Cob Workshops

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

…

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.

…

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

…

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 | 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/

The Fundamentals of Fast Cob…Everything you Need to get Building…Fast!
2021-08-28 15:30 - 2021-09-04 11:00 | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
The Fundamentals of Fast Cob
At a relaxed pace, we’ll learn and practice mixing and building Fast Cob. As the week progresses, you’ll gain the skills, confidence, and inspiration to build your own structures.
In 2018, a workshop of 4 people built a 12′ high by 8′ wide wall…and that was only half of what we accomplished. Last year, a workshop of 6 built a 16′ x 12′ wood shed (6′ tall) and got the rafters on!
Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start cobbing. Two morning, hands-on learning sessions sandwich a hearty snack break, A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session) precede two afternoon sessions to ensure that we absorb all the learning we can. After cleaning ourselves up, a hot dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community.
Every Fundamentals of Fast Cob Workshop includes:
Natural Building Design: working with nature to make long lasting, beautiful structures;
Fast Cob: how to mix it and build with it, incorporating windows and doors, electrical and plumbing;
Foundations and Roofs: various options and simple, elegant designs;
Finishing: learn how to make and use two natural plasters that are safe to work with, and extremely durable. You’ll also learn how to whitewash with natural lime.
After every lunch break, while we digest, we take learning tours of existing buildings to look at foundations, electrical, plumbing, floors, roofs, and general design. You get everything you need to go off and start building on your own because we design every workshop around you and your specific needs!
If you were disappointed to see this workshop sold out, we just had a cancellation and two spots have opened up!

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2021-08-23 - 2021-08-27 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: August 23 – August 27, 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-august-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.

A Complete Introduction to Earthen Building Techniques (Cob, Slip Straw, Wattle and Daub, Timber Framing)
2021-08-14 16:00 - 2021-08-21 09:00 | Clouds of El Pital Eco-Tourism Cooperative, El Pital Mountain, San Ignacio, Chalatenango, 503, El Salvador
Come and experience our small natural building community in the cloud forests of El Salvador´s highest mountain!
This workshop is being hosted by the Clouds of El Pital Eco-Tourism Collective. Our collective of five rural families from El Salvador has collectively built eight separate cob houses and cabins to host tourists in the beautiful El Trifinio Biosphere on the slopes of El Salvador´s highest mountain. The nearby cloud forest offers a beautiful site to learn about natural building techniques, permaculture, and sustainable living. Besides the actual building workshop, you will also be staying on a beautiful permaculture farm presenting the opportunity to learn about regenerative homesteading.
During this workshop, we will be building a beautiful restaurant for our eco-tourism collective in a beautiful pine and cedar forest. Participants will have the opportunity to experience and learn about all aspects of the building process, from rubble trenches and rock foundations, building cob, slip straw, wattle and daub, and cordwood walls, timber framing with cedar roundwood poles, installing doors and windows, plastering, and more.
This workshop offers you the opportunity to see several different earthen-built structures in different phases of construction. Besides staying in beautifully furnished cob and timber-framed cabins with fantastic views of El Salvador´s highest mountain, you will also have plenty of hands-on experience to learn a wide variety of natural building techniques.
The six full-day workshop costs $600 USD, and includes:

7 nights of lodging in private cob cabins (check out the AirBnb links below to see where you´ll be staying)
3 locally-harvested meals a day
All the coffee or tea you can drink
Private, shuttle transportation to/from the Salvadoran Airport
The workshop learning experience
Several free e-books on cob and natural building
A half-day hiking trip to visit the mystical cloud forest
We will also be visiting all of the cob structures that have been built in our community (over ten homes/cabins built by 5 families) to see how natural building positively impacts local communities.

While El Salvador receives lots of negative media attention due to violence, we are located in one of the safest parts of the country that receives a large influx of tourists. Furthermore, we are a tight knit community of small farmers that enjoy having people come and visit as guests.
For more information or to sign up, you can send us a message on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nubesdelpital), send us an email at: tobiasroberts20@hotmail.com, or contact us via Whatsapp at +503 7024 6928
We have a maximum of 12 spots available for this workshop, so contact us today with any questions you might have!
AirBnb links for cabins where you will be lodged during the workshop:
El Trigal: https://es.airbnb.com/rooms/21275949?source_impression_id=p3_1619801916_%2BfUb85GeymVwYS2%2F
Rosa de Montaña: https://es.airbnb.com/rooms/21276181?source_impression_id=p3_1619801948_yxNkVtnQ2belaboO
El Colibrí: https://es.airbnb.com/rooms/21239316?source_impression_id=p3_1619801993_zTZq4GvUXh5%2F75pZ

Natural Building Workshop Jul 26th – Aug 22nd, 2021: We are building an outdoor kitchen for Lotte and Floris in central Portugal
2021-07-26 - 2021-08-22 | Lotte & Floris in Elms Valley, Benfeita, Coimbra, Portugal
In this permaskills Natural Building Workshop we are building an outdoor kitchen, an earthen oven for Lotte and Floris’ in central Portugal. There are no skill requirements. You will learn everything you need to build an outdoor kitchen from foundation to roof.

From Jul 26th – Aug 22nd, 2021 we will start another round of permaskills Natural Building Workshops near Benfeita in Coimbra district, central Portugal. 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 an outdoor kitchen for yourself. The highlights of these workshops are a Schist stemwall and foundation, a natural round wood timber frame and reciprocal green roof, wattle & daub as well as cob walls, earthen floors, earthen plasters and even cob sculpting, Tadelakt, an earthen oven as well as a rocket mass heater.

Certification
permaskills Natural Building Certificate

Instruction language
English / English & German

Certification Levels
2 weeks: Beginner
4 weeks: Advanced

Date
Jul 26th – Aug 22nd, 2021

Location
Benfeita, Arganil, central Portugal

Building Style
Outdoor Kitchen, Earthen Oven

Instructor
Robert Brendler

Hosts
Lotte & Floris

Project: an outdoor kitchen, earthen oven
In these permaskills Natural Building Workshops we will build Lotte and Floris an outdoor kitchen, earthen oven. Two dreams they have with building an outdoor kitchen is to host pizza evenings for the local community and they want to get married on their land with a big feast made in the kitchen!
Workshop: Natural Building – Outdoor Kitchen
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 outdoor kitchen will get a reciprocal green roof, that we will build from locally available wood, and cover with the soil we find on the land.

