Cob Workshops

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.

All the Basics of Building…the Fast Cob Way!
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!).

Comprehensive Hempcrete Training August 23rd-28th
2025-07-18 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver), 2025-08-23 08:00 - 2025-08-28 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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

Cob Building Workshop
2025-08-21 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | TN
Weekend workshop September 13-14 in the Santa Cruz Mountains at WindTree.
Meet other like-minded folks in a peaceful retreat-like setting. Learn hands-on practical skills building a small dome like structure, Temazcal/Inipi. Inipi ceremony will be offered (a way to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit) camping, along with delicious meals. Some cabins available upon request for additional fee.

Advanced Fast Cob/Roofing for Fast Cobbers!
2025-08-21 15:30 - 2025-08-25 11:00 (America/Vancouver) | Lasqueti Island, 1 Beautiful Bicycle Lane, Lasqueti Island, BC, V0R 2J0, Canada
After building almost 20 roofs of 5 different materials, including Lasqueti’s Arts Centre, it’s time to share these skills with you. I’ve delayed this offering because being off the ground is inherently dangerous, but this year we’ll have a roof design that uses two different “shed” styles that will be easily accessible from low, stable scaffolding. Of course, safety will be foremost in our minds at all times.
The roof itself will be made of metal, the longest-lasting (other than slate) and lowest cost (over its lifespan) material currently available. We’ll see and examine liquid membrane roofs, hand-split cedar shake roofs, and many other metal roof examples in between our workshop sessions.
Every roof has multiple layers, and we’ll experience installing all the standard ones: the main decking, tar paper, and then the metal itself. We’ll also install a glass skylight that is far from standard but has proven to work like a charm without the exorbitant cost of building in and buying commercial skylights.
Our Workshops begin on a Thursday evening with a welcoming dinner and end with a Farewell breakfast on Monday before you depart on the 11 am ferry.
Food, Food, and more Food!
Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start learning. In the morning, two hands-on sessions sandwich a hearty snack break. A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session), to make sure we have the strength and stamina to absorb all the learning we can, precede a longer afternoon session. After an hour break to clean-up, a hot gourmet dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community.
Please visit our workshop page for all the details and to fill in our online application. It is also part of our Complete Builder’s Programme. This course will complete your learning journey and allow you to complete your own natural buildings!
We offer discounts to those who register in pairs or who take multiple workshops with us. Please note that all of our fees are in Canadian dollars; if your currency is US or Euro, our fees are significantly less (30-50% less!).

🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone Foundations for Drainage & Erosion Control in Chattanooga, TN
2025-08-25 - 2025-08-28 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone Foundations for Drainage & Erosion Control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
Ready to build stone walls that are beautiful and built to last?
Join us this August at Talking Water Nature Retreat in Chattanooga, TN for a hands-on deep dive into dry-stacked stone foundation work. This workshop is designed for anyone who wants to combine aesthetic, long-lasting walls with smart water management—whether you’re planning a cob, cordwood, or hybrid structure.
We’ll be working on two real-world applications:
🔹 50′ perimeter mortared stone foundation (for cob walls)

Trenched gravel base with runoff tubing

Classic stacked stone wall techniques for vertical builds

🔹 65′ linear mortared stone retaining wall (for cordwood walls)

2–3 ft high with 6 ft load-bearing buttress supports

Water management with landscape fabric, French drains, and compacted gravel

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Select and balance stones
✅ Frame for openings like doors and transitions✅ Build with long-term structural integrity
✅ Create 100-year walls that manage water like pros
✅ Use simple tools and techniques that honor tradition and function
This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series, a collection of focused weekend intensives at our family-run nature-based retreat, Talking Water, on Suck Creek Mountain—just 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga and next to Prentice Cooper State Forest.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

🏕️ On-site camping available: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (while they last!)
This is for the builders, the land-lovers, the folks who want to do it right from the ground up. Whether you’re just getting started or bringing years of experience, you’re welcome here.
📩 Questions? Reach out: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 More info & full workshop schedule: talkingwatertn.com🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/
— — —- — — — — — —- — — — — — —- — — — — — —- — — — — — —- — — — — — —- — — —
This workshop is part of a series of workshops constructing a bluff-top amphitheater from the ground up. Topics include:
🪨 Dry-stacked stone foundations for drainage & erosion control

