Cob Workshops

Workshop Series: Building a Community Tool Library – Day 5
2025-05-03 08:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | RCRCD, 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA, 92501, United States
Join Us in Building a Tool Library at Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District (RCRCD)! 🔨🌱
We’re using the Palletable Cobin Method, developed by Miguel Elliot, to create a sustainable, low-cost, and waste-conscious structure. This technique reduces the need for heavy earth materials, requires less cob, and repurposes salvaged materials—making the process faster and more efficient!
Day 5 Workshop:
Earthen Floor, Lime Plaster Prep
This is a 6-part workshop series—join for one or all!
Register by making a tax-deductible donation that fits your budget using the link below.
All donations go toward materials, tools, supplies, and insurance.
For scholarship requests and/or more information, contact Susan at 310-990-8695.
#NaturalBuilding #CobBuilding #SustainableConstruction #RegenerativeDesign #CommunityBuilding #Permaculture #EcoBuilding #HandsOnLearning #UpcycledMaterials #RCRCD

5 weeks Building a cob art space in Victoria Australia
2025-05-05 - 2025-06-07 | Strathbogie Victoria Australia, Victoria, 3666
A 5 week coliving and creative immersion. Weekly commitments also available . Hands on building and presentations giving you confidence to build in earth. Building an earthy art space/ greenhouse with experienced earthbuilders.
Covering site selection, stone foundation, what is cob, earthen floor, plastering, wall insertions( windows, bottles etc) wattle and daub, straw bale.
On Taungurung Country, Strathbogie, Victoria.

6-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2025-05-09 - 2025-05-14 | Mud Dauber School Campus, Snow Camp, NC, 27349, United States
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Danielle
STUDENT #: 15 students [maximum]
COST (meals included):
– $1230 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
– $1350 Regular Rate
– 5% discount for family + friends participating together!
– 10% discount for BIPOC participants
DESCRIPTION:
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide an understanding of four natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, slip-straw, and wattle & daub. Working with multiple wall systems will provide you with insight into which will fit into your own potential projects best. You will also get experience mixing and applying earthen plaster!
We emphasize hands-on learning, with most of each day spent on our work site. We will be building a sculptural cob garden wall on campus, which simulates the process of building a house while still allowing everyone to have enough space to work and learn. We’ll also be installing full strawbale walls in a pre-constructed wooden frame, plus demonstrating the slip-straw and wattle & daub wall techniques. On the final day, the group will apply clay plaster to some of these natural wall systems.
To supplement our hands-on work sessions, there will be time allotted for a local home tour, a tour of our natural cottages on campus, plus discussions/presentations on essential topics. We will also provide informational handouts to take home with you, and share digital presentation materials for your own future reference.
In addition to our scheduled learning time, there is a wonderful community aspect to our workshops. Three wholesome meals are provided each day, which are shared as a group in our community gathering space. Plenty of unscheduled, leisure time is available for relaxing.
Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project!

TOPICS COVERED:

HANDS-ON:
* mixing cob by foot
* mixing cob by machine, using a mortar mixer
* building with cob
* installing a complete straw bale wall section
* mixing and installing slip-straw
* mixing and applying clay plaster
* how to install windows in cob vs. strawbale
DISCUSSION:
* “Rubble Trench Foundations”
* “Simple Roofing Options”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: pros and cons, + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll tour campus buildings, as a general Q+A
* LOCAL HOME TOUR! we will visit a local strawbale home to talk with the owners

10 Day Pallet Cob Workshop in Oregon, May 10-19: Build a Compost Toilet!
2025-05-10 08:00 - 2025-05-19 17:00 (America/Denver) | Coyote Woods, Estacada, OR, 97022, United States
Come learn how to build a pallet-cob compost toilet in the forested foothills of Mt. Hood in Estacada, Oregon this May 10-19th, 2025!
Clay Sand Soul, based in Vancouver, WA, is a natural building company dedicated to empowering others to build their own homes and structures with natural building techniques. This workshop is happening at Coyote Woods in Estacada, OR. Coyote Woods is stewarded by two sisters who have been working for the past 10 years to help the land and its ecosystem recover from years of clear cut logging and monoculture farming. Their mission is to make the land a positive resource for as many living things as possible. We will be building a 100sf pallet cob compost toilet in their meadow, so they can begin to host larger events and return all that fertility of humanure back to the land in a responsible way.
In our ten days together you will learn through lecture and hands-on experience:
👉🏼how to install pallet walls on an existing post-and-beam structure
👉🏼how to frame windows and doors
👉🏼how to prepare and apply earthen base coat plaster
👉🏼how to create artistic cob sculpture elements onto the walls
👉🏼how to prepare and apply finish plaster from clay and lime
👉🏼complete an earthen floor installation while learning how to formulate an earthen floor mix and the steps to oil and wax these floors for durability and water resistance
👉🏼build a living roof frame on top of an existing roof deck and learn how to install a waterproof membrane, drainage layer, and growing medium
👉🏼attend lectures on natural building design, theory, and philosophy.
👉🏼learn compost toilet design for a successful system
If you are feeling called to dive deeper into natural building, live and work in a communal environment, and empower yourself to build functional, beautiful structures that are truly sustainable, please join us in this ten day experience. There will be yummy food, fires at night, community building activities, and access to the beautiful forests of Coyote Woods.
Check out our website for more details on what pallet cob is and what other natural building elements you’ll be learning during this workshop 👉🏼 www.claysandsoul.com/coyote-woods-workshop
Please email us with questions and connect with us on instagram…we would love to chat with you! 🙂
claysandsoul@gmail.com
IG: @claysandsoul
Pictures attached are of different pallet cob structures we have built, either for clients or with our students!

6-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2025-05-20 - 2025-05-25 | Mud Dauber School Campus, Snow Camp, NC, 27349, United States
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Danielle
STUDENT #: 15 students [maximum]
COST (meals included!):
–$1230 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
– $1350 Regular Rate
– 5% discount for family + friends participating together!
– 10% discount for BIPOC participants
DESCRIPTION:
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide an understanding of four natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, slip-straw, and wattle & daub. Working with multiple wall systems will provide you with insight into which will fit into your own potential projects best. You will also get experience mixing and applying earthen plaster!
We emphasize hands-on learning, with most of each day spent on our work site. We will be building a sculptural cob garden wall on campus, which simulates the process of building a house while still allowing everyone to have enough space to work and learn. We’ll also be installing full strawbale walls in a pre-constructed wooden frame, plus demonstrating the slip-straw and wattle & daub wall techniques. On the final day, the group will apply clay plaster to some of these natural wall systems.
To supplement our hands-on work sessions, there will be time allotted for a local home tour, a tour of our natural cottages on campus, plus discussions/presentations on essential topics. We will also provide informational handouts to take home with you, and share digital presentation materials for your own future reference.
In addition to our scheduled learning time, there is a wonderful community aspect to our workshops. Three wholesome meals are provided each day, which are shared as a group in our community gathering space. Plenty of unscheduled, leisure time is available for relaxing.
Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project!

TOPICS COVERED:
HANDS-ON:
* mixing cob by foot
* mixing cob by machine, using a mortar mixer
* building with cob
* installing a complete straw bale wall section
* mixing and installing slip-straw
* mixing and applying clay plaster
* how to install windows in cob vs. strawbale
DISCUSSION:
* “Rubble Trench Foundations”
* “Simple Roofing Options”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: pros and cons, + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll tour campus buildings, as a general Q+A
* LOCAL HOME TOUR! we will visit a local strawbale home to talk with the owners

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2025-05-26 - 2025-05-30 | Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: May 26 – May 30, 2025 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing both a cob building and a straw-clay building. This workshop is perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings.