In order to properly bake pizzas, breads and other delicacies, we will add an earthen oven and to this outdoor kitchen

Thanks to Floris being a professional for rocket mass heaters, he agreed to teach us how to build one on a weekend.
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 / Drainage / 1st Floor / Round pole timber Frame
2nd & 3rd week: Walls / Windows / 1st Plaster / 2nd Plaster / Earthen Oven
4th week: Green Roof / 2nd Floor / Tadelakt / Rocket Mass Heater
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.

Being part of the Awakened Life Project, Floris and Lotte gained a lot of experience with meditation and Self-inquiry. Lotte and Floris are very happy to share their experience with you and would love to create an open atmosphere in this workshop. They will be meditating every morning and will be very happy if you would like to join them. If you don’t have any experience they are also very happy to guide you in that.
Workshop Hosts: Lotte & Floris
Lotte and Floris would like us to come up with a smart design. The outdoor kitchen should include an earthen oven as well as a traditional schist stemwall so the building blends in with the surrounding ruins.

Floris and Lotte would be happy to host families in this workshop as Isa would love some playmates! One partner could be participating in the workshop and the other can be a guest or volunteer. Please get in touch to discuss the options.

Read more about Lotte & Floris, their project and the workshop location: Pardieiros, Benefeita.
read more about workshop hosts, project, location, accommodation and getting there
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@gmail.com.

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!!!!

Outdoor Cooking Complex with Cob Oven & Rocket-Fueled Lorena Stove Cooktop in New Mexico
2021-07-11 - 2021-08-01 | Florentia, 116 Paseo Encantado NE, Santa Fe, NM, 87506, United States
PROJECT
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 stove-fueled, Lorena-style 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.

SCHEDULE

The 3-week, Clay-Based Cooking Complex Workshop begins on Sunday, July 11th, 2021 at 4pm with an Opening Circle & Orientation to our Host’s Site, followed by our Welcome Dinner. After dinner Viva will introduce the workshop schedule.
The hands-on build will begin Monday morning at 8:30am after breakfast There is always optional meditation/yoga before breakfast that is either self-led or we may have a volunteer yoga teacher from the group. We will learn and build every day until 1pm, have lunch and rest until 2:30pm, and on MWF we will have lecture at 2:30pm for up to one hour before starting the afternoon session. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the afternoon building session will begin at 2:30pm and the day will end at 5:30pm so students can rest and have personal time before dinner. One night a week, instructor Viva Hansen will show slides and videos related to what is being covered that week. Weekends are free and students will have access to the kitchen, but be responsible for their own lunch and dinner. Breakfast food will be available for students to prepare on the weekends, or, you are welcome to bring your own nourishment.
On weekends, students may also leave the site and explore the beauty of the surrounding National forests, swimming holes, rivers, and hot springs during the weekends. There is ample beauty in this area of New Mexico, including the Pecos National Forest, the Taos Ski area, the High Road to Taos (lots of towns and camping areas and trails to explore), the Town of Truches and the Penasco Chimayo Dixon, Pilar (off the Rio Grande Gorge), Rio Grande trails and swimming holes and hot springs off the river. Host will share more information at the workshop Opening.
The last Saturday (July 31st) will be a day to wrap up anything unfinished, clean up the site, and relax together to use the oven for the Graduation Celebration Dinner. On Sunday morning August 1st, we will have a Closing Circle followed by a Goodbye Brunch to end the workshop.
*International or long-distance traveling students should arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in before the workshop begins.* Please let us know if that’s the case.
The detailed 3-week workshop schedule will be presented at the Introduction on Sunday evening.

Our daily schedule will be:
6:30-7:30 Yoga/Meditation
7:30-8:15 Breakfast
8:30 Morning Circle
9:00-1:00 Building
1:00-2:30 Lunch & Rest
2:30-3:30 Lecture MWF
3:30-6:00 Building MWF
2:30-5:30 Building TTh
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Other Activities

COURSE CONTENTS

Students will learn all the relevant steps to building an earthen oven, a rocket stove, and Lorena-style hot spot pot-wells designed for cooking. This process starts with a footprint, and a stone foundation. Using raw earth and adobes, we will carefully craft the multifaceted anatomy of our outdoor cooking complex. There are many strategic steps in the building process to ensure the proper functioning of both the oven and the rocket stove. Weekly lectures provide theoretical bolstering to the building, as well as weekly slideshows and videos related to natural building.
Our hands-on practice includes, but is not limited to:
digging the footprint for the cooking complex and possible benches
pouring gravel
building stone foundation
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
making adobes
deciding on correct mixture
making cob w/ partner and solo
building with cob
Possibly preparing and inserting shelves
Possibly inserting bottles and other objects
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plasters (1 coat)
building insulation layers for oven
making oven pad
building oven mold
building inner oven shell
building insulation layer
building final sculpted cob layer
applying plaster
building the rocket stove core
Fitting the pots and sculpting them into the pot wells

WORKSHOP REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Students will need to come to workshop and class/building site prepared.
This includes:
Work clothes
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes for foundation & roof days
Flip-flops for cobbing days
Work Gloves for rocks and carpentry
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Safety Glasses
Earplugs
Tape Measure
Sharp-toothed cheap wood saw
Rounded triangular metal trowel
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Sample of Your Soil (Optional)
Personal music playlists for working
Also, if you haven’t already, reading “The Hand-Sculpted House” by Ianto Evans, Linda Smiley and Michael Smith, or something equivalent, like “The Cobber’s Companion” by Becky Bee, or “House of Earth” by Conrad Rogue beforehand, will benefit you greatly. We encourage you to bring your natural building books with you!
While our cob trainings are physically demanding, in order to complete projects within the timeline of the workshop, we ask students to show up every day of class prepared for the day’s tasks. There will always be opportunities for lighter work here and there for students who are needing to go a bit slower. Cob building consists of many elements happening simultaneously that support the flow to be smooth and continuous. Sifting through straw, sifting clay soil and sand, cutting wood, and trimming are less physically intensive than making cob, moving materials, making breads, tossing them to the project…..just ask. In order to reach our goal of finishing in three weeks, everyone’s contribution is counted upon! We also design the size of the build and workshop based on the number of students. In the end you may be exhausted, but you will be very proud of our accomplishment!

