Cob Workshops

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2022-06-20 - 2022-06-24 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: June 20 – June 24, 2022 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Jonesborough, 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 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 cob building.
Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a mortar mixer)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building cob walls (learn my four steps to efficient cob wall building)
– Creating window and door frames (how to build and attach frames to cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)
– Earthen Plaster (learn to mix and apply earth plaster)
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 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 Jonesborough, 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 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, Tennessee
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 Jonesborough, Gray, and Johnson City.
Camping is FREE, but space is limited on the property so let us know ahead of time if you will be camping or lodging off-site. Campers will have access to a portable toilet and private outdoor shower.
The location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools.

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 food and a quick nap or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site. Coolers are welcome and encouraged.
Recreation & Surroundings
Jonesborough 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 short driving distance.
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.

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-to-cob-workshop-jonesborough-tennessee-june-2022/
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 Building Basics Cob Workshop
2022-06-11 - 2022-06-21 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults who intend to build their own cob home, or who seek to begin their learning journey toward helping others realize their natural building dreams! Test your grit during 10 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor teaches the techniques and skills you will need to get from the foundation to the roofing system. We will learn about site placement and preparation, dig a rubble trench, stack a stone stem wall, tamp subfloors, set windows and of course cob, cob, cob!
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, children or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill.
$1000 tuition includes a $200 deposit to secure your spot that is is non-refundable unless NaturalBuildingOrg has to cancel the workshop for some unforeseen reason. Save $100 automatically if your registration includes two or more people. Active duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans with valid ID or DD214 may select the appropriate tuition tier to receive 20% off, and eligible Cob Hill Lifetime of Learning (L.o.L.) Members can register as such by selecting that tuition tier. If you do not pay in full, the balance will automatically be charged to your card 30 days prior to start date unless you cancel prior to that. Please see also our Payment and Refund Policy at NaturalBuildingOrg.com

4-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2022-06-09 - 2022-06-12, 2022-05-19 - 2022-05-22 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$700 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$780 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: This course is offered 2 times- May 19-22nd or June 9-12th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Rebecca
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide a full understanding of some common natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, and slip-straw. We will be working on two demonstration cottages (12’x12’ or smaller): one of cob, and one with straw-based walls. Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project.
You will gain insight into which wall systems fit your potential projects best, how to combine different natural materials, how to organize an efficient worksite, and what tools + materials you’ll need to acquire.

Hands-On Topics:

* mixing cob by foot, and by machine
* building with cob
* installing straw bales and slip-straw within a structural wood frame
* preparing a strawbale wall for plaster
* mixing and applying clay plasters
* installing windows/doors

Discussion:
* “Drainage, Footings + Foundations”
* “Roofing Options”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll get to tour all the campus buildings while discussing building methods, plus general Q+A

How is the 4-day course different from the 5-day version? The 4-day and 5-day Immersions cover the same curriculum, but the 5-day allows for more time with each topic. Our 5-day also includes an afternoon tour to two, local natural homes!

For more info, check out the workshops page of our website.

Natural Building Cob Certification Course
2022-06-08 - 2022-06-29 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults who wish to begin their learning journey toward helping others realize their natural building dreams as part of a build crew or to supervise their own home build! Test your grit during 21 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor teaches the techniques and skills you will need to get from the foundation to the roofing system—selecting and prepping the site, digging a rubble trench, stacking a stone stem wall, tamping subfloors, setting windows and of course cobbing!

VersaTerra 10-day Complete Cob & Natural Building Intensive
2022-06-07 12:00 - 2022-06-17 12:00 (America/Denver) | Rosewater Ranch, 30 minutes north of Reno, Nevada, Reno, CA, United States
VersaTerra10 @ Rosewater Ranch
Long Valley, CA
Natural Building at a Ranch and Community

Dates: Tuesday, 6/7/2022 – Friday, 6/17/2022 (10 days)
Number of Students: up to 15
Cost: $1350