This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and straw, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in natural building fundamentals. You will learn the advantages of high thermal mass cob versus high insulation straw materials. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and a straw-clay building, mixing and applying lime plaster, and studying Natural Building together each day. You will also get to see living examples on-site of a completed cob building and straw-clay building. These are excellent examples that you can learn a lot from! After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own cob and straw constructions or buildings.

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

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

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and light-straw-clay homes, and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops and strawbale workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!

The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob, straw, and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!
Teacher

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, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.

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

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

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

“The cob workshop was a life-changing experience. I learned a lot about natural building, not only from Alex’s instruction, experience and demonstrations, but from interacting with people from different backgrounds who were a great source of collective knowledge. The hands-on experience was priceless!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnBs. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Greeneville, Newport, Parrottsville, and Hot Springs.
Nearby is the Briggs Brother’s Ranch in Parrottsville, TN (highly recommended), and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private portable toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, and an electrical hookup to charge phones and small devices.

Food
Meals will not be included in this workshop so participants will need to provide their own food and drinks. There are several local restaurants and grocery stores nearby the workshop site. We even have an amazing corner-store within a walkable distance from the workshop site!
Each student is responsible for their own meal preparation. An hour for lunch is provided, allowing adequate time for food, a quick nap, or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site yet. Coolers are welcome and encouraged!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville is located near the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Tennessee. It is a beautiful area, and there are many scenic places to visit nearby. You can also travel to places like Gatlinburg, TN or Asheville, NC within a one hour driving time from the workshop site.
Family & Group 10% Discounts
Ask about the 10% discount. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/young people of any age are welcome to join in and learn. Please be aware that some areas are under construction, as is the purpose of this workshop, but it is generally child-safe.
Prices
Price: $499

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

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

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

Focusing on Natural Building Finishing…the Fast Cob Way!
2025-05-29 15:30 - 2025-06-02 15:30 (America/Denver), 2025-06-12 15:30 - 2025-06-16 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
We are continuing our 19 year tradition of hosting Fast Cob Natural Building Workshops…and it begins with this Finishing Workshop.
Together, we’ll learn…

“first layer” of plastering (which nobody else teaches and helps make our Fast Cob building technique even easier and faster…at least 30X faster than any other method!),
the gorgeous finish layer with two different aggregates (sand or lime),
how to make and use 100% natural pigment paints (a DIY recipe), and
plus a small cob floor!

We’ve made finishing not only gorgeous, but very easy. Just like our Fast Cob building technique.
Our lime plaster is perfect for areas subjected to water spray (like showers and around sinks). The sand plaster is limit-less in its applications and dirt cheap.
Our natural paints are completely non-toxic at every stage and as vibrant as any other paint, ranging from bright white, to yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blue, purple and black. All from our Mother Earth.
Our Workshops begin on a Thursday evening with a welcoming dinner and end with a Farewell breakfast on Monday before you depart on the 11 am passenger-only ferry.
Food, Food, and more Food!
Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start learning. In the morning, two hands-on sessions sandwich a hearty snack break. A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session), to make sure we have the strength and stamina to absorb all the learning we can, precede a longer afternoon session. After an hour break to clean-up, a hot gourmet dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community.
Please visit our workshop page for all the details and to fill in our online application. This course will prepare you to excel in our All-the-Basics Fast Cob Workshop in June or in July. It is also part of our Complete Builder’s Programme.
We offer discounts to those who register in pairs or who take multiple workshops with us. Please note that all of our fees are in Canadian dollars; if your currency is US or Euro, our fees are significantly less (30-50% less!).

Permitted Cob
2025-05-31 | Mud Dauber School Campus, Snow Camp, NC, 27349, United States
INSTRUCTORS: Greg + Stephen

STUDENT #: 15 students [maximum]

COST:
– $175 Early Bird Rate (30 days in advance)
– $195 Regular Rate
– 5% discount for family + friends participating together
– 10% discount for BIPOC participants
DESCRIPTION:
Join us for a new course offering that will introduce students to the experience of taking on a permitted cob project. Since cob is considered an alternative building material (even though it’s been used for thousands of years!), there are more steps to go through in obtaining a permit, as compared to a conventionally-framed home.
We have planned a schedule that allows for a good balance of hands-on work, versus presentations and discussions. We will mix cob by foot and by machine, explore a variety of cob recipes and their compression test results, and build a part of a cob wall using a forming system.
The co-instructor for this course, Stephen Hren, has completed two permitted cob projects in North Carolina – in two different counties – and will share his experience with his most recent project, which was finished in 2023. Stephen will give a slideshow presentation after lunch to discuss his process and answer questions. We’ll also enjoy a partial tour of our Mud Dauber Campus, to discuss some of our demonstration buildings here.

TOPICS COVERED:

*mixing cob by foot
*mixing cob by machine
*installing cob in a form system
*discussion of cob codes and permitting process
*Q&A session

2-Day Intro to Hempcrete
2025-06-07 - 2025-06-08 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
DATES: June 7-8th, 2025 *** 2 SPOTS LEFT! ***
INSTRUCTORS: April Magill + Tim Callahan (see bios here)
STUDENT #: 16 students [maximum]
COST (includes meals):

$415 Early Bird Rate (until May 25th)

$460 Regular Rate

5% discount for family + friends participating together

10% discount for BIPOC participants

DESCRIPTION:
We’re excited to welcome April Magill and Tim Callahan here to share their knowledge about how to construct with hempcrete, and to share about why hempcrete is such a great building material (in regards to its performance, the agriculture it supports, and the healthy living environment it provides).
Expect to get lots of hands-on experience with mixing the material properly and safely, and then installing it into a movable formwork in a stud-framed wall system. There will also be an opportunity to experiment with natural plasters, which are a great option for creating the final wall surface on a hempcrete-insulated wall.
In addition to the hands-on worksite experience, April and Tim will be presenting more details about hempcrete in a slideshow/Q+A format. Also, Greg and Danielle will lead a tour of the Mud Dauber Campus, to show their demonstration cottages made of cob and straw wall systems.
In addition to our scheduled learning time, there is a wonderful community aspect to our workshops. Wholesome meals are provided each day, which are shared as a group in our community gathering space – including a pizza party dinner at our cob oven on Saturday! Plenty of unscheduled, leisure time is available for relaxing.

One Day Intro to Natural Building
2025-06-07 08:30 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Be the Change Project, 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
If you’re curious about natural building, this is the class for you.
We’ll start early with a tour of our permaculture homestead nestled in the heart of Reno. We have several cabins, a couple ovens, earthen and straw bale garden walls, and appropriate technologies-a-plenty to show off.
We’ll spend the rest of morning getting familiar with clay soil, sand, and straw and how we process and mix them to make cob and adobe as we build a section of wall. We’ll demonstrate the use of earth bags and how we incorporate straw bales and cordwood into a wall.
In the afternoon we’ll focus on different types of plasters from base coats through finish coats using finer materials and pigments. We’ll also take time to do some sculpting and carving and make and use clay paint.
At the end of the day, we’ll fire up our cob oven, turn on some music, and make and cook our own pizzas.