TRANSPORT
Florenco Land Trust
My address is 119 Paseo Encantado NE, Santa Fe, NM. 87506, (following Google maps will take you on a long journey to a locked Gate above the property used only by the Fire Department)
Access: Hwy 78 to Florencio Rd, see directions below
Directions:
Coming from Santa Fe: Take the first Tesuque Village Market Exit to hwy 592, you will pass the famous Tesuque Village Market and Restaurant and a Post office.
Turn right at 592, Four Seasons Resort Sign, I am approx. 5 miles to Camino Chupadero.
Coming from Pojoaque, Taos, Espanola, take the Tesuque South Exit, pass the trailer court and make left onto hwy 592. Four Seasons Resort Sign, I am approx. 5 miles to Camino Chupadero.

You will come to a stop sign and follow towards Chupadero and Rio en Medio, it’s a steep grade down into the valley. Make a left onto Camino Chupadero and look for a yellow sign on the right, Florencio Rd. Make a left onto Florencio Rd, (a wooden fence and Turquoise door next to the entrance of Florencio follow slowly down the dirt road, it has a few dips and stay to your right when you see Florencio Trail pass Picaflor, the green gate is just on the right. It will be important to close the gate after you enter. Once you crest to the top stay to your right to the 2nd driveway which will have a white storage trailer on the left.
If you have 4WD it’s best to use it going up the hill not to tear up the gravel base.
All front wheel drives are fine to make the drive.
There will be places to park above and coming into the property, it is a long strip of 3.11 acres and not a lot of room to turn around. Roundabout at the top as you climb the hill.

LOGISTICS & FACILITIES

Arroyos are situated on all sides of the property. Three empty lots surround my land which are fine to walk on and explore. And near the gate is a short hike onto another arroyo.
The ground is clay, silt, and vegetation is fragile, please stay on designated paths, (human and animal) paths when possible.
Well Water:
Crystal Clear and has some Calcium deposits, great for drinking and washing
Spigot locations:
South East by the white Dome
South corner of the Carport (where hoses are set up for Solar Showering, equipment supplies
North of the Yurt next to the Wooden Portal
West of the Adobe Building
Southwest land is mostly clay and has places designated to walk on.
Electricity:
I have an electrical box for the well, and have made extensions for usage for the yurt, refrigeration and freezer, power tools
Minimal Power usage.
Bring your solar charges for lights and flashlights
Bring Solar charging items for phones if possible,
(will have to do time rotations)
Plug ins South of the Carport, White Dome and extensions by the Greenhouse.
Internet:
Satellite: for Internet
Signal Booster for cell phone service (will not need PW on your phone)
Internet Access: near the Yurt and phone service around the property and below to the gate.
Shaded areas, Deck, Portal, North sides of the Adobe house
Bathing: Solar Showers, rotation with Sun’s Rays South side of Carport
Compost Toilets: (possible porta potty)
Cooking, Preparations near Adobe House and Portal
Propane Tanks

Distances:
Tesuque Village 10 mins
Santa Fe downtown 20 mins
Santa Fe Airport 35 mins
Albuquerque Airport 1hr 15 mins from downtown Santa Fe
Shuttle service will drop off Downtown Santa Fe

Purchase supplies:
Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Sprouts
Gas stations: Santa Fe and Pojoaque
Hiking locations nearby farther away destinations
Ojo Caliente Hot Springs
Indian Ruins, Kivas, Petroglyphs
Santa Fe Plaza and Canyon Art Walk
Taos, Rio Grande, Pilar, Abiquiu Dam, Ghost Ranch and more

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS
Students will receive snacks and 3 delicious healthy vegetarian meals a day from Monday through Friday prepared by cooks. If there are meat-eaters we can offer some meat options throughout the week and on Fridays. We will ask about allergies and restrictions a month before the workshop. If you have favorite food snacks and needs you can’t live without, please bring them. On weekends, breakfast foods will be available for students to make for themselves. Lunch and dinner will not be served on weekends, but students can use the kitchen.
There will be options for car camping on the land, as well as pitching tents. There isn’t ample shade, but Melanie has a large adobe house where six or so students can tent. We are also working with a close neighbor to see if students can camp on their land. There will be two composting restrooms, and two private showering booths using solar showers for cleaning after each day. If you have a solar shower, please bring it!
****Additional Info from Melanie:
Camping:
Stake Tents inside the Adobe house, Room for 6
Winds can be an issue, best to be tucked into areas
There are a couple of places on the land, North, and East that have flat areas
Designated Fire Pits and above Ground Fireplaces
I will connect with the land owner in the area who may rent out space, it has no facilities,
protected areas and places to park. Water can be attained from the well.
Short 5 min walk to work sight
Next Door Neighborhood sight for Renting a house or two.
Supplies
Water jugs large and small
Sunscreen, hats, Sunglasses
Extra powered drinks for dehydration
Solar chargers
Flashlights, headlamps
Water bottles
Hot water Thermos
Warm sleeping bags
Warm clothes, rain and wind gear, dress in layers
Towels, toiletries

INSTRUCTOR

Viva Hansen was exposed to earthen building from a young age, but it wasn’t until his college years that he started to delve more deeply into Cob and other techniques of natural building. Over the course of the last 10 years, Viva has lead a handful of builds, done many solo projects, and taught a fair amount of workshops. He is particularly passionate about the integration of earthen masonry and fire, leading him to experiment with Rocket Mass Heaters, Lorena stoves, rocket stoves, and ovens. He is very aware of the uniquely therapeutic aspects of sculpture and design, and strives to make every project a piece of functional art. You may read his bio below.