The Building Project
During this ten day workshop we will build a beautiful garden wall, an earthen bread/pizza oven, and plaster the new cob cabin built during our workshop in 2021. Within the garden wall, we will incorporate all the features of a wall in an earthen house: windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, arches, niches, and artwork.
(We don’t start a whole building in a shorter workshop, as attractive as that may sound; it will have people do too much of one thing (mixing cob and wall building) while not being able to learn the other important aspects of natural building in a meaningful way, such as roof variations, natural plasters, earthen floors and design.)
About the Site
Rosewater Ranch sits at the north-eastern base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, on the edge of coniferous alpine forest and sagebrush steppe. The land is a delight of transitional eco-tones on a slope that runs from tall pines down to open grassland. The sky is big and the stars shine bright. Not far from Reno, NV, the ranch has a sunny and dry climate in the rain shadow of the Sierras, though high enough at 5,200 feet to receive a full share of winter and snow. In June days are typically sunny and warm – lovely working weather and nights can be cool.
Rosewater Ranch itself is a project 7 years in the making. The community’s goal is “…to become a multi-generational little village of farming, land-loving folk who can live small and beautifully and pass on a worthwhile future for those yet to come. Through our own best efforts at good living, community events and education, and a patient dialogue with the land, we hope to shape and adapt ourselves to be welcome here and to spark others into their own forms of work for a culture of generosity, inclusion, and belonging.”
At the moment, Rosewater Ranch has a small nucleus of human residents, a homestead goat dairy, a free-range flock of hens, homestead gardens and orchards, pigs, dogs, cats, and also on site are Loping Coyote Farms plant nursery and Prema Farm, an organic vegetable market farm.
Wifi is available on site and cell coverage is good.
Lodging
Tent spots and car/camper/van parking are sprinkled across the property
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 cob cottage
Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials
Build and use an earthen oven
Use cob 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. You will learn how to make the right materials and how to install them
Natural plasters, tools, making your own plasters and paints, colors, applications, how to apply it on earthen walls, drywall, wood, concrete
Tamped floors, finish 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 (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.
Our book “House of Earth” will be used as a textbook for the workshop.
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 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.

8:00 breakfast
9:00 building with cob
1:00 lunch
3:00 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 with occasional meat options.
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 one-day 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.
Pickup and Dropoff
Airport pickup and dropoff is available from the Reno Airport, Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Contact Kyle to arrange a lift.
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.
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 three years ago and has since built and taught with us in India, Mexico, and Reno. When not slinging mud he’s a professional musician and music teacher in Baltimore. He brings his love of music and his skill as a teacher to every workshop. He is a talented builder and is particularly passionate about dry-stack stone work.
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.
Registration
Go here​ to register

Rocket Mass Heater Workshop
2022-06-04 10:00 - 16:30 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
In this one day workshop you will learn how to build a Rocket Mass Heater. Learn about the principals behind creating these high temperature, beautiful, and efficient wood burning stoves.
This hands on class is located at Spiritwood Natural Building, in Victor Montana. Attendees will join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to build a rocket mass heater in an existing strawbale workshop.
This class will demonstrate the materials and tools needed to build your own stove. Participants will gain hands on experience building a J style rocket mass heater and view and discuss the larger “batch” style rocket mass heaters in a finished balecob home.
​Food is not provided. Participants should bring a lunch to this workshop.
Space is limited to 10 participants.

9-Day Pizza & Bread Oven Workshop
2022-05-29 08:00 - 2022-06-07 17:00 (Europe/Lisbon)
Learn how to build a natural, wood-fired oven for pizza and bread!
We will start with a foundation of natural rocks from the area, and then build layer by layer of this insulated work of art that will feed family, friends and other workshops after us. You will get an overview of the theory behind oven and natural building and a good amount of hands-on experience, so you are ready to build your own oven after the workshop. Experience sustainable community building and non-violent-communication. Earn a Natural Builder Certification and enjoy the beautiful region of Coimbra on the weekends.

For more information and registration, please go to https://permaskills.org/pizza-oven-workshop/

2-Day Cob Oven
2022-05-28 - 2022-05-29, 2022-04-23 - 2022-04-24 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$350 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$390 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: This course is offered 2 times- April 23/24th, or May 28/29th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Rebecca
Cob ovens are an inexpensive type of wood-fired oven. They can be used to make delicious pizza, bread, roasted veggies, baked beans, etc…. anything you can do in a conventional oven, but with more evenly-distributed heat, better flavor, and more opportunity to make baking into a fun event.
In addition to constructing a complete, basic oven, we will simultaneously be building a connected countertop. The countertop will be a great introduction to building with cob, and combining it with strawbales in a hybrid system.

HANDS-ON TOPICS:
* installing the subfloor insulation layer, and the thermal mass subfloor
* installing the firebrick floor
* constructing the thermal cob dome
* installing an insulation dome
* mixing and applying a scratch plaster
* building a cob and strawbale countertop base
DISCUSSION:
* different options for cob oven design (chimneys, size variation, sculptural layers…)
* how to fire and use a cob oven! (we will use one for a pizza dinner!)

VersaTerra 10-day Complete Cob & Natural Building Intensive
2022-05-23 12:00 - 2022-06-02 12:00 (America/Denver) | Be the Change Project, 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
VersaTerra 10 @ Be the Change Project
Reno, NV
Natural Building in the Urban/Suburban Setting

Dates: Monday, 5/23/2022- Thursday, 6/2/2022 (10 days)
Number of Students: up to 12
Cost: $1350

The Building Project
During this ten day workshop we will build a beautiful earthen wall that will be part of a 200 square foot cabin and an earthen bread/pizza oven. We’ll also do interior plaster work on a conventional building. The cabin will be a future off-grid affordable rental unit.
(We don’t start a whole building in a shorter workshop, as attractive as that may sound; it will have people do too much of one thing [mixing cob and wall building] while not being able to learn the other important aspects of natural building in a meaningful way, such as roof variations, natural plasters, earthen floors and design.)
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 sites for campers.
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 cob cottage
Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials
Build and use an earthen oven
Use cob 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. You will learn how to make the right materials and how to install them
Natural plasters, tools, making your own plasters and paints, colors, applications, how to apply it on earthen walls, drywall, wood, concrete
Tamped floors, finish 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 (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.
Our book “House of Earth” will be used as a textbook for the workshop.
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 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.