Cob Hill 21-Day Natural Building Cert
2025-06-07 16:00 - 2025-06-28 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults who wish to begin their learning journey toward helping others realize their natural building dreams as part of a build crew or to supervise their own home build! Natural building is tough. Are you tougher? Find out during 21 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor teaches the techniques and skills you will need to get from the foundation to the roofing system. Hands on experience covering site selection home designing passive solar soil testing foundations dig a rubble trench pier and beam stack a stone stem wall (dry stacking) cob building bale cob straw bale palletable cob timber framing windows and doors LSC – light straw clay insulation roof designs living roofs roof sheathing tree felling log peeling log milling (saw mill) earthen plasters Shou Sugi Ban(Japanese art of waterproofing wood) Leading a team Real time home build experience Class time on basic electrical, basic plumbing, facts and myths in natural building, common mistakes in natural building, choosing build style, project planning, budgeting, acquiring materials, purchasing property and permits, correct placement of building, water catchment, composting toilets. Primitive tent camping sites are available near the build including access to hot showers, plus 3 plant-based meals a day are included in your tuition! You will need to bring your own camping gear, contact us if this is an issue. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, children or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill. The $1890 tuition includes a $200 deposit to secure your spot that is is non-refundable unless NaturalBuildingOrg has to cancel the workshop for some unforeseen reason. If registration includes two or more people there is a $50 discount per person. Active duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans with valid ID or DD214 may select the appropriate tuition tier to receive 20% off, and eligible Cob Hill Lifetime of Learning (L.o.L.) Members can register as such by selecting that tuition tier.

Our Complete Builder’s Programme, the Fast Cob Way!
2025-06-12 15:30 - 2025-08-25 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
This Programme will not only give you ALL the skills you need to build your home, it will allow you to start – and finish – your own building this year!
After 19 years of providing effective, proven Natural Building skills (i.e., Fast Cob, the Fastest Build on Earth!) to all of our participants, it’s time to up the ante.
We’ve been tinkering with the deeper aspects of how to learn all the skills you need to get building NOW, and we’re very proud to announce our newest offering: The Complete Fast Cob Builder’s Programme!
For the past 5 years, we’ve known that learning how to finish Fast Cob buildings first, makes it even easier to learn how to build them faster…everyone who has taken this path has readily agreed.
But there have been a couple of aspects of building that we haven’t taught because it just wasn’t easy (and therefore not safe) to do so. That just changed.
Our new Advanced Fast Cob workshop adds those pieces in to give you the COMPLETE package to start building THIS YEAR!
Not only will we show you how to put a roof on a Fast Cob building, we’ll show you how to build a stacked rock foundation, which will empower you to go home and literally start building.
The best part of this new programme is that we also make all of this learning affordable, by offering deep discounts to those that really want to get building this year. This is due to our desire to help make more effective Natural Builders in this crazy, insane world.
Okay, let’s get to the details…here are the dates of our 2025 Fast Cob Workshops; all 3 are included in the Complete Fast Cob Builder’s Programme:

Focus on Finishing: Thursday June 12 to Monday June 16

All the Basics of Building: Thursday July 17 to Monday July 21
Advanced Fast Cob: Thursday August 21 to Monday August 25

Thursdays and Mondays are travel days with a Welcome Dinner and Farewell Breakfast included.
Please be aware that we only have room for 2 people in this year’s Complete Builder’s Programme.
By registering for all of our workshops together, we are offering you a huge discount: $900! Our workshops are always focused entirely on learning – your learning – and this is the ultimate package, which includes all 3 workshops, all (hot, organic) meals and camping facilities, as well as all of the building and training materials that you’ll need for each workshop. Please note that all of our fees are in Canadian dollars; if your currency is US or Euro, our fees are significantly less (30-50% less!).
Please see our website for all the details: https://cob.lasqueti.ca/blog. Our goal is to get more Fast Cobbers into the world so that every other technique becomes obsolete and our earth’s resources are fully respected and never again overspent.

All the Basics of Building…the Fast Cob Way!
2025-06-19 15:30 - 2025-06-23 11:00, 2025-07-17 15:30 - 2025-07-21 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
We are continuing our 19 year tradition of hosting Fast Cob Natural Building Workshops…with our All-the-Basics-of-Building Fast Cob Workshop.
Every All-the-Basics-of-Building 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, including windows and doors…it is now at least 30x faster than “traditional” cob;
Foundations: we’ll show you how we stack rocks to keep our buildings solid and safe;
Roofs: we’ll show you various options and simple, elegant designs (we are now offering a Roofing Workshop for Fast Cobbers!);
Plumbing and Electrical: you’ll see just how easy it is with Fast Cob!
Our Workshops begin on a Thursday evening with a welcoming dinner and end with a Farewell breakfast on Monday before you depart on the 11 am ferry.
Food, Food, and more Homemade Organic Food!
Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start learning. In the morning, two hands-on sessions sandwich a hearty snack break. A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session), to make sure we have the strength and stamina to absorb all the learning we can, precede a longer afternoon session. After an hour break to clean-up, a hot gourmet dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community.
Please visit our workshop page for all the details and to fill in our online application. Although not required, this course is best taken after completing the Focus-on-Finishing workshop in June. It is also part of our Complete Builder’s Programme.
We offer discounts to those who register in pairs or who take multiple workshops with us. Please note that all of our fees are in Canadian dollars; if your currency is US or Euro, our fees are significantly less (30-50% less!).

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2025-06-23 - 2025-06-27 | Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: June 23 – June 27, 2025 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing both a cob building and a straw-clay building. This workshop is perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings.

This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and straw, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in natural building fundamentals. You will learn the advantages of high thermal mass cob versus high insulation straw materials. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and a straw-clay building, mixing and applying lime plaster, and studying Natural Building together each day. You will also get to see living examples on-site of a completed cob building and straw-clay building. These are excellent examples that you can learn a lot from! After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own cob and straw constructions or buildings.

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

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

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and light-straw-clay homes, and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops and strawbale workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!

The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob, straw, and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!
Teacher

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, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.

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

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

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

“The cob workshop was a life-changing experience. I learned a lot about natural building, not only from Alex’s instruction, experience and demonstrations, but from interacting with people from different backgrounds who were a great source of collective knowledge. The hands-on experience was priceless!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnBs. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Greeneville, Newport, Parrottsville, and Hot Springs.
Nearby is the Briggs Brother’s Ranch in Parrottsville, TN (highly recommended), and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private portable toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, and an electrical hookup to charge phones and small devices.

Food
Meals will not be included in this workshop so participants will need to provide their own food and drinks. There are several local restaurants and grocery stores nearby the workshop site. We even have an amazing corner-store within a walkable distance from the workshop site!
Each student is responsible for their own meal preparation. An hour for lunch is provided, allowing adequate time for food, a quick nap, or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site yet. Coolers are welcome and encouraged!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville is located near the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Tennessee. It is a beautiful area, and there are many scenic places to visit nearby. You can also travel to places like Gatlinburg, TN or Asheville, NC within a one hour driving time from the workshop site.
Family & Group 10% Discounts
Ask about the 10% discount. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/young people of any age are welcome to join in and learn. Please be aware that some areas are under construction, as is the purpose of this workshop, but it is generally child-safe.
Prices
Price: $499

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

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

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

2-Day Intro to Natural Building: Cob, Straw, Natural Plasters
2025-06-28 - 2025-06-29 | Brewster, MA, Brewster, MA, 02631, United States
Join us on Cape Cod to experience the world of natural building through cob, straw wall systems, and natural plasters! We’ll combine discussion with plenty of embodied hands-on time for an inspiring and grounding weekend in the mud. Most of the days will be filled with direct hands-on interaction with the materials, building and working with model structures. We will also discuss the science behind why these materials work, how they interact with the environment, how to maintain them, building codes, and more!

Workshop fee includes 5 meals, shower and bathroom access, and free tent camping sites (indoor shared dorm rooms available at a small fee). We’ll also take care of our bodies with optional morning meditation and yoga. Plus, the beach is just a 4-minute walk away! We can’t wait to share our passion for natural building with you.