As a kid, Cob was this strange empowering thing my mom did to build us a bigger home. I participated when I wanted, and skipped out when I didn’t. Though as time went on the Cob effect was undeniable. Every time a build was underway there was music and laughter and food and wisdom from people of all ages and backgrounds.
As I matured through my high school years I was able to involve myself with enough earthen building to feel its practical magic. Then one

summer I created an opportunity to build a meditation room with my high school physics teacher. His passionate involvement with our Indigenous community transformed the project into a spiritual experience. Throughout the summer we made long trips to sacred rivers and hand-picked beautiful stones for the foundation, often walking for miles on a trail with three or four stones in a backpack. Then as I finished my college experience and returned to California, the opportunity to join my mother on her journey bloomed.
For me, Cob is primarily a physical experience. It has always been about sweat and breath. The feel of different dirts and sands, straws and rocks. And it is a mystical experience, bringing me back to the earth. But what I have learned from the last year is that Cob building can be a tool to sew communities back together. To bring “strangers” into a common space and make them family. In that vein, Cob really is a product of my life philosophy. Something that I can stand behind fully because I know that from top to bottom it is peace, hard work, sustainable and love. Here is a short video I made last year that expresses these feelings better than written words. As I continue to learn in this life I will continue to share what Cob has shared with me.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
The fee for the 3-week Outdoor Cooking Complex workshop is $1800, which includes tuition, 2 snacks & 3 meals/day on workshop days and breakfast/brunch on weekends.
There is a maximum limit of 8 students.
To register please contact claudine@cruzincobglobal.org to receive application forms and payment information. To hold your spot in this training you will need to pay the full amount or a 50% deposit that will be non-refundable after June11th, 2021 (see below). The balance will be due by June 27th, two weeks before the start date.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel before June 11th you will get a full refund or credit towards another workshop to be used within 2 years. If you cancel after June 11th you will only get a credit and forfeit 10% of your payment or $180 for the last-minute cancellation.
We always offer work trades in our workshops depending on size of workshop. Here we will offer 2 work trades, one in the kitchen (making breakfast) and one onsite helping prep before breakfast. These work trades are for one hour per day of work in exchange for a $10 discount per workshop day. In this case work trader would receive $150 off and needs to put down 50% to hold their spot with the balance due by June 27th, 2021. Please inquire asap because these spots go first.
You can also contact Claudine by Whatsapp at +18312127225 for questions and registration.
SEE YOU IN THE MUD!!!!!

Natural Building Intensive
2021-07-10 09:00 - 2021-07-24 17:00 | Abuela Gardens, 4649 Bear Canyon Rd., Willits, CA, 95490, United States
– Cob
– Straw Bale
– Light Straw Clay
– Slip and Chip
– Ricecrete
– Mushroom blocks
– and more!

…

Instructors: Michael G. Smith, Colin Gillespie, Blair Phillips
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Learn skills, techniques, and design theory to create your own beautiful, durable, energy-efficient home from local and site-harvested materials. Most of each day will be spent practicing a wide range of hands-on natural building systems, some ancient and time-tested, others experimental. This workshop teaches a wide variety of techniques that you can choose depending on your climate and local material availability. We will also give you the theoretical knowledge to design a regionally appropriate passive solar home. Lectures, slide shows, demonstrations and tours will cover many topics including: sustainable forest management; ecological harvesting of timber and clay; overview of round pole timber framing; practical tests for soils and earthen mixes, manual and mechanical mixing techniques for earthen building; passive solar design; thermal and structural properties of natural building systems; hybrid natural building design; design for weather and durability; working with codes and permits; integrating art and sculpture; and natural plasters and finishes.
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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. At the end of the first week, we will take a field trip to the coast where we will visit other local natural buildings and receive a final gift of wood from the mama ocean.
…

Instructors:
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” (published by 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 cob for code 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.

Colin Gillespie has worked in the construction trades for over 20 years, with previous experience in integrative landscaping and sociology. He has dedicated himself to the study, mindful practice, and teaching of Natural Building, Permaculture Design, and Regenerative Forestry through numerous trainings and homestead development projects. Son of an architect and a physicist, his attention to detail coupled with a passion for creating beautiful and wholistic infrastructure and landscapes has inspired him to produce exemplary structures combining ancient and modern building techniques. Many of his projects feature elegant round pole timber frames coupled with thermally efficient straw bale, coated with robust contoured cob and plasters. Familiar with many systems of construction from stud frame, wood joinery, masonry, and several clay based mediums, Colin thrives on utilizing local natural resources, often straight from the building site. He champions keen observation, considerate visioning, thorough planning, all tempered with good humor and adaptability to allow long term efficiency, functionality and beauty to emerge naturally.

Blair Phillips, founder of Abuela Gardens, has a BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Agroecology and education. He is a certified permaculture designer and teacher who has studied with the best teachers including Dr. Elaine Ingham, Geoff Lawton, Darren Doherty, Penny Livingston, Brock Dolman, Ian Davidson, Steve Gliesman, Michael G. Smith, and Michael Flynn. Blair is also the founder of Common Vision, (www.commonvision.org) a nonprofit organization responsible for planting thousands of fruit trees in California, many of which were planted on school campuses by a waste vegetable oil powered caravan of earth educators. Blair has worked internationally to propagate an additional 7000 trees in Guinea, West Africa, and to build a superadobe dome structure for a school in Dogon country, Mali. Settling into the hills of Willits in 2012 inspired Blair to develop an intimate relationship with the watershed, designing his farm and homestead based on a regenerative relationship with the surrounding environment.