8:00 breakfast
9:00 building with cob
1:00 lunch
3:00 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 with occasional meat options.
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 one-day 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.
Pickup and Dropoff
Airport pickup and dropoff is available from the Reno Airport, Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Contact Kyle to arrange a lift.
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.
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 three years ago and has since built and taught with us in India, Mexico, and Reno. When not slinging mud he’s a professional musician and music teacher in Baltimore. He brings his love of music and his skill as a teacher to every workshop. He is a talented builder and is particularly passionate about dry-stack stone work.
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.
Registration
Go here to register

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2022-05-16 - 2022-05-20 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: May 16 – May 20, 2022 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Jonesborough, 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 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 cob building.
Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a mortar mixer)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building cob walls (learn my four steps to efficient cob wall building)
– Creating window and door frames (how to build and attach frames to cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)
– Earthen Plaster (learn to mix and apply earth plaster)
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)
– Foundations design (how to build strong foundation 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 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 Jonesborough, 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 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, Tennessee
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 Jonesborough, Gray, and Johnson City.
Camping is FREE, but space is limited on the property so let us know ahead of time if you will be camping or lodging off-site. Campers will have access to a portable toilet and private outdoor shower.
The location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools.

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 food and a quick nap or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site. Coolers are welcome and encouraged.
Recreation & Surroundings
Jonesborough 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 short driving distance.
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.

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-to-cob-workshop-jonesborough-tennessee-may-2022/
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.

5-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2022-05-10 - 2022-05-14 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$875 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$975 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: This course is offered 2 times- May 10-14th or June 22-26th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Rebecca
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide a full understanding of some common natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, and slip-straw. We will be working on two demonstration cottages (12’x12’ or smaller): one of cob, and one with straw-based walls. Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project.
You will gain insight into which wall systems fit your potential projects best, how to combine different natural materials, how to organize an efficient worksite, and what tools + materials you’ll need to acquire.

Hands-on Topics:
* mixing cob by foot, and by machine
* building with cob
* installing straw bales and slip-straw within a structural wood frame
* preparing a strawbale wall for plaster
* mixing and applying clay plasters
* installing windows/doors

Discussion:
* “Drainage, Footings + Foundations”
* “Roofing Options”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll get to tour all the campus buildings while discussing building methods, plus general Q+A
* LOCAL HOME TOUR! we will take an afternoon to tour 2 strawbale homes – the homeowners will cover: “the owner/builder experience”, “timber framing”, and “off-grid technologies”

How is the 4-day course different from the 5-day version? The 4-day and 5-day Immersions cover the same curriculum, but the 5-day allows for more time with each topic. Our 5-day also includes an afternoon tour to two, local natural homes!

For more information, check out the workshops page on our website.

Dry Stone Wall Workshop 2022
2022-04-30 - 2022-05-03 | The Year of Mud, 2777 Hammonds Fork Road, Mount Vernon, KY, 40456, United States
Want to learn the craft of dry stone wall construction? If so, join us for our 4 day introductory Dry Stone Wall Workshop. In this course, you’ll get hands-on experience building a dry stone retaining wall with two highly talented & professional dry stone wallers. Instructors will lead our workshop crew through all the necessary steps in creating a beautiful, long-lasting dry stone retaining wall using traditional methods. This class is a must for anyone interested in learning the ins and outs of working with local stone to create beautiful landscaping features.
Please visit The Year of Mud’s Dry Stone Wall Workshop page for more details.

Learn to Build with Cob
2022-04-29 08:00 - 2022-04-30 14:00 (America/Denver) | University California Riverside Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Parking Lot B, Palm Desert, CA, 92211, United States
Join us on the Campus of University of California Palm Desert Campus for a 2-day cob class where we will continue working on our materials yard project. During our 3-day course last month, March 18-20, 2022, 17 students completed half of 32′ long wall that is the first of 4 unconnected structures. This is an ongoing natural building project that is the beginning of establishing a permaculture demonstration site on the campus. We have several orgs involved in the umbrella project including UCR Palm Desert, DiHG Eco-Prise, Inc., UC Naturalists, UC Climate Stewards, UCCE Master Gardeners, Riverside County Department of Waste Resources and more. During this course you will learn to mix cob out of sand, clay and straw and build with it. You will also learn how to mix and apply a finishing plaster. We will work on some finer details of natural building as well such as how to create features like cubbies and arches as well as how to install lentils for windows and doors. On Saturday, Susan will give a 30-minute presentation about developing a Permaculture Demonstration Site on Campus as part of the 1st Annual Wild Coachella Day being held in conjunction with the natural building class. There is lots to learn and experience and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Outdoor Wood-Fired Cooking Complex with Cob Oven & Rocket-Lorena Stove in New Mexico
2022-04-24 - 2022-05-15 | Florentia, 116 Paseo Encantado NE, Santa Fe, NM, 87506, United States
This 3-week workshop offers students the opportunity to design and build a clay-based wood-fired cooking complex. Using locally sourced materials, students will collaborate to create a traditional ‘beehive’ oven adjacent to a rocket – Lorena stove multi-surface cook top. A prep counter and earthen benches are included as well, time and energy permitting.