August 25 to August 28 (4 days)
$480

🪞 Bottle-log windows for beauty & light diffusion

August 30 to August 31 (2 days)
$315

📐 Load-bearing cordwood walls

September 13 to 14 (2 days) OR September 20 to 21 (2 days)
$315

🌀 Scultpural cob walls

September 5 to September 14 (10 days)
$815

🪷 Natural plasters with breathable, weather-ready finishes

September 24 to September 28 (5 days)
$580

🏡 Reciprocal green roof for thermal mass & elegant structure

October 12 to October 16 (5 days)
$580

🌿 Performance meets creativity. Function meets nature. And you meet a community of hands-on learners ready to build the future together.

🪞 Windows & Bottle-Logs – Cutting & Installing Colorful Light Features
2025-08-30 - 2025-08-31 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🪞 Windows & Bottle-Logs – Cutting & Installing Colorful Light Features📅 August 30 to August 31, 2025💰 $315
Want to bring color, light, and artistry into your walls? This hands-on workshop is all about bottle-log windows and floating window frames – techniques that make natural buildings glow.
We’ll dive into every step, from sourcing bottles to installing frames that will last for ages.
What we’ll cover:

Sourcing, selecting, cutting, and disinfecting bottles

Drying and taping techniques for bottle-log assembly

Creating custom window frames that work with cob and cordwood walls

Prepping for proper flashing and weatherproofing

Installing and floating frames in unbuilt walls for a seamless, artistic look

You’ll get the full picture: how to marry design, light, and durability with plenty of time for hands-on cutting, prepping, and building.

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat in wild Chattanooga, TN, where we’re creating a mini forest amphitheater using cob, cordwood, and stacked stone. It’s beginner-friendly, creative, and full of muddy magic, healthy meals, and forest camping.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials (yes, bottles are provided!)

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

Discounts available: 10% off for group sign-ups, 15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ On-site camping: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (limited spaces)
Bring your ideas, your hands, and maybe a few bottles you’ve been saving for something special.

📩 Questions? Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com
🔗 Details & sign-up: talkingwatertn.com
🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/
📍 Chattanooga, Tennessee – next to Prentice Cooper State Forest, just 15 minutes from downtown

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one—or come for the whole journey.
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
📐 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

Cob Sauna Workshop (5-day) Montana 15% off groups
2025-08-30 11:00 - 2025-09-03 17:00 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
During this five day immersion workshop you will learn all about different natural building materials while helping to construct a small earthen sauna.
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Participants will get hands on experience building using the pallet/cob technique popularized by Miguel Elliott founder of Living Earth Structures. Using a combination of pallets, straw, clay and lime we will build an earthen sauna.
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Participants will also receive a tour of four complete structures; a balecob home, strawbale workshop, balecob guest studio, and pallet cob chicken coop. Included in the tour are 3 Rocket Mass Heaters (batch and J-style) for winter heat, earthen floors, and many other natural elements for discussion. Learn how you can build a home for less than a year of rent and still be comfortable and warm.
​
A first come first serve guest cottage (sleeps 2) and pop up camper (sleeps 4) is available to rent on upon request on a first pay first serve basis. Camp sites are available at no cost. Please inquire ahead about availability for parking live in vehicles. Composting toilet and an outdoor shower are available for use.
​
An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with meals and staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden. Join us as we have community around our wood fired pizza oven!
​
Those joining us are welcome to explore the 5 acre property, forage (many berries), swim in the ponds, and walk to the frisbee golf course just down the road.
​
We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
Space is limited to 12 participants.
​
Approximate Schedule:
Day 1: Tours of existing structures, discussion of building elements, pallet wall construction
Day 2: Cob, doors, and windows
Day 3: Waddle Daub, bottle windows, sculpture and walls
Day 4: Living roof
Day 5: Earthen Renders and Lime Plasters
​​
Date: August 30-September 3, 2025
Start Time: 11am, August 30
Cost: $950
15% discount for family + friends participating together
Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls: Shape, Structure, and Soul
2025-09-05 - 2025-09-14 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls: Shape, Structure, and Soul📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
Want to build with your hands, your heart, and a big pile of mud?
In this extended, hands-on workshop, we’ll guide you through the entire process of building load-bearing cob walls (from base to bond beam) with a focus on strength, creativity, and flow. This is where function meets sculpture, and you’ll leave with the confidence to build something truly your own.
Cob is tactile, forgiving, expressive, and strong. Perfect for cabins, studios, garden walls, and structures that feel alive.
What we’ll cover:

Soil testing and mixing cob by hand and foot

Foundation-to-wall transitions

Cob wall building, shaping, and structural sculpting

Incorporating curves, niches, benches, shelves, and arches

Thermal mass and wall thickness

Embedding bottles, stones, wood, and window frames during organic construction

Daily hands-on practice with expert guidance

We’ll be working on a real structure in a forest setting, with plenty of time for both technical learning and creative expression.

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat, our family-run forest retreat on Suck Creek Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. Together, we’re building a bluff-top amphitheater using natural and repurposed materials, each element teaching skills you can take home.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

💸 Discounts available:

10% off for group sign-ups

15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ On-site camping: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (limited availability)
📩 Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 Sign-up & workshop info: talkingwatertn.com📍 Suck Creek Mountain – Chattanooga, TN (15 mins from downtown, next to Prentice Cooper State Forest)🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one or come for the whole journey!
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls – Strong, Simple, and Beautiful, 1st weekend
2025-09-13 - 2025-09-14 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls – Strong, Simple, and Beautiful📅 September 13–14 (2 days)💰 $315
Ready to stack wood and mortar into something that stands for generations?
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll teach you how to build load-bearing cordwood walls that are structurally sound, weather-conscious, and full of natural charm. Whether you’re building a full structure or a garden wall, you’ll walk away with the know-how to do it right.
This method is approachable, sturdy, and perfect for cabins, saunas, studios, or integrating with cob and timber frames.
What we’ll cover:

Site prep and base layer setup

Mortar mixing and ratio basics

Log selection, trimming, and stacking

Key techniques for leveling, spacing, and alignment

Load-bearing integration and buttress reinforcement

Managing shrinkage, air gaps, and water flow

We’ll be working on a real build, using local, repurposed cedar and hardwoods—learning the small details that make cordwood walls beautiful and strong.

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat, our family-run forest retreat on Suck Creek Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. We’re building a bluff-top amphitheater using all natural and repurposed materials, and this is one of the central elements.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

💸 Discounts available:

10% off for group sign-ups

15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ On-site camping: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (limited availability)
📩 Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 Sign-up & workshop info: talkingwatertn.com📍 Suck Creek Mountain – Chattanooga, TN (15 mins from downtown, next to Prentice Cooper State Forest)🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one—or come for the whole journey.
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
📐 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

Rocket Mass Heater Workshop -- Montana
2025-09-13 10:00 - 2025-09-14 16:30 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Rocket Mass Heater Build (2 Day)

In this two day workshop you will learn how to build a batch Rocket Mass Heater. Learn about the principals behind creating these high temperature, beautiful, and efficient wood burning stoves.
This hands on class is located at Spiritwood Natural Building, in Victor Montana. Attendees will join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to build a rocket mass heater in an existing earthen sauna.
This class will demonstrate the materials and tools needed to build your own stove. Participants will gain hands on experience building a batch box rocket mass heater.
​
Participants will also receive a tour of four complete structures; a balecob home, strawbale workshop, balecob guest studio, and pallet cob chicken coop. Included in the tour are 3 Rocket Mass Heaters (batch and J-style) for winter heat, earthen floors, and many other natural elements for discussion. Learn how you can build a home for less than a year of rent and still be comfortable and warm.
​
A first come first serve guest cottage (sleeps 2) and pop up camper (sleeps 4) is available to rent on upon request on a first pay first serve basis. Camp sites are available at no cost. Please inquire ahead about availability for parking live in vehicles. Composting toilet and an outdoor shower are available for use.
​
An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with meals and staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden. Join us as we have community around our wood fired pizza oven!
​
Those joining us are welcome to explore the 5 acre property, forage (many berries), swim in the ponds, and walk to the frisbee golf course just down the road.
​
We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
Space is limited to 10 participants.
Date: September 13-14, 2025
Start Time: 11am, September 13
Cost: $230
5% discount for family + friends participating together
Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