DATES & TIMES: 6/28/25 – 6/29/25. Workshop runs 8:30am – 5:30pm on Saturday, 8:30am-3:00pm on SundayEARLY ARRIVAL OPTION: 6:00pm – 9:00pm on Friday 6/27, for those staying overnightLOCATION: Brewster, MAFACILITATORS: Carl and EmilySTUDENT #: 12 (maximum)COST (includes 5 meals): Sliding scale of $300 – $450

Slip Form Stone & Rubble Trench Foundation Workshop
2025-06-28 08:30 - 2025-06-29 17:00 (America/New_York) | TN
Build from the Ground Up — Learn to Work with Local Stone!
Join us for a hands-on, Two-day intensive workshop where you’ll learn the fundamentals of working with local stone to craft beautiful, durable foundations. Whether you’re new to building or a tradesperson looking to deepen your natural building skills, this course will give you the practical knowledge and confidence to start from solid ground.

Over the course of the weekend, you’ll:
✅ Learn how to construct a rubble trench foundation — an efficient, low-impact way to start your build.
✅ Form and pour a reinforced concrete beam to tie your foundation together.
✅ Build a slip form stone knee wall, blending traditional methods with modern techniques.
✅ Gain essential knowledge in site selection, drainage, and material sourcing.
✅ Work alongside experienced builders and heavy machinery to understand the full process from excavation to final stonework.
This workshop will lay the foundation (literally!) for our straw-based wall systems workshop later in the year. While designed to support natural wall systems like straw bale and light straw clay, these techniques are versatile and can be applied to a wide range of structures.
No prior experience is necessary — there will be opportunities for every skill level to engage, learn, and get hands-on.
Email MatteoLundgren@gmail.com to register
Details:
📅 Date: June 28 – 29
📍 Location: Trumansburg, NY
💰 Cost: $350 for the full two-day workshop — includes delicious organic lunches each day. Early Bird is $300 prior to May 1st
⛺ Camping available for free close by in Fingerlakes National Forest
Come learn how to build strong, enduring foundations with your own hands and the stones beneath your feet!
Email MatteoLundgren@gmail.com to register

4D Quick Cabin Build
2025-06-29 08:00 - 2025-07-04 17:00 (America/Denver) | Rosewater Ranch, 30 minutes north of Reno, Nevada, Reno, CA, United States
We’ll build a 120 square foot bath house/sauna over six action-packed days. The foundation will be completed ahead of time but we’ll build the walls, put in a door and windows, and build an insulated roof on top.
The structure will be post and beam using wood harvested from the property. The walls will be stacked straw bales that we’ll cover with a thick base coat of plaster. We’ll use cob for sculpting and relief work and slipstraw to fill the wood framing above and below the windows.
What you will learn

Design considerations for a cabin/house

Strawbale wall systems

How to mix, choose, and use the right materials for each step of the building process

Making and building with cob, adobe, cordwood-cob, bale-cob, slipstraw (aka Light Straw Clay)

How to make and use basic plasters

Niches, carving, and sculpting

How to build, insulate, and finish a roof system

How to make an earthen ceiling

How to make and use clay paints

We’ll hold several talks and slideshows that might include an Intro to natural building, all about codes and permitting, cabins from start to finish…etc. We’ll also take time to tour the other natural buildings on site which feature rubble trench foundation systems and earthen floors.
During every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a 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.
Conrad’s book, “House of Earth” and my cob oven book, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” are both included with the class.
There has been a lot of interest in 3D printed houses using concrete with claims to be super-fast to build as well as green. It’s great if people want to spend time pursuing faster ways to build small houses out of concrete using giant machines but these buildings are certainly not complete in a day nor is concrete a natural or green building material. Our 4D build will show that it’s possible to build a small house quickly, and better, using almost entirely natural materials.
The 4th “D” or dimension in our approach, is time. We’re honoring the vernacular methods and communal nature of building from the past while at the same time projecting these techniques and knowledge forward to create a brighter and more sustainable future. The basic techniques we teach are timeless and use clay-rich soils, straw, sand, stone, and wood. They also require a group of people – lots of hands and minds and hearts learning, laughing, and creating a beautiful, comfortable, and green structure together. These factors are, we believe, even more important than putting up something super fast.
This structure will have a straw-bale walls but it will be covered, protected, and enhanced with earth. Earth is the mother of all building materials and for millennia people have used it 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. When we combine earth with straw (which used to be considered little more than an agricultural waste product) we can speed up construction, increase insulation, and provide the fiber for cob, floors, plasters and other infill techniques.

Cob Bench and Ceremonial Sculpture Workshop
2025-07-04 09:00 - 2025-07-06 18:00 (America/Boise) | TN
This workshop is being co-facilitated by natural builders Sara and Josh of Clay Sand Soul, and Scott and Kathryn Kloos, medicine keepers and healers based in the Columbia River Gorge. Although the focus of this three day natural building workshop will be to build a cob bench complete with clay sculptures, we will also be focusing on connecting to the land and each other through altar building, prayer, song, intentional work, and connecting with various plant medicines while meditating or working with the clay sculptures. Throughout the weekend, Scott Kloos, founder of The School of Forest Medicine, will guide us through different plant meditations, with a focus on native plants of the area and the emergent needs of the collective. There will be an opportunity to take a mini-dose of psilocybin mushrooms during the sculpting portion of the workshop, although it is not obligatory.
Cob, a mixture of clay, sand, and straw, is a wonderful building material without ‘hard’ edges. Building and sculpting a cob bench while in an altered state is not only safe, but can open up doorways of possibilities. We have found it to be a beautiful way to honor and play with the clay body of the Earth. Our prayer is to create a space of intentionality and thoughtful work, where one’s body and soul can take a breath and see what happens in the exhale, where we can collectively wonder about the world, our community, and our bodies. This will be a co-creative experience, where it is safe to bring your questions, dreams, and troubles to the forefront, and allow the modality of working with the Earth to work on those threads.
This is a family-friendly event! We believe that children and elders are the heart-center of all communities, so all are welcome here!
On logistics: This workshop is being held at a community dedicated to healing and earth connection in Corbett, Oregon. The workshop will begin on Friday, July 4th at 9am and end on Sunday July 6th at 6pm. Our general daily schedule is as follows: morning session from 9am-1pm, lunch from 1-2:30, afternoon work session from 2:30-6. Camping, an outdoor hot/cold shower, and a daily vegetarian lunch are included. We suggest bringing your favorite snacks for eating throughout the day. There will be potable water and electricity available for filling up containers and charging devices. Breakfast and dinner are not included, so those camping will need to bring their own food storage and preparation set-up. This will be an off-grid weekend, so please come prepared. The weather in Corbett, OR in early July tends to be dry, with a slight chance of rain. Temperatures during the day are in the high 60s and at night drop to the mid 40s. Our work site will be in the shade for most of the day, but come prepared for chilly, dewy mornings, potential rain, and full sun exposure. We will be working with clay, stone, sand, and straw, so bring clothes you don’t mind getting dirty =) All tools and materials will be provided, but bring your favorite work gloves, slip on shoes for while we are mixing cob, and plenty of layers for any changing weather.
Tuition is $400 and includes, camping, amenities, a daily lunch, all materials, plant medicine offerings, and digital instructional material from Clay Sand Soul. We accept Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal. Please reach out for each platform handle.
Half of proceeds from this workshop will be donated to MECA, the Middle East Children’s Alliance. For more information on MECA, visit: https://www.mecaforpeace.org
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email Josh and Sara at claysandsoul@gmail.com
We look forward to working with you!

A Complete Cob Cottage in Southeast Belgium this Summer (Aubange)!
2025-07-06 16:00 - 2025-08-10 16:00 (Europe/Brussels) | La Fourmiliere, Aubange, Aubange, Aubange, Belgium
THE PROJECT

Ain’t she a Beauty? The newest CCG build completed on February 23 in Naguábo, Puerto Rico led by Instructors Tom Van Well & Christian Eder.