Earth Plasters and Finishes
2021-07-09 10:00 - 2021-07-11 16:00 | Heart Song Sanctuary, 658 Co. Rt. 6, High Falls, NY, 12440, United States
Learn to make and apply your own earth-based finish materials as we put the finishing touches on an earth and straw bale building! We will make earth plaster from site-harvested clay, as well as finish plaster from pottery clay, mix and apply lime plaster, and pigmented plasters and paints.
We will also mix and install an earthen floor, giving students the opportunity to learn different ways to incorporate earth finishes into their more conventional home.
What to expect:
Our days will be spent engaged in hands-on building and learning with natural materials. Expect a rich week (or weekend) of natural and community building with the group. We’ll work, learn, eat, and relax with each other in a positive, hard-working, fun atmosphere. Conversation on natural building will provide constant background chatter throughout the week. We’ll work on-site every day with a scheduled mid-week rest. Evenings are typically unscheduled so folks have time to enjoy the site, explore quaint nearby towns, or relax around the fire.
We will make time to tour the finished natural buildings on-site, and have a few focused discussions on building subjects such as foundations, passive solar design, wood framing, roofing, permits and codes, and more. Michael may give an interesting slideshow presentation on a rainy night.

The Site:
Our site is Heart Song Sanctuary, a beautiful 45 acre property with beautifully constructed natural buildings. The site features many acres of woods, a cleared meadow, swimming creek and pond. Accommodations for camping include an outdoor shower, compost toilet outhouse, and firepit gathering area.
Meals/Food preferences:
We will serve three meals daily, cooked on-site by staff. The food will be mostly vegetarian with a vegan option. Many of the ingredients will be sourced from local farms. Please indicate any food allergies upon registration.

Complete Cob Sauna (Foundation to Roof) in the Azores Islands, Portugal (Advanced Cobber Certification)
2021-07-04 - 2021-07-25 | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
PROJECT
We will be building a complete 6m2 to 7m2 sauna (depending on number of students) from foundation to roof in 3 weeks with 15 days of workshop learning and weekends for relaxation and exploring.
In this workshop, students will learn all the skills and knowledge offered in the longer Advanced Training on a smaller scale. It is a more affordable and less time-intensive opportunity to get a complete cob building experience, though clearly with much less practice time than with a larger structure and longer workshop. Still, students will leave trained and skilled and confident to build themselves a cob building

SCHEDULE
The 3-week Sauna Cob Building Workshop begins on Sunday, July 4th, 2021 at 4pm and ends on Sunday, July 25th, 2021 at 2pm.
International or non-island students should arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in before the workshop begins.
The workshop schedule will be:
Days 1-3: Foundation and Floor (1st coat)
Days 4-8: Wall
Days 9-10: Sculpting and Plaster
Days 11-13: Roof
Days 14-15: Floor (2nd coat) & Finish

The daily schedule will be:
8:30 Morning Circle
8:45-1:00 Building
1:00-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:30 Lecture
2:30-5:30 Building

COURSE CONTENTS
Students will earn the Advanced Cobber Certification as they will learn every phase of building a cob building from foundation through the roof in lectures/theory and daily hands-on construction. While the course is shorter and the building smaller than our usual 5-week Advanced Cobber Certification workshop, we will still complete all the elements though on a smaller and more minimalist scale. A longer workshop allows for more experiences and details and practice time, and a shorter workshop is more affordable and less time and energy-intensive. In addition, there will be one night per week of slides/videos during the workshop.
Our hands-on practice will include:
digging foundation trench
pouring gravel and inserting drainage pipe (if applicable)
building stone & lime mortar foundation stemwall
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
deciding on correct mixture
deciding on best location
making cob w/ partner and solo
building with cob
preparing and inserting the door frame
preparing and inserting fixed window and opening window frame
preparing and inserting shelves
inserting bottle windows and other objects
inserting electrical outlet and plumbing pipe
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plasters (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (2 layers)
preparing walls for roof connection
building reciprocal roof frame
building wooden roof decking/sheathing & green roof covering

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Students will need to come to class/building site prepared.
This includes:
Work clothes
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes
Flip-flops for cobbing days
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Safety Glasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Sample of Your Soil (Optional)

Please read “The Hand-Sculpted House” by Ianto Evans, Linda Smiley and Michael Smith before the workshop and bring with you. I is still the one and only Cob Bible!!!
Weather in July is wonderfully hot and enjoyable and usually does not rain much, but can always be drizzly too. So please bring your raingear and beachwear! Temperatures will be in the mid to high 70’s but could be hotter. And very comfortable at night.

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

Locals can Google “Clinica Veterinaria São Miguel” on Rua das Mercês and park on the street and walk up the dirt Canada das Mercês a few minutes to the Quinta da Vida Beleza on the left, with a bright yellow painted gate.
Coming form Europe, you can fly with Azores Airlines, TAP or Ryan Air. These are the main airlines flying here with Ryan Air being the cheapest, especially from Lisbon (20€/one way minimum). If it works out, I may pick you up or else just take a taxi to your accommodations.
Coming from the North America, direct flights are only from Boston and Toronto with Azores Airlines/SATA. Check TAP too. That being said you can book with Azores Airlines or TAP from anywhere in the US to connect in Boston or buy two separate tickets. You can also fly to Lisbon or Porto (much nicer) and then take RyanAir to Ponta Delgada. NorwegianAir is super cheap especially off-season and flies from the US to Barcelona and Madrid from which you can take RyanAir to PDL.
For students wanting to stay on and explore other islands, SATA airlines connects all the islands year-round.
While on the island, it is recommended to have a bicycle, which you can to rent from Claudine, or share a rental car with other students for a possibly very low fee of 2€/day with Goldcar! There is a very good bus system as well.