Cob Building Workshop
2025-09-13 11:30 - 2025-09-14 11:30 (America/Denver) | TN
Cob/ Natural building workshop. Meet other like-minded folks in a peaceful retreat-like setting. Learn hands-on practical skills building a small dome like structure, Temazcal/Inipi. Inipi ceremony will be offered (a way to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit) camping, along with delicious meals. Some cabins available upon request for additional fee.

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2025-09-15 - 2025-09-19 | Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: September 15 – September 19, 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.

Alpaca Farm Tour!
As an added bonus to the workshop, we also offer a free alpaca farm tour at my neighbor’s Two Roots Farm. They have over 50 friendly alpacas, alpaca infrastructure, 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

“We thoroughly enjoyed and benefited tremendously from our Building With Cob workshop experience with you. Workshops that are fun, informative and full of practical application and guidance through hands-on experiential learning like this are a real joy.
As an instructor we found you to be knowledgeable, well organized and flexible addressing the needs and questions that came up. We appreciated your careful considered responses to every one of the many and varied questions our group threw your way. And the pace and mix of lecture and activity was just right for us.
Thank you Alex for a workshop that did all you said it would do, and more!”

Wes Shattuck, New Hampshire

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.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.
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.
Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please sign up below.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com

Price: $499
Click here to Register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/intro-to-cob-and-straw-workshop-tennessee-september-2025/

Clay Plasters, Paints, and Sculpting
2025-09-19 - 2025-09-21 | Rosewater Ranch, 30 minutes north of Reno, Nevada, Reno, CA, United States
Clay Plasters, Paints and Sculpting

Number of Students: 10
Cost: $400 (includes all meals and camping)
​Overview of the Three-Day Weekend
This is a hands-on class designed to get you comfortable with basic clay plasters so you can take on projects in your conventional home, a natural building, or for art projects. You’ll learn how to source, mix, make, and properly apply base and finish coat plasters from local/native sources as well as purchased materials including fine clays and pigments. We’ll also make and use clay paints and lime/clay plasters and use special mixes to make sculptural and decorative elements on the recently completed sauna.
About the Site
Rosewater Ranch sits on 130 acres of high desert steppe and coniferous forest 30 minutes north of Reno, NV. It features permacultured grounds, organic gardens, dairy goats, a mushroom business, a small community of residents, Prema Farm, a new earthen sauna we built in July, and a cob cabin from our 2021 workshop. The property borders expansive national forest with miles of trails and offers stunning vistas and sunsets.
Lodging and Food
Campsites, van and RV sites are available at the site and are included with the workshop. Guests are welcome to arrive during the afternoon of Thursday, September 18th. Class ends the afternoon of Sunday, September 21st. Hot showers are on-site.
Delicious home-cooked meals, coffee and tea are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options.
The Daily Schedule
We are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop like this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect long days with lots of building and learning. On some evenings we will show slides and films featuring our previous projects and that of other people and cultures. Believe it or not, we also still like to make time for a campfire and some music. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable, memorable and fun experience.
We start Friday Morning, September 19th with breakfast at 7:30, and end with lunch on Sunday, September 21st.
7:30 breakfast
8:30 plaster session 1
1:00 lunch
2:30-6:00 plaster session two, lectures, discussion
7:00 Dinner
8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time
Instructors
Lead instructor Kyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive and the Be the Change Project. Kyle has a background in construction, teaching, and simple living. He’s worked as a framer, carpenter, and commercial roofer and recently finished building a “green” conventional house in his neighborhood in Reno. He was a science teacher for 7 years, is a frequent speaker on sustainable living, and is a contributing writer for Mother Earth News magazine and blog. Kyle enjoys basketball, hiking, reading, and martial arts.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and worked with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer with over 12 years of hands-on implementation, urban garlic farmer, and math teacher. She loves to dance, laugh, and pore over seed catalogs while cozied up to the wood stove on long winter nights. Kyle and Katy also have two teenage sons.
Registration, Payment, & Refunds
This workshop requires a $150 payment to reserve your spot. Once a payment is made, Kyle will reach out to you, welcome you to the course, and get you in the email loop with all the details.
Go here to pay with Venmo or send a check for $150 made out to “Cobitat” and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV 89512.
Payment is refundable until 2 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than two weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled, we will issue a full refund. If it can’t be filled, we’ll issue a partial refund or put your payment towards a future workshop.

🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls – Strong, Simple, and Beautiful, 2nd weekend
2025-09-20 - 2025-09-21 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls – Strong, Simple, and Beautiful📅 September 20-21 (2 days)💰 $315
Ready to stack wood and mortar into something that stands for generations?
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll teach you how to build load-bearing cordwood walls that are structurally sound, weather-conscious, and full of natural charm. Whether you’re building a full structure or a garden wall, you’ll walk away with the know-how to do it right.
This method is approachable, sturdy, and perfect for cabins, saunas, studios, or integrating with cob and timber frames.
What we’ll cover:

Site prep and base layer setup

Mortar mixing and ratio basics

Log selection, trimming, and stacking

Key techniques for leveling, spacing, and alignment

Load-bearing integration and buttress reinforcement

Managing shrinkage, air gaps, and water flow

We’ll be working on a real build, using local, repurposed cedar and hardwoods—learning the small details that make cordwood walls beautiful and strong.

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat, our family-run forest retreat on Suck Creek Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. We’re building a bluff-top amphitheater using all natural and repurposed materials, and this is one of the central elements.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

💸 Discounts available:

10% off for group sign-ups

15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ On-site camping: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (limited availability)
📩 Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 Sign-up & workshop info: talkingwatertn.com📍 Suck Creek Mountain – Chattanooga, TN (15 mins from downtown, next to Prentice Cooper State Forest)🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one—or come for the whole journey.
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
📐 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

10 day natural building techniques
2025-09-20 16:00 - 2025-09-30 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 and youth ages 12+ accompanied by parents who intend to build their own cob home! Test your grit during 10 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor teaches the techniques and skills from the foundation to the roofing system. We will learn about various building styles: cob; bale cob; palletable cob. We will also cover many other natural building concepts like: site placement and preparation; dig a rubble trench; stack a stone stem wall; tamp subfloors; set windows; build up our walls and of course cob, cob, cob! Hands on experience covering soil testing, foundations, dig a rubble trench, pier and beam, stack a stone stem wall (dry stacking), cob building, bale cob, palletable cob, timber framing, windows and doors, roof designs, living roofs, roof sheathing, tree felling, log peeling, log milling (saw mill), Shou Sugi Ban(Japanese art of waterproofing wood).
Primitive tent camping sites are available near the build including access to hot showers, plus 3 plant-based meals a day are included in your tuition! You will need to bring your own camping gear. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, unregistered children under 12 or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill. $1165 tuition includes a $200 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot. Only if NaturalBuildingOrg has to cancel the workshop for some unforeseen reason will this deposit be refundable. Save $100 automatically if your registration includes two or more people. Active duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans with valid ID or DD214 may select the appropriate tuition tier to receive 20% off, and eligible Cob Hill Lifetime of Learning (L.o.L.)