The Belgium 5-Week Advanced Cob Certification students will be building a “Cob Arts Cottage” for the local community to experience the reality and nature of Cob, and come together for events in this locally-sourced edifice built and sculpted by hand! The Cob Cottage is intended to have solar energy, rainwater collection and a rocket stove (or similar) to cook and heat the room with, thus creating a multifunctional space for various activities: from tiny house to art studio, to yoga retreat, to exhibition room, etc., depending on who is permanently or temporarily living in Aubange. It is important for us that this space functions as a self-sustaining system in order to be 100% conscious of energy and water consumption. We are excited to give our community a taste of this way of life by inviting them to experience the building.
The unique, sacred and soulful structure will be crafted, as always, from 12-15 pairs of loving muddy hands and feet from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and from far and near. Starting with the “boots”, a stone foundation, to the “hat”, our trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover everything in between! Students leave full of inspiration, motivation, passion, empowerment and hunger for more. Did we tell you that Cob is an addiction? The best kind! Once you go COB you never go back!

Beautiful shot of the bamboo reciprocal roof just built by these students in Puerto Rico and led by Tom & Chris!

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number). The breathtaking reciprocal roof structure we build in all of our workshops is the strongest roof there is, due to its interlocking spiral structure which holds itself up with no outward pressure on the monolithic round wall of the building. In addition, it mirrors the horizontal social structure favored in indigenous societies, who meet under these types of roofs for community council circles, events & ceremonies.
Students in this Advanced Cobber Certification training will, as always, learn all the steps to building a complete Cob Building from scratch. In week 1, we dig the rubble trench and fill it with a sturdy aesthetic stone foundation to support the wall and roof, and finish the week off by pouring the adobe/cob floor on a gravel base. In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall with all its detailed insertions like windows, niches, shelves, bottles, etc., and finish it with 1-2 days of relaxed sculpting. In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and strong wall with an earthen mix followed by the first day of reciprocal roof installation. In week 5 we wrap up the workshop by completing the roof structure and topping it with a green covering, and then finishing the wall and the second floor coat on the final Friday.

Carmen from Germany & Wanjugu from Kenya making Cob floor mix at Mlango Farm, Ngecha, Kenya, 2025

We especially invite non-White and multiracial students who are curious or already interested and passionate about earthen construction to come learn the art and technique of cob building with CCG. We want a workshop that feels comfortable for non-white students, and aim for a healthy balance as our ideal. CCG has taught in many countries of the world and our mission is to create access to everyone interested, especially the local people, so we can create international cob building families where all students grow and learn on a personal and interpersonal level. We aim to create intercultural and interhuman bonding experiences through our Cob building workshops to heal the world one Cob house at a time. So please follow your Heart & Soul, listen to the Call, and come and embark on a life-changing adventure in one of our many workshop locations in 2025.

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience.

Opening Circle in Utuado, Puerto Rico, 2024

Students arrive on Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The Workshop begins at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 5 weeks later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch, around 2pm. Students can arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs, unless a work trade or meal fee is approved by Host (to be decided closer to the date). The Opening Circle begins promptly at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5pm, Dinner at 6pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7pm. We require that students arrive on Saturday or on Sunday by 2pm AT THE LATEST!!! We need to begin ALL TOGETHER, as the most important information for the success and smooth-running of the workshop and the well-being of the students will happen on Sunday between 4pm and 8:30pm. It is very inconvenient for students, Host, Instructors and the group, when someone arrives late and misses any of the opening sessions. Please be punctual because Monday morning at 9 am we begin digging the trench for our Cob Building and students need to be prepared and ready to go!!!!

Charles enjoying his cob experience in Ngecha, Kenya, 2025

Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:30 am and lasts until 1pm with a 20-minute snack pause at 11am. Lunch break is from 1pm to 2:30pm, which includes a rest time before the 3-hour afternoon session begins, from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 60-minute lecture at 2:30pm, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again right after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner (served from 7pm to 8pm), in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming, walking and just relax.

Kenya workshop students, 2025

There is sometimes a work trade student officially or informally leading yoga and movement practice in the mornings or afternoons (depending on student preference). There will also be 3-4 evenings (once a week) after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are mostly free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Tuesdays are reserved for our weekly Council Circle, where we do a deeper sharing and listening to attend to the inner worlds of our students, staff & Host(s) during this intense experience.

Puerto Rico plastering, 2025

On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, to use the kitchen. Host and/or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions.
The 35-day Course will offer practical learning by building a complete 15m2 curvilinear building from foundation to roof, as  described in the “Project” section. Those who complete the 35-day Workshop will receive an Advanced Cobber Certificate of Completion for Foundation, Cob Walls (which includes Door, Windows, Shelves, Art, Electrical Housing & Plumbing preparation), Floor, Plaster & Roof.

DAILY SCHEDULE

The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:
7:30-8:15 Breakfast
8:30-1:00 Class
1:00-2:30 Lunch
2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF’s)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)
Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!

COURSE CONTENTS

Students will learn every phase of building a cob building from foundation through the reciprocal roof in hands-on building and lectures/theory. In addition to the lectures, slideshows and videos will be shown to support and enhance their understanding of cob materials, cob building, design, geography, budgeting, business options and legal issues.
Our hands-on practice will include:
digging foundation trench
pouring gravel and inserting drainage pipe (if applicable)
building foundation stemwall
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
deciding on correct mixture
deciding on best location
making cob w/ partner and solo
building with cob
preparing and inserting the door
preparing and inserting fixed and opening windows
preparing and inserting shelves
inserting bottle windows, glass and other objects
inserting electrical housing and outlet/switch boxes (when applicable)*
insert PVC pipe for plumbing in walls (when applicable)*
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plaster (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (2 coats)
preparing walls for roof connection
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on roof sheathing and other elements
installing green roof
making small-scale cob designs of future projects, time permitting
In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:
legal cob construction practices & the international cob code (Appendix AU in the IRC)
cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, interning and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal
*While the insertion of electrical housing and one or more outlet/switch boxes and PVC pipes to hold plumbing are always included in the workshops, the simplicity or complexity depends on the host’s design and preferences. There will be no electrical wiring or plumbing pipes installed during workshop. That is beyond the focus of this course and requires professional experience and certification/licensing.

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Students will need to come prepared for demanding physical work from Day 1.
This includes bringing:
Work clothes appropriate for the country and climate we are in
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes (for foundation and roof)
Flip-flops (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (email:goldhillclayplaster@gmail.com)
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)
Any other power tools like circular saw, grinder with metal blade, cordless drill, chop saw, extra hammers, trowels, saws, levels…will be very welcome if you have them and are driving in. Some students fly in with only carry-on luggage and can’t bring some of these tools.
*These tools will be very helpful to bring if you can, to minimize sharing and waiting, but if you can’t, the Host will provide them.