This workshop is an opportunity to learn about the operational principles of wood-fired cooking, both through the traditional oven, and the rocket stove. Terribly practical and pan-applicable, the skills acquired through this course provide you with relevant knowledge to cook efficiently and comfortably without the need for propane or electricity.
There will be ample time for sculpting, artistic details and creativity, as well as optional extracurricular activities in the evenings.
Beginning with the foundation for the cooking complex and analysis and testing of soil, this workshop gives students a secure understanding of cob building. This is where the practical aspects of earthen construction begin. Students will familiarize themselves with the principles of insulation, heat retention, and draft, knowledge that can be applied to most if not all earthen construction in general.
Please visit website for all the information and to register. This will be a small personalized workshop and there are currently 6 spots open. Registration deadline is March 25th, 2022

Earthen Floor Workshop
2022-04-22 09:00 - 2022-06-23 17:00 (America/Denver) | Sage Oasis, Hot Springs Montana, Hot Springs Montana, MT, 59845, United States
Earthen Floor Workshop

In this two day workshop you will learn how to install an earthen floor, or “poured-adobe” floor from locally sourced materials. Learn about the materials, process and durability of these beautiful floors and leave with the skills and knowledge to install your own.
This workshop is located at the Sage Oasis Retreat Center, located near Hot Springs Montana. Attendees will Join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to install an earthen floor in an existing greenhouse with the purpose of providing a healthy and natural floor for yoga and meditation.
Day One: Friday, April 22–Earth Day instructors will cover the materials, tools and techniques used in the construction of an earthen floor. Day one will also cover the mixing and installation of an earthen floor. Dress to get dirty!
Day Two: Saturday, April 23, attendees will get hands-on experience of the tools and materials used to finish an earthen floor with linseed oil while also
participating in the compression and smoothing of a large earthen floor.
Participants can participate in either or both of the classes. Classes are $75 for a day or $125 for both days. Contact Sage Oasis Retreat Center for accommodation pricing. Meals are not provided.
Date: April 22-23, 2022
Cost: $75-$125
Location: Sage Oasis Retreat Center, Hot Springs MT

35-Day MASTER Natural Building Workshop – Ruin Recycling & Restoration, Off-Grid
2022-04-17 09:00 - 2022-05-22 14:00 (Europe/London) | Ronya & Amar’s Happy Valley, Benfeita, Arganil, Portugal
From April 17th to May 22nd we will start another 35-Day Natural Building MASTER Certificate Workshop in a community near Benfeita in central Portugal. 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 the recycling of an old ruin, construction on a slope, a natural rock foundation, a wooden frame and roof, wattle & daub and cob walls, earthen floors, earthen plasters, tiled roof and even cob sculpting. This workshop will include an additional week with a batchrocket.pt workshop to build a Batch-Rocket-Mass-Heater!

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

Intro to Earthen Building Workshop
2022-04-11 - 2022-04-15 | Unnamed Venue, Keystone Heights, FL, United States
Dates: April 11 – April 15, 2022 (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 bench, and applying earth 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 earthen 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.
Earn A Certificate of Earthen Building!

Upon completion of this workshop, you will be awarded with a certificate of earthen building. This certificate is earned by all of our 5-day workshop students. It will be printed and signed by Alex for you to take home with you at the end of the week.
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 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

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.

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-cob-workshop-keystone-heights-florida/
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.

2-Day Hands-on Foundations
2022-04-02 - 2022-04-03 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$380 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$420 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: This course is offered 2 times- April 2/3rd or April 15/16th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 12
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Rebecca
Even a well-built structure is only as durable as its foundation, and foundations are challenging to repair later on. It’s really important to start with a good one!
Join us in constructing a start-to-finish foundation for a future cob building. We will begin with excavation, end by installing a cob bond beam across the foundation, and cover everything in between.
For this class, we will primarily be using recycled concrete (referred to as “urbanite”) for our masonry material. Our foundation will have some curves to it (not rectilinear in shape), and will be split into three segments, as a teaching tool. One section of the wall will be dry-laid urbanite. The second section will be urbanite laid in a cement-based mortar. The third will be a hybrid of poured concrete and stacked urbanite, installed within a temporary wooden formwork. Learning here with urbanite will translate to using stone, concrete block (CMUs), brick, or poured concrete. We will also have a pile of natural stone available to stack, for practice. Discussions will cover topics not explored through our hands-on work.