🪷 Natural Plaster - Clay & Lime Finishes for Earth Walls
2025-09-24 - 2025-09-28 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🪷 Natural Plaster – Clay & Lime Finishes for Earth Walls📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
Ready to turn raw earth walls into polished works of art?
This hands-on workshop will teach you to create breathable, durable, and beautiful finishes using natural materials like clay, lime, sand, straw, and pigments. Whether you’re going for sleek and subtle or sculptural and expressive, you’ll learn how to apply functional, artistic plasters for cob, cordwood, or hybrid structures.
What we’ll cover:

Mixing clay, sand, straw, and natural pigments

Base coats, finish layers, and prepping different surfaces

Burnishing, tooling, and adding texture

Intro to lime plasters for weather resistance

Sculpting, patching, and blending repairs

No prior experience needed – we’ll guide you from the trowel up!

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat, a family-run gathering place on Suck Creek Mountain in Chattanooga, TN, where we’re building a bluff-top amphitheater using all natural and repurposed materials.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

💸 Discounts available:

10% off for group sign-ups

15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ Camping available for $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals (limited availability)
📩 Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 Sign-up & full workshop details: talkingwatertn.com📍 Suck Creek Mountain – Chattanooga, TN (15 mins from downtown, next to Prentice Cooper State Forest)🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one—or come for the whole journey.
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
📐 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

Cob Oven Workshop
2025-09-26 09:00 - 2025-09-28 14:00 (America/Denver) | TN
This workshop is a great introduction to natural building materials and methods. We will build a wood-fired cob bread/pizza oven from start to finish. Students will build the stone foundation, firebrick hearth, cob structure, and finish the oven with earthen plasters. We will also build an attached straw bale and cob wall and a cast in place concrete countertop. You will learn the skills to go home and build your own oven, as well as take on other building projects with natural materials! The class is very hands-on but there will be time for focused discussions/presentations on a range of natural building topics.

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

The Site:
Our site is the Mones homestead, a beautiful rural property with opportunities for hiking and exploring in the fields and woods. The property includes a house with toilet and shower facilities, a fire pit gathering area, and abundant camping space. The address will be provided upon registration.

Meals/Food preferences:
We will serve meals from lunch on Friday through lunch on Sunday, cooked on-site by staff. The food will be healthy and filling cuisine. Vegetarian and vegan options on request. Many of the ingredients will be sourced from local farms. Please indicate any food allergies upon registration.

Schedule:
The workshop will begin at 9am on Saturday the 26th. We will break for lunch around 1pm and work again until 5pm. The evening is informal and unscheduled, although a campfire hang-out will be available. Breakfast will be served at 8am with the workshop to follow. Camping participants may arrive Thursday evening to set up camp, but no meals will be provided until lunch Saturday.
Instructor:
Michael McDonough is a Troy, NY based building contractor, designer, and educator. His work can be found at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Oxmoor Farm, and a number of happy homesteads around the east coast and upstate NY. He has taught over 20 natural building workshops.

What to bring:
* Camping equipment including tent, sleeping bag, flashlight
* Work clothes and shoes. Slip on/off shoes are recommended, such as crocks, sandals, etc.
* Work gloves
* Sunscreen, bug spray, hat, water bottle, rain gear
* Notebook, building plans or sketches to discuss

To Register:
Tuition is $550 and includes the camping fee, workshop experience, and all meals. There is an early enrollment discount. If tuition is paid in full before September 5th, Tuition is $490.

Please contact Michael via email, text, or phone call if you’d like to register. We accept paypal, venmo, cash, or checks.

You may register via paypal by sending the tuition to michael@risingearthbuilding.com
Or venmo at @Michael-McDonough-140

Or mail your tuition cash/check to the address below and we will confirm your registration via email.