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

Primary Rafters going on in Puerto Rico, 2025

The end is in sight! Celebration time! Puerto Rico, 2025

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

Tadaaaaaa! Certified Cobbers proudly posing! Puerto Rico, 2025

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

Satisfaction of a foundation almost done in Ngecha, Kenya

The workshop intensity changes from week 1 to week 5 with the focus of the week. The first foundation week breaks people in with the work of moving, lifting, rolling and placing rocks and is a new and demanding physical and mental experience for most students. It also includes  the first layers and coat of cob floor. The second week and part of the third week of cob-making and building are similar to the rock foundation week in physical demand, but are more flowing, multi-faceted and cardiovascular in movement. On Thursday & Friday of week 3, the workshop takes a turn and slows down and the body can rest as students their creative source now and design and sculpt the walls and around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding

The icing on the cake after the hard work in Puerto Rico, 2025

experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with visual beauty and meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by Host(s). Plastering follows sculpting and is also an enjoyable more lightweight physical experience, that lends itself to talking and sharing at the wall in a meditative rhythm as the students have bonded and shared deeply through a variety of experiences for a month. On day 5 of week 4, the roof begins. This part is the beginning of a change of pace from the earthen building work to carpentry skills, power tools, measuring, sawing, drilling, hammering, screwing, trimming, etc. But now the workshop is in its final stretch and there is a boost of energy to wrap up the roof, close the top of the wall, and tend to finishing touches….the grand finale.
For students wanting a more mellow slow-paced cob experience, along with time for personal exploration and experimentation following their own rhythm, these workshops are not for you! However, you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that offer a  shorter period, building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.
Students are required to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” and “Essential Cob Construction” (see website Resources page) before the workshop begins, and any other books they find or are listed on our Resources page, ideally on plastering and reciprocal roof building. We ask that you watch the many videos on our our “International Cob Workshop” playlist on Claudine’s YouTube channel, the new educational YouTube series “Building a Mud Home” by Cooper Green, posted by Natural Buildings and created from our North Carolina workshop footage, and the ones posted on CruzinCobGlobal’s website under Gallery, to get an idea of what is expected. Also it is a great idea to watch as many other videos on cob and reciprocal roofs as you can to come mentally prepared. Please bring your book(s).

Ngecha, Kenya students from Vermont, Catalunya and Nyeri gettin’ good at Cob Breading! 2025

Students must tend to their own personal needs, drink alot of water, rest when needed and exert themselves at a steady pace. Students who cannot do the strenuous physical work should let us know when registering, so we can make sure the workshop is a good fit. If approved before the workshop begins, we will aim to adjust appropriately. There is alot to do to support making and building with cob while respecting your physical limitations!!!

Lunch Break at Mlabgo Farm in Kenya, 2025

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

NICOLAS PIMENTEL
Cob Instructor & Master Cobber

Happy Long-Term Builder!

I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and had a childhood deeply connected to the arts and nature. From an early age, I felt a strong curiosity to travel and learn about other cultures, people, and places. During my university years as an architecture student, I went to study in Porto, Portugal in my final year. There, I first encountered the idea of natural building while attending a conference in Prague. After this brief introduction to theoretical knowledge, I wanted to get hands-on experience. In 2017, while searching online, I found a CruzinCobGlobal workshop taught by Claudine in the Azores Islands, and that was the beginning of this amazing journey of fascination with and passion for Earthen Building, as well as a great, long friendship with Claudine. After spending a long time on the islands, I returned to Chile to receive my degree in architecture. I also went to Colorado to assist in a CCG workshop lead by Claudine, and then assisted & co-taught 2 CCG workshops in Chile.

Nico leading the light straw clay 2nd floor of Claudine’s Cob Villa in 2021

I also learned other natural building techniques at TIBÁ in Brazil, and continued working independently in Chile, where I built my first light straw clay house in southern Chile. This is when I eventually settled in the northern Patagonian mountain town of Pucón, where I co-founded my architecture studio, PIWA. My focus is designing homes in rural areas, integrating bioconstruction and bioarchitecture techniques. Parallel to this, I returned to the Azores Islands to teach a light clay straw workshop on Claudine’s land in 2021 and a Complete Full Build Workshop in 2023.

Plaster Master!

My motivation to keep learning has never waned, and this drive took me to Marrakech to learn Tadelakt from ancient masters. I also constantly return to books to learn more about various techniques and experiment with them. In 2024, I began teaching online workshops as well as in-person workshops on earthen plasters in southern Portugal and southern Chile.
Currently, I work as an architect in my own studio, mainly designing in southern Chile. I am also co-founder of a conservation project called Jungla Peumayen, located in the central region’s mountains, where we focus on the conservation of flora and fauna, conducting rewilding efforts by reinserting wild animals, among other activities. I also co-founded Kalina, a creative space in nature located in northern Patagonia, where I reside and am currently building my second light straw clay home.
I love teaching these techniques and learning from other students. I believe every interaction is an opportunity for learning, and bringing earthen building to new environments and professionalizing it is a crucial task in contributing to this paradigm shift. The earth has built me and I am constantly growing and learning from it!

ZOE VERBAANT
Cob Assistant

Zoe in her element in Kenya, 2025

Hi! I’m Zoë, 34, from the Netherlands, and currently I live wherever I lay my head down. I have always been very passionate about the world, nature, humanity, and how everything is related. As a child I would philosophy about these topics. I was fascinated with indigenous tribal peoples living exclusively of the land they walk on. I dreamed of living like that too, in a house made of bamboo, or mud, that I’d built myself.
Growing up, I ‘did life’ differently than the people around me, trying to follow my passions. I eventually studied ecology, nature and wildlife management, dreaming to contribute to conservation of primary ecosystems. I’d travel everytime I had managed to save up with waitress jobs. Not only because I love exploring every corner of the world, also because of my strong need to put my energy into conservation related projects. Through these endeavours I eventually

Zanzibar Youth love Zoe!

ended up volunteering at a place in Spain, in 2015, where 2 elderly people were re-designing their lifestyle to a more connected life, and that included natural building – restoring the ruined dry stone wall buildings.
I loved doing that, and in 2017 I joined a massive earth bag build in Australia, that also incorporated rammed earth walls and a cob oven. It was a very beautiful holistic experience. And somehow it felt as though I had built like it before. A puzzle piece fell in place.. From then on, in my travels I would often look for opportunities to build, restore or beautify people’s homes, slowly learning more, gaining skills, growing as a person and feeding my soul. I’ve been interested in all the different possibilities within the concept of natural building…. and there are many.
Besides the above, I worked on 2 hempcrete builds in the Netherlands, a round timber frame gazebo with reciprocal green roof in France, restoring an old wattle/daub Tudor house in Germany, a Cob roundhouse in Spain. And a month ago a mud brick house in Thailand. I have done several plastering and paint jobs here and there, using earthen and lime mixes. Adding to that I have done some small works, learning about slip straw, pallet cob, sgraffito and other plaster murals, tadelakt and building rocket mass heaters.

Zoë and Claudine celebrating the beautiful Kenya Cob Workshop build in March 2025!

I joined the CruzinCobGlobal Cob house and Oven & Bench workshop, on São Miguel in 2023. I really wanted a start to finish experience, combining all the techniques involved. It gave me a big boost in my building skills and I made great friendships.  Moving on from there I felt confident I could have a go at designing and teaching building, which I did in Tanzania. We made a gazebo style classroom with coral rock, earth and wood.  After I complete a very exciting journey of sharing the knowledge, through CruzinCobGlobal, in Kenya, alongside Claudine, I am looking forward to assisting my Cob Instructor Nicolas Pimentel in Belgium!

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Host Nicole’s layout in Pescadero, CA, 2024

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch. Weekends students will be on their own for food and may use the onsite kitchen. Meals will be vegetarian and locally-based as much as possible, including farm produce and eggs! Carnivores & pescatarians & omnivores will, if desired, be offered non-vegetarian options of meals a few times a week and/or supplemented with canned fish, dried meats, cold cuts. They are also welcome to buy or bring their own supplements.
We will attend to vegan and gluten-free diets if needed, but any other restrictions & allergies that require extensive preparation needs, will probably not be able to be honored, and kitchen will only be accessible on weekends for students.
Camping with your own tent and bedding is free. Students at this workshop are also welcome to rent a bed in a 4-person shared room in the main house for 5€/night o 175€ for the 35-day workshop. Otherwise, please bring a good tent and warm sleeping bag, pad, pillow and blanket just in case… or camping hammock.