HANDS-ON TOPICS:
* excavating for a building foundation
* installing a rubble trench footing/drainage system
* constructing 3 different styles of masonry stemwall (dry-laid, mortared, and formed)
* practice stacking natural stone
* mixing and installing a cob bond beam layer atop the stemwall
DISCUSSION:
* alternatives to the rubble trench footing, and alternative stem-wall systems
* how to transition from a foundation to various wall systems
* we’ll also have a TOUR of existing foundations on our campus
* slideshow presentation

Raisin' the Roof
2022-03-19 - 2022-03-20 | Winnsboro, TX, United States
The father of NBO’s Cob for Vets family this year is over 90% disabled and served in Iraq and Syria. His wife is a two time cancer survivor and they have 5 beautiful children. Their land is located near Winnsboro, Texas. We will be kicking off their build with a 2- day “Raisin’ the Roof” event on March 19th – 20th.
We are actively seeking donations of building materials, labor and funds to help complete this build with as little cost to our Veteran family as possible. If you would like to donate your time, money or materials you can click on the Donate Button on our website, https://www.cobhillnaturalbuilding.com/donate or email us at NBOcob4vets@gmail.com.

2-Day Hands on Living Roofs
2022-03-19 - 2022-03-20 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$380 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$420 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: This course is offered 2 times- March 11/12th, or March 19/20th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 10
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Rebecca
Installing a green roof on your building can help it blend into the natural world around it, allow for an organic roof shape, and help to keep it cool during summer months.
In this workshop, we will be installing all the layers of a basic living roof, from rafters all the way to the final soil on top! You’ll get experience with basic power tools and hand tools during this course.

HANDS-ON TOPICS:
* measuring/cutting/installing rafters
* processing and installing locally-sawn boards into a roof deck
* constructing the “false fascia” and “finished fascia” layers
* installing the EPDM rubber liner, with protective layer beneath, and drainage outlets
* installing drainage and soil/living layers
DISCUSSION:
* alternative roof framing options (roundwood, conventional framing, etc…)
* alternative insulation options
* TOUR of existing living roofs on our campus
* slideshow presentation

Learn to Build with Cob
2022-03-18 09:00 - 2022-03-20 16:00 (America/Denver) | University California Riverside Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Parking Lot B, Palm Desert, CA, 92211, United States
Help build a cob structure that will serve as an outdoor sustainable education area that also provides a windbreak for compost. This project is part of a campus wide permaculture demonstration site, at the University of California Riverside in Palm Desert, CA. In this three day workshop, you will learn to build a stem wall with urban crete, mix cob and create a hand sculpted structure with clay, sand and straw. The photo shows a model of the structure we will be building in March. It has seating, work tops and back rest that will make it comfortable as it blocks the wind. The structure will be 200 square feet, 40′ long, 5′ wide and 4-5′ tall. We look forward to seeing you!

Intro to Earthen Building Workshop
2021-10-18 - 2021-10-22 | Unnamed Venue, Keystone Heights, FL, United States
Dates: October 18 – October 22, 2021 (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 bench, and applying earth 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 earthen 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 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)
– Rubble trench foundations (Plus general foundation building)
– 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.
Earn A Certificate of Earthen Building!

Upon completion of this workshop, you will be awarded with a certificate of earthen building. This certificate is earned by all of our 5-day workshop students. It will be printed and signed by Alex for you to take home with you at the end of the week.
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 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

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.

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-cob-workshop-keystone-heights-florida/
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.

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2021-09-27 - 2021-10-01 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: September 27th – October 1st, 2021 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Jonesborough, 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 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 cob building.
Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a mortar mixer)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building cob walls (learn my four steps to efficient cob wall building)
– Creating window and door frames (how to build and attach frames to cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)
– Earthen Plaster (learn to mix and apply earth plaster)
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)
– Rubble trench foundations (Plus general foundation building)
– 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 Jonesborough, 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 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, Tennessee
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 Jonesborough, Gray, and Johnson City.
Camping is FREE, but space is limited on the property so let us know ahead of time if you will be camping or lodging off-site. Campers will have access to a portable toilet and private outdoor shower.
The location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools.

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 food and a quick nap or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site. Coolers are welcome and encouraged.
Recreation & Surroundings
Jonesborough 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 short driving distance.
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.

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-to-cob-workshop-jonesborough-tennessee-september-2021/
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.

4-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-09-23 - 2021-09-26 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$550 Early Bird Discount (register before August 10th, 2021)
$600 Regular Fee
5% discount for family + friends participating together!
INCLUDED: 3 vegetarian meals a day (with one cob oven pizza party!), coffee + tea, space to set up a tent, access to our community bathhouse (hot showers and compost toilets)
**Inquire about renting a sleeping cottage for $20/night: muddauberschool@gmail.com

We will cover a lot of material in 4 days! Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project.
Join us in the construction of a tiny natural tool shed – we will build as much as we can in 4 days, with the goal of beginning to integrate the roof system! The exterior wall system will be a combination of cob/earthen walls, strawbale walls, and slip-straw walls. The foundation will be completed prior to the workshop, but we will have other hands-on foundation experience available during the course.