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS
Students will be fed 3 high-quality vegetarian meals from Monday through Friday, with lunch & dinner prepared by a professional chef.
We can take 5 campers and also have local low-budget accommodations at the Pés Verdes Hostel owned by my friend Margarida with cute patios, a kitchen and right near three black sand beaches, a food store and three restaurants. Find it on Googlemaps. If you are interested there is a dorm option and a private room option. My students get a special rate. Those choosing to stay there will need to bike, walk , drive or bus to the land (3km). Its only a 5-10 minute flat bike ride to the Quinta. Walking will take you about half an hour, and the bus leaves every hour and stops right on my street. If you want the hostel option you will need to let us know ASAP.
There are also two houses with two bedrooms each, oceanfront balconies, kitchens, washing machines and wifi only a 5-minute walk to the land. Please let me know if you want to rent them asap. There is also the very sweet Hotel Arcanjo also in the same neighborhood. And two restaurants and a small food store. The big supermarket is a 10-minute walk away and the natural pools are right there. Let us know and we can help.

INSTRUCTOR
Claudine Desiree is the original “Cob Queen” of Santa Cruz, where she founded the original “Sunflower Cob Building” which quickly morphed into the California-based “Cruzin’ Cob”, the cob workshop and building business that evolved over a decade. Once her three sons were “out of the house”, she went for her dream of traveling around the world on a bike teaching cob workshops everywhere every few months to continue supporting herself by offering up what she loves in the countries and languages she is passionate about. To work internationally with no home base required a new name and a website, hence CruzinCobGlobal was born naturally and appropriately and, after 5 years on the road, Claudine has finally found a new home….for now. On the island of São Miguel in the Azores (where are the Azores?) she has started building an eco homestead for family and friends called “Quinta da Vida Beleza” for chillin’, playing music, dancing and communing!!!! CruzinCobGlobal will continue to do the important work of building the best houses and best communities ever of course… with more new Teachers hitting the Cob road in 2021 as CCG-trained students begin leading workshops and builds around the world. Claudine will also keep teaching in her favorite places and spreading the Cob everywhere, with more focus on the Azores land and project now, but also very interested in working in Africa and Asia. California, however, will always be one of those favorite places, her and her children’s home for 20 years. And the demand to learn Cob in California is always growing with the fires and earthquakes threatening conventional houses. And the best part is we have a “legal” Cob Code to use anywhere in the world thanks to the CRI architects’ and engineers’ hard work and focus!
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
The fee for the 21-day Complete Sauna Build will be 1600€ which includes tuition, 2 snacks & 3 meals/day on workshop days. On weekends students will provide their own meals.
Very Early Bird Discount: 1400€, pay, in full by March 4th, 2021
Early Bird Discount: 1500€, pay in full by May 4th, 2021
There is a maximum limit of 15 students.
To register please contact claudine@cruzincobglobal.org to receive application forms and payment information. To hold your spot in this training you will need to pay the full amount or a 50% deposit that will be non-refundable after June 4th, 2021. The balance will be due by June 20th, two weeks before the start date.
For students coming from the US, depending on the COVID requirements, Claudine will be able to write an official registration letter to enable your entry into the Azores.
Please note: If you cancel before June 4th you will get a full refund or credit towards another workshop within 2 years. If you cancel after June 4th you will only get a credit and forfeit 10% of your payment or 150€ for the last-minute cancellation.
We always offer work trades in our workshops depending on size of workshop. Here we will offer 4 work trades, two in the kitchen (making breakfast) and two onsite helping prep before breakfast. These work trades are for one hour per day of work in exchange for a 10€ discount per workshop day. In this case work trader would receive 150€ off of the full price of 1600€, with 50% down to hold their spot and the balance due by June 20th, 2021. Please inquire asap because these spots go first.
You can also contact Claudine by Whatsapp at +18312127225 for questions and registration.
Estudantes locais das ilhas e portugueses favor de contactar claudine@cruzincobglobal.org ou 964746071 para informações de inscrição e pagamento reduzido! Estudantes com formacão podem ser oferecido trabalho pagado depois da formacão no terreno ou em outro projeto e/ou como asistente em outros cursos de CCG.

SEE YOU IN THE MUD!!!…NOS VEMOS NO BARRO!!!

Introduction to Fast Cob and Natural Plaster and Paints
2021-07-01 15:30 - 2021-07-05 11:00 | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
We introduced this Short Course in 2019 and it has been a great success since. You’ll get a full sense of our Fast Cob technique, and you’ll know how to finish buildings naturally, from base layer to finish layer and even whitewash.
Everything we use is completely natural and everything you learn can be done anywhere on the planet. Just be warned, this short course is not enough to go off and start building a home on your own without prior experience, but it is more than enough to start with an oven, shed or other smaller project.
If you’re curious about Fast Cob or cob in general, this course is for you. Come and let your creative side have fun!
Please note that we only have 1 spot left in this workshop and our other workshops are sold out.

VersaTerra Complete Cob & Natural Building Intensive
2021-06-30 - 2021-07-10 | House Alive, 7540 Griffin Lane, Jacksonville, OR, 97530, United States
VersaTerra Workshop with Earthen Oven
Go here for full workshop description including our Covid Policy
Maximum Class Size: 16 students
Instructors: Conrad Rogue & Kyle Isacksen
Location: The House Alive homestead, Jacksonville, Oregon
Cost: $1400
This includes all (vegetarian) meals, coffee & tea, a nice place to pitch your tent, our book “House of Earth” (we’ll send you a copy before the workshop in the Spring), transportation to & from Medford airport/bus terminal.
Overview
This is the most comprehensive natural building workshop you can find. Decades of teaching on four different continents has helped us design this rich learning experience, 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.
During this workshop we will build a beautiful garden wall and an earthen bread/pizza oven. Within the wall, we will incorporate all the features of a wall that would be part of a earthen house: Windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, arches, niches, and artwork.
We don’t think it’s a good idea to start a whole building in a shorter workshop, as attractive as that may sound. It results in too much of one thing – namely 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.