TRANSPORTATION

Students can fly in to Charleroi airport (CRL) in Brussels or Strasbourg (SXB), France or Luxembourg (LUX) and take public transportation to Aubange. Trains, buses, BlaBlaCar are all European options for arriving as well. More info will be provided in the Welcome Letter on other options for arriving, including carpooling with European students driving in. We will create a Whatsapp group one month out, so students can organize rides & transport together.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: 2400€, paid in full by April 6th, 2025
Early Bird Rate: 2500€, paid in full by May 6th, 2025
Standard Rate: 2600€, paid in full by June 6th, 2025
We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a 250€ discount for working one hour each weekday from 6:30am to 7:30am either on the site prepping materials and other work as guided by the Instructors or preparing & putting away breakfast. Two persons for each service. These are the first options to go. Depending on when you pay in full, the discount is taken off the appropriate amount.
For US residents, payment can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay using the Wise app/website using same email or the following IBAN: [REDACTED]. We are happy to send you an invite to Wise which gives you a free first transfer of 500€.
Please contact claudine@cruzincobglobal.org or Whatsapp +1(831) 212-7225 to register and ask any questions.
To hold your spot (there are 12 for new students and 3 for returning students), you can make a 50% deposit. The balance owed depends on the date of payment in full. Final payment deadline is June 6th, 2025.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by April 6th, 2025 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by May 6th, 2025 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after May 6th, 2025 will not receive a refund or credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation or other reason out of their control, in which case they will receive a credit for two years minus the 10% admin fee.
SEE YOU IN THE MUUUUUUD!

Cob Pallet Wall Workshop: Hands-On Natural Building
2025-07-12 08:30 - 2025-07-13 17:00 (America/New_York) | TN
Join us for an exciting 2-day hands-on workshop where we’ll construct cob pallet walls for a 24×32 foot post-and-beam barn! This is a unique opportunity to learn how to transform reclaimed pallets into a sturdy, insulated, and beautiful earthen wall system—a powerful technique in natural building.

Why Pallet Walls?
The pallet wall system is a perfect blend of sustainability, affordability, and functionality. By repurposing discarded shipping pallets, we create a strong yet lightweight framework that allows us to build high-quality, low-cost structures with minimal environmental impact. Pallet walls provide the perfect “skeleton” for infill materials like cob, straw, or light clay, making them a versatile choice for natural builders.
What You’ll Learn:
✅ Pallet Wall Framing – How to frame windows and doors within the pallet system.
✅ Wall Foundations – Understanding the essential groundwork to ensure strong, long-lasting cob walls.
✅ Mixing & Applying Cob – Get your hands (and feet) dirty while learning to create and apply the perfect cob mix.
✅ Thermal Mass & Breathability – Why earthen walls create healthy, comfortable living spaces.
✅ Natural Building Techniques – Blending tradition with innovation to build structures that are beautiful, sustainable, and functional.
Why Join This Workshop?

Experience the magic of working with mud, connecting with ancient and modern building wisdom.
Gain practical skills you can apply to your own natural building projects.
Be part of a community that values sustainable, low-impact building techniques.

Accommodation:
Participants are welcome to camp on-site for the duration of the workshop for an additional $15 per night. To make your stay more comfortable, our Yurt will serve as a community space, offering:
🏕️ Access to a shower
🔥 Indoor kitchen with a propane stove
❄️ Big refrigerator to store your food
🚽 Compost toilet
📚 Cozy space for relaxing, reading natural building books, and connecting with others
This shared space allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience, enjoy meals together, and deepen your connections with fellow workshop participants.
Workshop Details:
📅 Dates: July 12th and July 13th (8:30am to 5pm each day)
📍 Location: Brooktondale NY
💰 Cost: $350 (includes delicious homemade organic lunches)
How to Register:
To secure your spot or for any inquiries, please email MatteoLundgren@gmail.com. Spaces are limited, so sign up early!

Cob Workshop
2025-07-12 11:30 - 2025-07-13 11:30 (America/Denver) | Santa Cruz, Ca Mountains, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Cob Workshop in Santa Cruz Mountains. Hands on experience building dome like structure.

Comprehensive Hempcrete Training August 23rd-28th
2025-07-18 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | TN
Join us this August in Parkdale, OR for a hands-on Hempcrete Building Workshop! 🌿🏗️
We’ll be working on a full-scale 2,000 SF natural home, learning everything from designing and engineering Hempcrete building systems, to code compliance and permitting pathways, to mixing and installing hempcrete in a beautiful home.
No experience necessary—just bring curiosity and a willingness to learn.
📅 Two sessions: August 15–20 & August 23–28
📍 Parkdale, Oregon
🔗 Full details + registration: https://www.nextgenesisdesign.com/hempcrete-workshop-info

A Complete Introduction to Natural Building (Cob, Wattle and Daub, and Natural Plasters)
2025-07-20 16:00 - 2025-07-27 16:00 (America/Denver) | Clouds of El Pital Eco-Tourism Cooperative, El Pital Mountain, San Ignacio, Chalatenango, 503, El Salvador
Come and experience our natural building oasis, agroecology farm, and ecotourism project in the cloud forests of El Salvador´s highest mountain range! Our next natural building workshop is planned for July 20th-27th, 2025.

This workshop is being hosted by the Nubes del Pital (Clouds of El Pital) agroecology farm and ecotourism project. Over the past ten years, we have collectively built 15 different cob houses, restaurants, 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, agroecology, and sustainable living. Besides participating in the actual building workshop, you will also be staying on a beautiful permaculture farm presenting the opportunity to learn about regenerative homesteading, organic farming, and different ways to integrate earthen structures into the landscape.

During this workshop, we will be building a new cob and wattle and daub glamping cabin in a food forest and ecotourism project. The workshop site is surrounded by a beautiful pine and cedar forest, along with coffee, avocado, and other fruit trees. Participants will have the opportunity to experience and learn about all aspects of the building process, from rubble trenches and rock foundations, building cob, wattle and daub, and cordwood walls, timber framing, installing doors and windows, incorporating recycled materials/bottles into the structure, plastering, natural clay-based paints, and more.

This workshop also offers you the opportunity to see, experience, and live in several different naturally-built structures on our farm. 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 $650 USD per person, and includes:

• 7 nights of lodging in private cob/wood cabins (check out the AirBnb links below to see where you´ll be staying)• 3 locally-harvested meals a day• All the coffee, tea, and water you can drink• Local transportation from the cabins where you will be staying to the build site on the coffee farm.• The workshop learning experience• Several free e-books on cob and natural building• A half-day hiking trip to visit the mystical cloud forest of El Pital• We will also be visiting different cob and wood homes that have been built in our community to learn how natural building positively impacts local communities.

For more information or to sign up and secure your place (we have a maximum of 15 participants for our workshops) you can send us an email at: tobiasroberts20@hotmail.com, or contact us via Whatsapp at +503 7024 6928

Again, we have a maximum of 15 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…Rosa de Montaña: https://es.airbnb.com/rooms/21276181…El Colibrí: https://es.airbnb.com/rooms/21239316…La Libélula: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/857860869520040145?guests=1…El Roble: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/682837356124333465?guests=1…El Abeto: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/683176565394719587?guests=1…

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2025-07-21 - 2025-07-25 | Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: July 21 – July 25, 2025 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Greeneville, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing both a cob building and a straw-clay building. This workshop is perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings.

This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and straw, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in natural building fundamentals. You will learn the advantages of high thermal mass cob versus high insulation straw materials. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and a straw-clay building, mixing and applying lime plaster, and studying Natural Building together each day. You will also get to see living examples on-site of a completed cob building and straw-clay building. These are excellent examples that you can learn a lot from! After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own cob and straw constructions or buildings.

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

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

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and light-straw-clay homes, and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops and strawbale workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!

The workshop will be held at a private property in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob, straw, and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!
Teacher

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, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.