Our hands-on learning will cover:
– mixing cob by machine and by foot
– building and sculpting with cob
– mixing and installing slip-straw
– installing straw bales, and preparing them for plaster
– mixing and applying earthen plasters
– installing a window and/or door
– practice building foundations
– integrating a roof system atop a cob wall
Discussion topics include:
– “drainage, footings, and foundations”
– “roofing options”
– “cob vs strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”

The Art of Natural Plasters
2021-09-14 - 2021-09-19 | Abuela Gardens, 4649 Bear Canyon Rd., Willits, CA, 95490, United States
Delve into the world of natural plasters with two master craftspeople and teachers, Athena Steen of the Canelo Project and Michael G. Smith of strawclaywood.com. Learn to beautify and protect natural wall systems such as straw bale or cob and also to “naturalize” your conventional home with a fireproof and health-enhancing earthen finish. Clay plasters can be surprisingly durable, beautiful, economical, ecological, and are the easiest material for novice plasterers to develop their application skills. Some of the things you will learn include:

• Straw-clay sculpting plaster – good for sculpting and for thick protective plasters over vulnerable wall systems such as straw bale
• Troweled clay/sand/straw plaster for exterior and interior finishes
• Fine clay plaster with no straw for smooth finishes and wall carvings
• Abstract sculpting and decorative carving designs
• How to find, test, and ecologically harvest clay soil
• How to select and use Japanese trowels and hawks
• Surface preparation for plaster application over natural walls including straw bale, straw-clay, and cob
• How to apply clay plasters over sheetrock, painted walls, wood and even concrete surfaces to “naturalize” a conventional home
• How to develop and test your own earthen plaster recipes
• Adding glue, lime and other hardeners for exterior surfaces or wet situations
• Mixing plasters by hand and by machine
• How to design your home and select finishes for maximum durability

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Located 20 minutes from Willits in the heart of Mendocino County, Abuela Gardens is a working demonstration site dedicated to helping the growth and healing of all beings through a continued dialogue with nature, water, food, and medicine. This approach is accomplished by incorporating community, music, healing arts, and silence within a multidimensional design strategy. Our action plan is to communally care for the Earth by growing as much of our own food and medicine as possible, regenerating the forest and aquifer we depend on, building with earth and regeneratively harvested materials as well as developing habitat for a diverse interface of wild and domestic creatures including bees and hummingbirds. This workshop will enhance the infrastructure of the center by constructing a focal point for meeting and eating as well as cold storage for seeds, fermentations, roots and other food.

…

Three meals a day will be prepared on site, largely from local organic ingredients. Camping is also available on site. Access to the land is somewhat challenging due to our steep unpaved road. Participants will park nearby and be shuttled to the site. Guided morning yoga asana practice will be offered 2-3 times a week, with space available for your own practice the remaining mornings.

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Register at https://www.abuelagardens.com/services.
Questions? email Blair at info@abuelagardens.com

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Instructors:
Athena Steen was one of the pioneers of the straw bale revival, building her first straw bale home at the age of 19. In 1989, with husband Bill, she founded The Canelo Project, a center for natural building and cultural revival in southern Arizona. Together they have developed many innovations in straw and clay construction, ranging from simple straw bale pinning techniques to high-fiber “light adobes” to a revival of poured adobe floors. They emphasize everyone’s capacity to house themselves beautifully and inexpensively, using local natural materials and innate wisdom. They have worked extensively on low-income husing projects in Mexico and traveled and taught all over the world. Athena and Bill have also written half a dozen books, including “The Straw Bale House” (Chelsea Green, 1994). Well known for her artistry with natural finishes, Athena has collaborated on art museum installations at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. and several other museums. Learn more here: http://www.caneloproject.com
Michael G. Smith co-founded the Cob Cottage Company, along with Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley, in Oregon in 1993. He helped organize the first Natural Building Colloquium in 1994. He wrote “The Cobber’s Companion” in 1996 and co-authored “The Hand-Sculpted House” (Chelsea Green, 2002) and “The Art of Natural Building (2nd edition, New Society, 2015).” He has experience with a wide range of effective low-cost, low-tech building techniques including cob, straw bale, and many lightweight natural infill systems. He has taught hundreds of hands-on natural building workshops, ranging from one-day earthen oven builds for children to 12-week professional trainings. He enjoys consulting with owner builders to help them design and build successful energy-efficient natural homes. He is also on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Cob Research Institute, which wrote the first building code for cob in the world and successfully advocated for its adoption into the 2021 International Residential Code. With his partner and children, he stewards a 20-acre organic farm in Yolo County. Learn more at strawclaywood.com.