What You Will Learn

After this workshop, you will feel confident that you can

build yourself a cob cottage
remodel, renovate an existing home, using natural materials
build and use an earthen oven
use cob to create garden walls, outdoor fireplaces and hot tubs
design small cottages
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
Building with cob: strong sculptural walls, arches, windows and doors, niches, artwork and mosaics
electricity and plumbing, how to install wires and pipes in the walls
roof attachment and roof design
Light-straw-clay: this is an infill techniques 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 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.
​What is VersaTerra?
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 combines 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.
Evaluations

​Conrad, Kyle and Sarah were all so great at not just explaining what to do and how to do it, but why we were doing it in each particular process. Their patience and willingness to explain further when needed was without end!
​My expectations were met and exceeded! I feel empowered and supported in my dream of building and living in an earthen home.
​Loved the food! I always had plenty of healthy and tasty choices and found it easy to maintain my energy and strength.
The instruction was geared to the right level and never felt patronizing or swooshed too far over my head. Wonderful humor and camaraderie. I loved the community that formed because of the structure provided and the willingness of the participants to engage.
I always had my questions answered and always felt supported and/or redirected as needed without ever feeling someone was hovering over me.. There was freedom to practice and even make some mistakes to learn from.
I am sincerely and very gratefully surprised by the high amount of confidence I have in myself as a builder after these 10 days of learning, playing, sweating, laughing, singing and integrating.
I loved how there was a mix of classroom demonstrations and practical applications for experiential learning. I loved that there was a breadth of information from foundation to roof. I feel confident that I can take this knowledge and build a simple home. I loved the emphasis on community and connectivity to nature. I feel my heart and mind have happily integrated for a better future for myself.
​I enjoyed playing in the mud and feeling like a little kid again. I especially loved being able to connect with others and reconnect with myself through learning about the many variations of cobbing materials, and the rhythm and flow of teamwork.
Literally every meal was 10/10. I didn’t miss meat at all these 10 days and I always had so much to eat!
​Well crafted and well scheduled. The information was addressed in a thoughtful and simple manner during the practice. The breaks were excellent to recharge physically and mentally. Excellent workshop!

3-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-06-25 - 2021-06-27 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$375 Early Bird Discount (register before May 5th, 2020)
$450 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
We will cover a lot of material in 3 days! Our focus will be continuing work on a meditation hut and a natural garden wall, at a beautiful rural property near Saxapahaw, NC (about 20 minutes from the Mud Dauber Campus). This includes learning all of the basics of building with cob and straw wall systems, as well as mixing and applying plasters to these walls.
Expect to learn:
– 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 and lime plasters
– installing a window
– lunch discussions: “foundation/siting”, “roof options”
– touring our campus demonstration buildings, as well as 2 permitted natural homes
Seven wholesome meals will be provided (Friday’s lunch through Sunday’s lunch).

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2021-06-21 - 2021-06-25 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: June 21 – June 25, 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-june-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.

7-Day Cob Oven and Natural Building Overview
2021-06-19 09:00 - 2021-06-25 14:00 | Heart Song Sanctuary, 658 Co. Rt. 6, High Falls, NY, 12440, United States
This class is designed to be a broad overview of natural building techniques. The class includes participating in the cob oven workshop, and continues with a more thorough immersion into natural building. In addition to the oven, we will build a cob bench, plaster an existing straw bale building, and complete the living roof of an adjacent structure.

What to expect:
Our days will be spent engaged in hands-on building and learning with natural materials. Expect a rich week (or weekend) of natural and community building with the group. We’ll work, learn, eat, and relax with each other in a positive, hard-working, fun atmosphere. Conversation on natural building will provide constant background chatter throughout the week. We’ll work on-site every day with a scheduled mid-week rest. Evenings are typically unscheduled so folks have time to enjoy the site, explore quaint nearby towns, or relax around the fire.
We will make time to tour the finished natural buildings on-site, and have a few focused discussions on building subjects such as foundations, passive solar design, wood framing, roofing, permits and codes, and more. Michael may give an interesting slideshow presentation on a rainy night.

The Site:
Our site is Heart Song Sanctuary, a beautiful 45 acre property with beautifully constructed natural buildings. The site features many acres of woods, a cleared meadow, swimming creek and pond. Accommodations for camping include an outdoor shower, compost toilet outhouse, and firepit gathering area.
Meals/Food preferences:
We will serve three meals daily, cooked on-site by staff. The food will be mostly vegetarian with a vegan option. Many of the ingredients will be sourced from local farms. Please indicate any food allergies upon registration.

Cob Oven Weekend
2021-06-19 09:00 - 2021-06-20 16:00 | Heart Song Sanctuary, 658 Co. Rt. 6, High Falls, NY, 12440, United States
In this class we will build a wood-fired cob bread/pizza oven from start to finish. Students will build the stone foundation, firebrick hearth, cob structure, and finish the oven with earthen plasters. You will learn the skills to go home and build your own oven!

What to expect:
Our days will be spent engaged in hands-on building and learning with natural materials. Expect a rich week (or weekend) of natural and community building with the group. We’ll work, learn, eat, and relax with each other in a positive, hard-working, fun atmosphere. Conversation on natural building will provide constant background chatter throughout the week. We’ll work on-site every day with a scheduled mid-week rest. Evenings are typically unscheduled so folks have time to enjoy the site, explore quaint nearby towns, or relax around the fire.
We will make time to tour the finished natural buildings on-site, and have a few focused discussions on building subjects such as foundations, passive solar design, wood framing, roofing, permits and codes, and more. Michael may give an interesting slideshow presentation on a rainy night.
The Site:
Our site is Heart Song Sanctuary, a beautiful 45 acre property with beautifully constructed natural buildings. The site features many acres of woods, a cleared meadow, swimming creek and pond. Accommodations for camping include an outdoor shower, compost toilet outhouse, and firepit gathering area.
Meals/Food preferences:
We will serve three meals daily, cooked on-site by staff. The food will be mostly vegetarian with a vegan option. Many of the ingredients will be sourced from local farms. Please indicate any food allergies upon registration.
Schedule:
Work on-site will begin following breakfast the morning of the date listed. Participants are encouraged to arrive the preceding afternoon or evening to set up camp, and commence the week with an informal dinner and visiting with the team around the fire.
Instructor:
Michael McDonough is a Troy, NY based building contractor, designer, and educator. His work can be found at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Oxmoor Farm, and a number of happy homesteads around the east coast. He learned a great deal by working with leading natural builders including Ianto Evans, Clark Sanders, Thea Alvin, Ben Simpson, and Greg Allen. He has taught 15 natural building workshops.
What to bring:
* Camping equipment including tent, sleeping bag, flashlight
* Work clothes and shoes. Short rubber boots or old sneakers for cob, gloves * Sunscreen, bug spray, hat, water bottle, rain gear
* Toolkit including tool belt, knife, tape measure, pencil, hammer
* Notebook, building plans or sketches to discuss

To Register:
Tuition includes a week of camping, workshop experience, meals.
Group rates, discounts for previous students, or for taking multiple courses are possible, let’s chat.

