for community revitalization and personal transformation, while creating housing with dignity for the people of this world.

1-Day Intro to Cob
2024-04-20 | Mud Dauber School Campus, Snow Camp, NC, 27349, United States
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Danielle

STUDENT #: 15 students [maximum]

COST:
– $150 Early Bird Rate (30 days in advance)
– $175 Regular Rate
– 5% discount for family + friends participating together
– 10% discount for BIPOC participants
DESCRIPTION:
In this workshop you will learn what cob is, how to mix it, and how to use it to create a natural wall. We’ll also tour our campus to see and discuss our demonstration cottages, cob oven, and cob/strawbale garden walls. This is a great course for anyone who is interested in cob, but unsure of whether you want to take a more intensive course.
We’ll be mixing with our feet, and applying with our hands – dress to get muddy!

TOPICS COVERED:

* mixing cob by foot
* building with cob
* campus tour!

Rammed Earth, Cob, and Straw Workshop
2024-04-22 - 2024-04-26 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: April 22 – April 26, 2024 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our Rammed Earth, Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing a rammed earth wall, and working hands-on with both cob building and straw-clay building. This workshop is very unique because you will get hands-on experience with three different building techniques in one class. This workshop is perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with rammed earth, cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings.

This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with rammed earth, 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 rammed earth and cob versus high insulation straw materials. We will be constructing the wall on a new rammed earth bathroom accent piece, and a cob and straw-clay building. We will also be mixing and applying lime plaster on an existing cob building, and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own rammed earth, cob and straw constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to build and set up rammed earth forms for walls and structures.
– How to properly mix and compact rammed earth material into forms.
– How to choose the right materials for rammed earth, and how to add color to your layers.
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with the tarp method and with machinery)
– How to build cob walls using traditional hand-sculpting and using innovative slipforms (learn all the great advantages of building cob walls with forms)
– How to make straw-clay (also known as light-straw-clay)
– How to build highly insulating straw-clay walls (learn how to frame and pack the walls)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob and straw-clay (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Lime Plaster Finishing (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster finishes to your walls)
– Creating window and door frames in cob walls (learn how to install frames into cob walls)

Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Building Solid Foundations (learn all about constructing proper building foundations)
– Building codes and how to successfully get building permits for rammed earth homes, cob homes and straw homes.
– Best practices for building a healthy, non-toxic home.
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for rammed earth homes, cob homes and straw homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams. Proper roof ventilation practices!
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of all Natural Building materials, and how to hybridize them!

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building rammed earth homes, 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 rammed earth workshops, 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!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!

The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each 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!

The 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, LLC, 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.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

Alpaca Farm and Fiber Mill Tour!
As another added bonus to the workshop, we also offer a free alpaca farm and fiber mill tour at our neighbor’s Two Roots Farm. They have over 50 friendly alpacas, a fiber mill, and a gift shop! We usually go on this tour Wednesday after class.

Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

“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!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“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!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There 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.
Nearby are the Meadow Creek Moundation Lodge in Parrottsville, TN, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private portable toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, but no electricity yet. Please bring your own solar generator if needed.

Food
Meals 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!
Each 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!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville 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.
Family & Group 10% Discounts
Ask 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.
Children/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.
Prices
Price: $499

Additional Discounts: 10% for family and friends participating together.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.

Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please click the “Sign Up Now” button above.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

Annual Artisan Clay Event 4/24/24 – 4/28/24
2024-04-24 15:00 - 2024-04-28 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Join us for the first event of its kind where we have three powerhouse natural building artisans teaching together – Athena Steen, Betty Seaman and Cat Taylor.
You can’t get a better ABC of teachers in one place at one time! Together they have countless years of hands-on experience as artists, artisans and natural builders.
This event will take place in Texas at Cob Hill Natural Building School and will incorporate elements of cob, plasters and wood to build beautiful whimsical sculptures. No experience of natural building is required and this workshop is open to anybody interested in experiencing the broad spectrum of possibilities using natural materials, for not only building but artistic sculpting.
Expect lots of fun, laughter, bonding, music by the fire and a general relaxed good time while being amazed at what you can create! All women are educators, designers and builders of natural structures. These ladies all know how to have a good time while doing what they love!
Athena Steen is a world renowned natural plasterer and straw bale home designer and builder who has written many books and traveled extensively throughout the world teaching plastering techniques with artistic vision. She has done projects in many locations including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and museums in Japan. Athena is a founder of the Canelo Project, a NonProfit with a vision to connect people, culture and nature.
Betty Seaman has taught workshops all over the US for decades. She is a very experienced artist of many modalities including natural building, leatherworker, and beadwork. Betty was one of the first instructors at Cob Cottage Company. She describes herself as an accidental natural builder and has created her own unintentional community at Spirit Pine Sanctuary in Northern California.
Cat Taylor is a recognized and award winning artistic sculptor with great enthusiasm for natural building. Cat was featured on Discovery Channel while building her 2200 sq ft bale/cob home in NorthEast Texas. She founded Cob Hill Natural Building School as part of NaturalBuildingOrg, a NonProfit, benefiting Veterans and Youth in 2018. Cat is passionate about teaching natural building.
This is going to be a popular event, sign up early to guarantee your spot! This event does not qualify for NaturalBuildingOrgs LOL (Lifetime of Learning) Program or any other discounts.