4-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-09-10 - 2021-09-13 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$550 Early Bird Discount (register before August 10th, 2021)
$600 Regular Fee
5% discount for family + friends participating together!
INCLUDED: 3 vegetarian meals a day (with one cob oven pizza party!), coffee + tea, space to set up a tent, access to our community bathhouse (hot showers and compost toilets)
**Inquire about renting a sleeping cottage for $20/night: muddauberschool@gmail.com

We will cover a lot of material in 4 days! Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project.
Join us in the construction of a tiny natural cottage – we will build as much as we can in 4 days, with the goal of beginning to integrate the roof system! The exterior wall system will be a combination of cob/earthen walls, strawbale walls, and slip-straw walls. The foundation will be completed prior to the workshop, but we will have other hands-on foundation experience available during the course.

Our hands-on learning will cover:
– mixing cob by machine and by foot
– building and sculpting with cob
– mixing and installing slip-straw
– installing straw bales, and preparing them for plaster
– mixing and applying earthen plasters
– installing a window and/or door
– practice building foundations
– integrating a roof system atop a cob wall
Discussion topics include:
– “drainage, footings, and foundations”
– “roofing options”
– “cob vs strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”

Natural Building Workshop Sep 6th – Oct 17th, 2021: We are building a PermaHome Guesthouse for Kim, Lucas & Robert’s new community in southern Italy
2021-09-06 16:00 - 2021-10-17 16:00 (America/Denver) | patiki.org – Villa Villecolla, Badolato, CZ, 88060, Italy
In this permaskills Natural Building Workshop we are building a PermaHome guesthouse for Kim, Lucas and Robert’s new tribe of free learning families in southern Italy. There are no skill requirements. You will learn everything you need to build an outdoor kitchen from foundation to roof.

From Sep 6th – Oct 17th, 2021 we will start another round of permaskills Natural Building Workshops near Badolato in Calabria, southern Italy. These workshops will provide you plenty of opportunity to get hands-on experience in Natural Building, all the skills and especially the confidence you need to build a cosy and natural house for yourself. The highlights of these workshops are an artistic granite stemwall and foundation, a natural round wood timber frame and reciprocal green roof, we will incorporate cob as well as strawbale and light-straw-clay walls, earthen floors, earthen plasters and even cob sculpting, a greenhouse and solar passive heat management.

Certification
permaskills Natural Building Certificate

Instruction language
English / English & German

Certification Levels
3 weeks: Intermediate
6 weeks: Master

Date
Sep 6th – Oct 17th, 2021

Location
Badolato, CZ, Italy

Building Style
PermaHome

Instructor
Robert Brendler

Hosts
Kim, Lucas & Robert (patiki.org)

Project: a PermaHome guesthouse
In this year’s permaskills Natural Building Workshops we will build Kim, Lucas & Robert a PermaHome guesthouse for their newly founded tribe of free learning families. They would like a room that can house 4-5 guests, maybe a little kitchen area to prepare snacks. Showers and Toilet will be created in a communal bathhouse next door.
Workshop: Natural Building – PermaHome
These permaskills Natural Building Workshops consists of theoretical instruction (in English or English & German) with lectures & graphics as well as hands-on construction for 7 – 8 hours a day. The successful completion of these Workshops gives you a Natural Building Certificate.
read more about Natural Building Certificate – Course Contents
In this permaskills Natural Building Workshop you can build a complete building from foundation through floors and walls to the roof with your own hands. We are trying to use only natural materials, so you know exactly what you are working and surround yourself with.
Extras
This PermaHome will get a reciprocal green roof, that we will build from locally available wood, and cover with the soil we find on the land.

Because this is an area with possibility of light earthquakes, we will talk about earthquake protection and apply what we learned on the building.

We will build a green house extension to plant some snacks and have a thermal buffer zone and passive heat in winter. The green house will include grey-water planters that can be fed from sink and showers.
Natural Builder Certification
You will receive a permaskills Natural Builder Certificate, all the teaching materials by email and the permaskills – Natural Builder’s Handbook, which is a summary of the workshop building steps, upon graduation.
Workshop Requirements
There are no skill requirements for these permaskills Natural Building Workshops! That said, it certainly won’t hurt if you know some things and put it to good use or share it with others. Nobody is perfect and we are always curious to learn other ways of doing things.
read more about Natural Building Certificate – Requirements

Workshop schedule

Arrival Sunday, 4 pm: Opening Circle / Welcome Dinner / Introduction
1st week: Foundation / Plumbing / 1st Floor
2nd week: Round pole timber Frame / Door and Window Frames
3rd week: Walls / Electrical / Windows
4th week: Walls / 1st Plaster / 2nd Plaster
5th week: Roof
6th week: Green house / 2nd Floor
Last Saturday, 10 am: Closing Circle

There is often someone who leads yoga or some other movement practice in the morning and/or the afternoon. We like to have one evening a week to show slides, videos or have workshop related debates. The rest of the time you can spend on your own, join a jam session or contribute something to share with the group.
Workshop Hosts: Kim, Lucas & Robert
Kim, Lucas and Robert would like us to come up with a smart design. The primary purpose of the project will be to serve as a guesthouse to accommodate workshop students, families of 4-5 or later permanent residents of the tribe.