Rising Earth Natural Building
403 3rd St.
Troy, NY 12180
Call or email with questions:
(518) 217 5592
michael@risingearthbuilding.com

Clay and Lime Plaster Over Hempcrete
2025-10-06 08:00 - 2025-10-10 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | TN
✨ Join Us for a Natural Plaster Workshop in Parkdale, OR! ✨
We’re excited to announce the first session in our two-part natural plaster workshop series happening October 6th–10th at a beautiful 2,000 SF hemp-lime home, the first permitted of its kind in Hood River County.
This hands-on workshop will focus on applying the base coats of clay and lime plaster: the essential foundation for achieving durable, flat, and beathable walls that set the stage for refined finish coats in spring 2026. Led by internationally recognized plaster specialist James Henderson, participants will learn mixing, application, and leveling techniques while exploring how natural plasters integrate beautifully with hemp-lime construction to create healthy interiors.
👉 Cost / Compensation:
• Beginners (limited experience): $600
• Moderate experience (1–2 years): Free
• Experienced plasterers (2+ years): Compensated based on skill level
• Experience level and cost/compensation will be determined after a brief call.
✨ Bonus: Register for this workshop and get 70% off the second workshop (spring 2026 finish coat session).
Project designer John Hutton of Next Genesis Design will be on-site to answer questions about hempcrete, design, and building systems.
📌 Spots are limited: reserve yours today! 🔗 Register & learn more: https://www.nextgenesisdesign.com/plaster-workshop-info

🏡 Reciprocal Green Roof: Structure, Geometry, and Living Roof Design
2025-10-12 - 2025-10-16 | Talking Water Nature Retreat, Chattanooga, TN, United States
🏡 Reciprocal Green Roof: Structure, Geometry, and Living Roof Design📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580
Curious about building a self-supporting roof system that’s both elegant and engineered to last?
Join us for this hands-on deep dive into reciprocal green roofs, led by the talented Josh and Sarah of Clay Sand & Soul, skilled natural builders known for their thoughtful design, precise joinery, and living roof expertise.
We’ll focus on the math, mechanics, and materials behind reciprocal roofs: spiral-framed structures celebrated for their strength, symmetry, and ability to support living systems.
Whether you’re dreaming of a garden pavilion, ceremony space, or green-roofed retreat, this workshop will give you the confidence and skill to build it right.
What we’ll cover:

Reciprocal roof geometry and load-bearing calculations

Timber selection, angle cuts, and center joinment

Framing on cob and cordwood wall systems

Tension distribution and structural stability

Layering systems for green roofs: waterproofing, drainage, insulation, and soil

Intro to roof planting and long-term maintenance

You’ll walk away with a full understanding of how to engineer, frame, and finish a reciprocal roof that’s both functional and stunning.

This workshop is part of our Fall Earthbuilding Series at Talking Water Nature Retreat, a family-run gathering space on Suck Creek Mountain in Chattanooga, TN. Together, we’re building a bluff-top amphitheater using only natural and repurposed materials—this roof will be its crown.
🌿 Pricing includes:

All tools and materials

Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks

One homemade, healthy group dinner

💸 Discounts available:

10% off for group sign-ups

15% off for attending multiple workshops

🏕️ On-site camping: $20 per tent🏡 Discounted cabin rentals available (limited availability)
📩 Email: Bobbie@TalkingWaterTN.com🔗 Sign-up & workshop info: talkingwatertn.com📍 Suck Creek Mountain – Chattanooga, TN (15 mins from downtown, next to Prentice Cooper State Forest)🔗 Facebook share link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H1dgCprih/

🛠️ Fall 2025 Earthbuilding Workshop Series at Talking Water
Each workshop is a hands-on, focused session. Join just one or come for the whole journey!
🪨 Dry-Stacked Stone FoundationsFor drainage & erosion control📅 August 25–28 (4 days)💰 $480
🪞 Bottle-Log WindowsFor beauty & light diffusion📅 August 30–31 (2 days)💰 $315
🪵 Load-Bearing Cordwood Walls📅 September 13–14 or September 20–21 (2 days)💰 $315
🌀 Sculptural Cob Walls📅 September 5–14 (10 days)💰 $815
🪷 Natural PlastersBreathable, weather-ready finishes📅 September 24–28 (5 days)💰 $580
🏡 Reciprocal Green RoofThermal mass & elegant structure📅 October 12–16 (5 days)💰 $580

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2025-10-13 - 2025-10-17 | Greeneville, Tennessee, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: October 13 – October 17, 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.