1-Day Natural Building Intro
2021-06-19 09:00 - 17:00 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$125 Early Bird Discount (register before May 5th, 2020)
$150 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
Join us in constructing a garden wall using the clay from beneath our feet and straw from a local farmer! This is a great beginner project that provides you with the basic knowledge of how to build a strong, long-lasting cob wall. We will mix and build with cob all morning, and then get our hands dirty with natural plasters in the afternoon!
– mixing and building with cob
– mixing and applying earthen plasters
– lunch discussion: “pros and cons of different natural wall systems”
– touring our campus buildings
We will have snacks available, but please bring your own lunch. We will eat together, and enjoy discussion following lunch, leading into our afternoon work session.

3-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-06-11 - 2021-06-13 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$375 Early Bird Discount (register before May 5th, 2020)
$450 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
We will cover a lot of material in 3 days! Our focus will be on continuing work on the garden wall that surrounds our dining/gathering space. This includes completing the top of an existing wall with cob, building a completely new portion of wall with cob, strawbale, and slip-straw wall systems, and applying earthen and lime plasters. If time allows, we will include hands-on work installing the living green roof atop the wall.
Expect to learn:
– 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 and lime plasters
– installing a window
– lunch discussions: “foundation/siting”, “roof options”
– touring our campus demonstration buildings, as well as 2 permitted natural homes
Seven wholesome meals will be provided (Friday’s lunch through Sunday’s lunch). For one lunch or dinner, we will enjoy a pizza party with our cob oven! Consider joining our 2-day foundation workshop that precedes this course, for a full 5-day experience!

1-Day Natural Building Intro
2021-06-05 09:00 - 16:00 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$125 Early Bird Discount (register before May 5th, 2020)
$150 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
Join us in constructing a garden wall on our campus, using the clay from beneath our feet and straw from a local farmer! This is a great beginner project that provides you with the basic knowledge of how to build a strong, long-lasting cob wall. We will mix and build with cob all morning, and then get our hands dirty with natural plasters in the afternoon!
– mixing and building with cob
– mixing and applying earthen plasters
– lunch discussion: “pros and cons of different natural wall systems”
– touring our campus buildings
We will have snacks available, but please bring your own lunch. We will eat together, and enjoy discussion following lunch, leading into our afternoon work session.

3-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-05-28 - 2021-05-30 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$375 Early Bird Discount (register before April 15th, 2020)
$450 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
We will cover a lot of material in 3 days! Our focus will be on continuing work on the garden wall that surrounds our dining/gathering space. This includes completing the top of an existing wall with cob, building a completely new portion of wall with cob, strawbale, and slip-straw wall systems, and applying earthen and lime plasters. If time allows, we will include hands-on work installing the living green roof atop the wall.
Expect to learn:
– 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 and lime plasters
– installing a window
– lunch discussions: “foundation/siting”, “roof options”
– touring our campus demonstration buildings, as well as 2 permitted natural homes
Seven wholesome meals will be provided (Friday’s lunch through Sunday’s lunch). For one lunch or dinner, we will enjoy a pizza party with our cob oven! Consider joining our 2-day foundation workshop that precedes this course, for a full 5-day experience!

5-Day Foundations, Cob + Straw Immersion
2021-05-26 - 2021-05-30 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$625 Early Bird Discount (register before April 15th, 2020)
$750 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
This is the combination of our 2-day Foundations offering, and our 3-Day Immersion course (see all our offerings on our website, www.muddauberbuilding.com). Many participants who leave our Immersion courses have asked for more opportunities to practice foundation-building skills, as it is a very important and sometimes intimidating part of a long-lasting building. Join us for the full experience of both foundations and walls!

2-Day Hands-on Foundations
2021-05-26 - 2021-05-27 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$250 Early Bird Discount (register before April 15th, 2020)
$300 Regular Fee
10% discount for family + friends participating together!
Join us to learn the basics of building a long-lasting, stable foundation. We will be building a foundation for a natural garden wall. After completing excavation work, and installing a rubble-trench footing system, we will then move on to construct three different stem-wall systems: CMUs (concrete blocks), poured concrete, and dry-stacked stone.
You will learn:
– excavating for a foundation
– installing a rubble-trench footing
– 3 stemwall options: CMUs, poured concrete, dry-stacked stone
– how to integrate a natural wall system on to a foundation
– lunch discussion: “other foundation options”
– touring our campus to discuss the variety of foundations we have here
Five wholesome meals will be provided (Wednesday’s lunch through Thursday’s dinner). Consider staying the 3 following days for our 3-Day Immersion course!

Introduction to Fast Cob and Natural Plaster and Paints
2021-05-20 15:30 - 2021-05-24 11:00 | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
We introduced this Short Course in 2019 and it has been a great success since. You’ll get a full sense of our Fast Cob technique, and you’ll know how to finish buildings naturally, from base layer to finish layer and even whitewash.
Everything we use is completely natural and everything you learn can be done anywhere on the planet. Just be warned, this short course is not enough to go off and start building a home on your own without prior experience, but it is more than enough to start with an oven, shed or other smaller project.
If you’re curious about Fast Cob or cob in general, this course is for you. Come and let your creative side have fun!