Read more about the workshop location: Badolato.
Workshop Instructor
Robert ‘Cob-Rob’ Brendler has been doing construction work since the age of 12 when he accompanied his grandpa on construction sites during his summer vacation. He’s a Jack of all trades, experienced in Masonry, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical Wiring, Home Automation, Cob Building & Sculpting, Green-Roofs, Non Violent Communication, Teaching and Team-Building and is bringing it all together to give you a complete experience from foundation to roof. Robert loves the Natural Building Community and bringing together the kind of people that are interested in it. He loves teaching and the look on faces when people succeed in doing things they never imagined they could do.
Registration & Payment
Discounts
We always offer 4 work trade discounts, 2 in the kitchen making breakfast in the morning and 2 onsite in the morning before breakfast or in the afternoon between class and dinner. An ideal learning opportunity to get a glimpse on every detail of the build. Each work trade is 50€ off the tuition fees per week for one hour of help a day. To apply for these work trade positions please contact robert.brendler@permaskills.org.

MUDDY BUDDY DEAL: Register friends later, get the same discount. When the discount offer is ending soon, but your best friend isn’t sure yet. No problem, register now and secure the discount for the both of you.

Also please contact robert.brendler@permaskills.org for more information. Optional via Whatsapp +4915158593588.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!!!!

A Permitted 2-Story Cob & Light Clay Straw House w/ Rocket Mass Heater on São Miguel, Azores Islands in Portugal
2021-09-05 - 2021-10-31 | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
This workshop will be the longest, most diverse and most comprehensive one we have yet offered to our students. We will be completing a 2-story building with a criptomeria (local structural wood) post load-bearing structure, that will be permitted as a “warehouse/workspace” with cob (first floor) and light clay straw (2nd floor) walls with a covered (pocket) balcony, cob wall-embedded stairs, a tamped-cob floor, a rocket mass heater and a reciprocal green roof, our trademark workshop finishing touch.
This is super exciting as it will be the first 2-story structure built in a workshop and that I will personally have built as well. We have decided to make the second story out of a different natural building material, light clay straw, to give students exposure to another popular technique that is ideal for the Azorean slightly cooler winters with its higher insulation properties, has a faster building time, and is of lighter weight for the second story. We are hosting guest teacher Nicolas Pimentel, who started his natural building career with CruzinCobGlobal in the Azores on this very same island in 2017. He is now a licensed architect in Chile having fast-tracked a green building career in a variety of techniques including one of his favorites, “paja liviana” or “light clay straw”, suitable for the southern Chilean winters.
While the 50cm-wide foundation of this 37m2 (400 ft2)-footprint structure has already been built by local Azorean masons, we will spend the first week adding vertical stone layers in artistic shapes to the foundation guided by our local masons, to create a mixed volcanic stone and cob wall for he first story. This will speed up the building process and students will still get to experience local-style rock work. The following weeks will consist of filling in this rock’n’cob wall with cob and, as always, a myriad of aesthetic and functional elements like bottles, niches, shelves, embedded counters and tables, hooks, as well as basic electricity and plumbing, opening and fixed windows and several doors, including one to the balcony.
Once the first story wall with floor beams (for second floor) and tamped cob floor are completed, students will lay down the second story floor boards before beginning the light clay straw walls of the second story, led by Nicolas Pimentel. The reciprocal green roof will seal the building and the tops of the walls filled in before sculpting and plastering begin.
In the final week we have the honor to host my son and Rocket Stove aficionado Viva Hansen, who will lead the way in adding a wonderful element to the structure which will help take the edge off the cooler winter temperatures as well as dry the generally humid indoor air inside of buildings here. We will build a Rocket Mass Heater that will heat up cob couches built onto black volcanic bedrock that are inside of the building. The northern back wall will also be built onto this protruding bedrock. I am so excited to realize one of my dreams: to recreate the cozy warmth I felt inside of the Bedrock Cottage at the Cob Cottage Company, in which I lived for 5 days warmed up by the heat stored inside of a giant black rock onto which my cob bed frame was built!
This 8-week workshop is the longest one we will have offered, however we are also giving students who can only or only want to do an integrated portion, the option to do so. The 8-week students are our priority of course and will receive a reduced rate. We will offer two Early Bird rates for students taking only one or more portions of the workshop. These rates are for paying by July 5th and August 5th and the standard rate will apply afterwards. As always, we will offer 4 work trades, two in the kitchen preparing breakfast in the morning and 2 preparing the site in the morning and/or afternoon. These work trades are always off of the full/standard rate and will be prioritized for students taking the full 8-week workshop. See the Payment and Registration Info below. It is recommended people sign up as soon as possible so we can have room for everyone.
See all the rest of the info on our website event page:
https://cruzincobglobal.org/events/intermediate-cobber-certification-a-permitted-2-story-cob-and-light-clay-straw-house-with-rocket-mass-heater-on-sao-miguel-in-azores-portugal/