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

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

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

“The cob workshop was a life-changing experience. I learned a lot about natural building, not only from Alex’s instruction, experience and demonstrations, but from interacting with people from different backgrounds who were a great source of collective knowledge. The hands-on experience was priceless!”

Tony Romo, Texas

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”

Marybeth Babos, Tennessee

Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnBs. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Greeneville, Newport, Parrottsville, and Hot Springs.
Nearby is the Briggs Brother’s Ranch in Parrottsville, TN (highly recommended), and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private portable toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, and an electrical hookup to charge phones and small devices.

Food
Meals will not be included in this workshop so participants will need to provide their own food and drinks. There are several local restaurants and grocery stores nearby the workshop site. We even have an amazing corner-store within a walkable distance from the workshop site!
Each student is responsible for their own meal preparation. An hour for lunch is provided, allowing adequate time for food, a quick nap, or trip into town. There is no official kitchen on site yet. Coolers are welcome and encouraged!
Recreation & Surroundings
Greeneville is located near the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Tennessee. It is a beautiful area, and there are many scenic places to visit nearby. You can also travel to places like Gatlinburg, TN or Asheville, NC within a one hour driving time from the workshop site.
Family & Group 10% Discounts
Ask about the 10% discount. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/young people of any age are welcome to join in and learn. Please be aware that some areas are under construction, as is the purpose of this workshop, but it is generally child-safe.
Prices
Price: $499

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

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

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

Cob Oven Workshop
2025-07-26 - 2025-07-27 | Brewster, MA, Brewster, MA, 02631, United States
Immerse into the world of clay and natural building through cob the collective creation of a cob oven! We’ll combine discussion with plenty of embodied, hands-on time for an inspiring and grounding weekend connecting with Earth.

We’ll be building a cob oven for a wonderful potter right down the road from where you’ll be staying. It all starts with a good foundation, which we’ll be building by stacking reclaimed, native stone. You’ll learn where to look for and how harvest the basic ingredients, clay, sand, and straw, as well as how to combine all of them together for the best, most durable outcome. Topics like site selection and the history of cob will also give you a broader scope of the possibilities!

Natural Building Camp 4 Techniques 4 Days, Portugal
2025-08-07 - 2025-08-10 | Cheleiros, Portugal, Portugal
Natural Building Camp | Organized by O Tom da Terra
📅 7th–10th August | 📍 Cheleiros, Portugal | 💶 €250 (includes food + camping)
Join us for an inspiring 4-day hands-on workshop in the beautiful hills of Cheleiros where we’ll dive deep into the world of natural building, focusing on COB construction, earthen plasters, a lime stabilized-earth plaster, and the amazing Moroccan technique of Tadelakt.
Whether you’re a curious beginner or looking to expand your sustainable building skills, this experience will equip you with practical techniques, deeper material understanding, and a strong connection to earth-based architecture. Led by clay artisan Tom and our guest teacher, lime plasterer Isaac.
SCHEDULE.
7th August – Exploring Earth & COB with Tom

Introduction to different natural building techniques
Soil testing: learn how to assess local materials
Intro to our COB base layer:

What is clay?
What is COB and why use it?
Clay vs. Cement – what’s the difference?

Practical: Mixing and applying your first COB base layer

8th August – Plastering Beginnings with Tom

Morning: COB base layer work continues
Afternoon Lectures: All about earthen plasters
Afternoon Practical: Mixing and applying plasters with hands-on technique

9th August – Earthen Plaster Refining with Tom and Lime Stabilized Earth with Isaac

Morning: Smoothing, layering, and finishing techniques for real-world use
Afternoon: Lime-stabilized- earth base layer

10th August – Tadelakt with Isaac

A full-day deep dive into the elegance Tadelakt
Learn from Isaac as he guides you through this waterproof lime plastering method, known for its beauty and durability
There will be opportunities for practical experience on both sample boards and larger walls.

Important to note

– Arrival on the 7th of August in the morning. We typically start at 9.30 and end a day at 16.30/17.00.
– Breakfast is served at 8.00, lunch at 13.00 and dinner at 19.00

TOTAL INVESTMENT CAMP: €250
Includes:
✔️ All tuition and materials
✔️ Delicious plant-based meals
✔️ On-site camping space
✔️ Access to a growing community of natural builders
FOOD The food is plant-based. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on 7 – 8 – 9 of August. Breakfast and lunch are served on the 10th of August.
INSTRUCTORS:
Tom: Will guide the workshop throughout the first 2,5 days, introducing the students to the fascinating world of clay. With passion and contemplation Tom explores our understanding of this material, we learn its diverse shapes, and get our hands dirty using what surrounds us.
Isaac: Experienced lime plasterer and furniture maker, leading the last 1,5 day of Lime Stabilized Earth and Tadelakt. He will guide us towards an understanding of lime and the raw materials, tools, and techniques used in the application of tadelakt.
LOCATION: Cheleiros, Portugal
Beautiful outdoor rural setting in the hills of the Mafra-Sintra border. The land has the Rio Lizandro streaming right by so you’ll hear it all day long (exact directions shared closer to date). Looking for peace and serenity before a busy workshop day? The valley lends itself to morning walks. The closest beach is about 20 minutes away, good for a sunset visit! And if the desire is there (it always is), we light the fire.
ACCOMODATION There is space for camping on the land or to park your van next to the river.
LANGUAGES The workshop will be in English, with Portuguese translation available throughout.
ADD-ONS
• There is a campervan available to sleep in at additional cost, contact us.
• Our host Matthieu is a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine, offering his massages during the workshop at additional cost.
CANCELLATION POLICY Organizing a workshop takes a lot of energy, we hope you understand the following policy, it’s the only way to make our work possible.

Up to 14 days before the workshop starts:
You’ll receive a full refund.
7 to 13 days before the workshop:
We’ll refund 50% of your fee.
Less than 7 days before the workshop:
Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer a refund at this stage due to planning and material costs.

After filling in the pre-inscription you’ll receive the payment details, your spot can only be confirmed after having received the payment in full! Closer to date, we’ll check in with more information (packlist suggestions, exact address etc.).
Spots are limited – secure yours now!
Email: tmvwell@gmail.com
WhatsApp/Phone: +31 6 45205489
Instagram: @otomdaterra
Website: otomdaterra.com

Earthen Plasters and Floors 2 Weekend Series
2025-08-08 08:00 - 2025-08-11 17:00 (America/Denver) | TN
🛠️ Begin a Lifelong Relationship with Earth 🛠️
This August, we’re offering a rare opportunity to ground your learning in hands-on practice—through a natural building workshop series rooted in the heart of Mendocino County, California.
Over two immersive weekends, students will:

Work directly with clay, straw, and sand.
Learn through touch, intuition, and repetition
Explore the nuance of materials in real time
Understand how earthen techniques contribute to fire-resilient design in a changing climate
Begin a long-term relationship with the rhythms of earth-based construction
learn simple details that make these techniques applicable for retrofitting conventional spaces
eat all organic meals sourced on site and locally
Have access to Sauna, and Hot Showers

This is not just an intro class—it’s an embodied invitation into the complexity, subtlety, and sacred logic of natural building.
You’ll leave with the foundational knowledge to continue this path—with your own hands, on your own land, or with your own community.
🧱 Base Plasters & Floors: August 8–10, 2025
🎨 Finish Floors & Plasters: August 22–24, 2025
The experience is spacious, paced, and grounded—ideal for builders, homesteaders, artists, activists, architects, or anyone ready to root in the practical and poetic.
All organic meals, hot showers, a wood-fired sauna, and spacious camping are included in your registration—nourishment for the body as well as the hands.
Limited spots available to keep the group small, focused, and supportive. Link in bio to register 🌱

Hands-on Hempcrete Building Workshop! August 15th-20th
2025-08-15 08:00 - 2025-08-20 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | TN