Alpaca Farm Tour!
As an added bonus to the workshop, we also offer a free alpaca farm tour at my neighbor’s Two Roots Farm. They have over 50 friendly alpacas, alpaca infrastructure, 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

“We thoroughly enjoyed and benefited tremendously from our Building With Cob workshop experience with you. Workshops that are fun, informative and full of practical application and guidance through hands-on experiential learning like this are a real joy.
As an instructor we found you to be knowledgeable, well organized and flexible addressing the needs and questions that came up. We appreciated your careful considered responses to every one of the many and varied questions our group threw your way. And the pace and mix of lecture and activity was just right for us.
Thank you Alex for a workshop that did all you said it would do, and more!”

Wes Shattuck, New Hampshire

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.
Teens accompanying a parent/guardian are half price. Children under 13 accompanying a parent/guardian are free.
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.
Please email me to register with the group/family discount. For normal registration, please sign up below.

If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/intro-to-cob-and-straw-workshop-tennessee-october-2025/
Price: $499

Bioconstruction Natural Building Techniques Workshop SW Louisiana
2025-11-15 08:30 - 2025-11-23 20:30 (America/New_York) | Snow White Sanctuary, 1636 Arledge Road, Vinton, LA, 70668, United States
Join us for Phase 2 of our Bioconstruction Workshop series November 15 – 23, 2025.
Please register HERE
Description: 9 days on a 24-acre 68-animal Farm and Nature Sanctuary as we learn bioconstruction techniques, material science, and alternative ways of building together.
What you learn:

Basics of mixing & installing cob, light clay straw, and bousillage
Mixing and applying earth-based and lime-based finishing plasters
Making and installing bottle bricks
Benefits of clay walls and material science
Basics of building envelope construction
Hands on building experience
Material sources and circularity
Material carbon embodiment and decarbonization tactics

Project: With Habitat Recovery Project, we are creating a hexagonal Earth Church as a spiritual beacon. We will be expanding upon the structure that was built in our Phase 1 Bioconstruction Workshop.
This course is for you if… you want a holistic perspective on alternative building techniques and processes
What’s Included:
✓ hands-on experience in various bioconstruction techniques
✓ hands-on education in tool use and maintenance including lumber mill
✓ one-on-one guidance from experienced female builders
✓ presentations for local environmentally-rooted community members
✓ three meals a day
✓ free tent camping onsite
✓ Internet access
Habitat Recovery Project
Snow White Sanctuary
Vinton, LA, 70668
FAQs
Lodging in Vinton
– AirBNB Glamping tents available onsite https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/46553986
– Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino
– Cobblestone Inn
Closest Airports
– Lake Charles, Louisiana (30 min, we can provide pickup)
– Houston, TX (2 hours drive, can take a FLIX bus to Beaumont or Lake Charles for pickup)
– New Orleans (4 hours drive, can go to Mardi Gras and take a FLIX bus to Lake Charles for pickup)
Lunch & Water: Provided on site
Available the farm:
Farm Fresh Eggs, Gulf Coast Shrimp & Oysters straight off the boat, Small outdoor stove available, Animal Experiences, Goats, Horses, Pigs, Bees and more!
There’s a few nearby restaurants in our town of Vinton for close and affordable meals. If you’re a foodie it’s worth driving out of town to experience the exquisite food Louisiana is known for.
In Vinton:
Amazing Sausages
Jenn’s Southern Kitchen
Restaurants at Delta Downs Racetrack
Arby’s Fast Food
Orange, TX Options:
Olde Orange Cafe
The Hut BBQ
Barry’s Greek Grill
Mi Casa Mexican
Tia Juanita’s
Sulphur:
Village Coffee House
Joe’s Italian Pizzeria
El Tapatio Mexican
Lake Charles:
Coffee:30
Restaurant Calla
121 Bistro
Pujo St Cafe
+ so many more!
Highly recommended nearby attractions to check out (and they’re FREE!):
-Shangri La Botanical Garden
-Stark Museum of Art
-Delta Downs Racetrack
Also help plan your visit to SWLA with this resource:
https://www.visitlakecharles.org
