Cob Workshops

Hempcrete Design and Installation Comprehensive Training
2026-04-24 08:00 - 2026-04-30 17:00, 2026-05-04 08:00 - 2026-05-10 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | TN
This spring we’ll be hosting three hands-on hempcrete workshops in Parkdale, Oregon and Underwood, Washington. The focus is on real-world learning and application, combining our comprehensive lecture series covering material properties, building science, and systems detailing with the mixing, forming, and installation of hemp-lime on a full-scale residential project.
These trainings are intended for builders, designers, homeowners, and enthusiasts looking to deepen their understanding of hempcrete and breathable building systems.
Workshop sessions:
Session 1 · Parkdale, OR · April 6–12
Session 2 · Underwood, WA · April 24–30
Session 3 · Underwood, WA · May 4–10
Each session is a comprehensive training in itself which includes the same core lecture content and extensive hands-on training constructing a beautiful home.

Workshop Series: Building a Community Tool Library - Earthen Floor
2026-04-25 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | RCRCD, 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA, 92501, United States
Tool Lending Library Build – Earthen Floor Workshop
📅 April 25 | 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM📍 Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District (RCRCD), Riverside, California
Join us for a hands-on natural building day as we continue constructing the Tool Lending Library with the installation of its earthen floor.
This workshop will focus on preparing, mixing, and installing a durable earthen floor using clay, sand, and natural fibers. Participants will learn how to assess subfloor preparation, mix proper ratios for strength and longevity, and apply and finish an earthen surface that is both functional and beautiful.
Use the provided link to make a donation that fits your education budget. This will also be your registration. You will receive an email with further information and instructions.
Participants will:
• Prepare the base and subfloor• Learn clay–sand ratio testing for earthen floors• Mix and apply base and finish layers• Understand drying, curing, and sealing methods• Gain experience in low-cost, non-toxic flooring systems
Earthen floors are breathable, resilient, and made from abundant natural materials. This workshop offers practical skills for those interested in natural homes, small structures, studios, or retrofit projects.
No prior experience is necessary. All skill levels are welcome. Wear work clothes you don’t mind getting dusty or muddy, bring gloves, sun protection, and water.
Come ready to work with earth and community as we create a floor that will serve this shared resource for decades to come.

DiHG Eco-Prise, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to regenerative design, permaculture education, and community resilience. Through hands-on workshops, demonstration projects, and collaborative builds, we help communities develop practical skills in natural building, food production, water stewardship, and cooperative systems. Our work focuses on creating long-term ecological health, local self-reliance, and shared infrastructure that supports people and planet.

COB OVEN + ADOBE THERMAL MASS HEATER | INTENSIVE | GRÂNDOLA, PORTUGAL
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-10 | TN
Join us for a theoretical and hands-on workshop focusing on earthen building through the techniques of cob and adobe. In this 10-day intensive workshop, we will build a complete cob oven with a built-in grill and working table, as well as a full adobe mass heater inside an ongoing Earthship project.
In this certified workshop, you’ll learn how to analyze and stabilize clay-soil mixtures for earthen building, exploring the principles of adobe and cob as building techniques. Through this hands-on experience, you will build a full cob oven—from foundations to finish plasters—and a thermal mass heater, from preparing the adobe bricks all the way to completion.
The aim is to equip students with the knowledge and tools to test and analyze clay soils, and to understand each step involved in building a cob oven and a thermal mass heater. We will have 70% hands-on practice and 30% theoretical learning, diving into different natural building techniques, everything about cob ovens, stone-foundation principles, the benefits of earthen building, how to prepare and apply earthen plasters, how to sculpt with cob, and much more!
Once the workshop is completed, you will have the skills to build your own cob oven and/or thermal mass heater, and you will also be able to begin building your own earthen walls for your projects.
Join us for this intensive experience and become part of the TIERRAMIGO community, gaining access to the community chat to connect with others, learn about additional trainings with discounts, and get the Earthen Hands book for a special price!

What is a cob oven?
It is a traditional oven built with a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water. Its operation is based on the retention and gradual release of heat by its thick earthen walls. These ovens are known for their high heat-retention efficiency, reaching very high temperatures, where the heat cooks food through three physical mechanisms: radiation – heat from the fire and the hot walls toward the food, convection – hot air circulating inside the oven, and conduction – the direct transfer of heat from the hot surface to the food (the oven floor).
Thus, these ovens are capable of gradually retaining heat for hours, making them very practical and versatile for cooking different foods: from instant pizzas to stews, meats, vegetables, and even—at the end, using the residual heat—for fermenting yogurt, dehydrating foods, and proofing bread.
Cob is a very inclusive, organic, and creative earth-building technique that allows us to shape walls freely, working with curves very easily. In this way, we can sculpt around the oven and its bench, turning it into a collective work of art.

What is an adobe thermal mass heater?
The principle behind this stove is thermal mass: since it is built with adobe bricks, they are able to store the heat from combustion and retain it for a longer time, gradually releasing it into the environment.
The stove features double combustion, making the burning of firewood more efficient and making better use of the resource. Secondary combustion allows for cleaner burning and better utilization of the wood. This is achieved by introducing more air in a second stage. It enables a more efficient use of the fuel, minimizing the toxic effects generated by burning wood.

CONTENT

Understanding clay and its properties
How to test and assess clay soil for building
Introduction to other natural building techniques
Benefits of earth as a building material
How to prepare adobe, from the forms to final sun-dried brick
Cob oven steps and how to design and build your own
Adobe mass heater steps and how to design and build your own
Stone foundation principles
Earthen plasters: how to test, stabilize and apply fine plasters
Lime plasters and lime cycle
Sculpting with cob

Feel free to ask questions throughout – we are here to help!

Intro to Cob Construction — Montana
2026-05-16 10:30 - 17:30 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Introduction to Cob

In this one day workshop you will learn the fundamentals of building with cob.

This hands on class is located at SpiritWood Natural Building in Victor, MT. Attendees will join us to construct a cob garden wall.
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Learn the basics of cob construction; the materials and techniques used to build anything from garden walls to houses. Participants will also receive a tour of four completed structures; a balecob home, guest house, strawbale workshop, and cob chicken coop. These structures use Rocket Mass Heaters (batch and J-style) for winter heat, have finished 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.
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During this class you will learn to mix cob with your feet and apply with your hands. Dress for getting a bit muddy!
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Please bring a lunch for yourself, but feel free to join in community as we cook pizzas in our wood fired pizza oven for dinner for anyone wishing to stay after the class!
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Date: Saturday, May 16
Max attendance: 12
Time: 10:30am-5pm (pizzas from 5:30-8pm)
Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor MT
COST: $150 (5% Discount for Groups)

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-22 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: May 18 – May 22, 2026 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Parrottsville, 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, and pouring an earthen floor! 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 structure 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) and hempcrete!
– How to build highly insulating straw-clay and hempcrete 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)
– We will be pouring an earthen floor in this class. A very unique experience!
– Lime Plaster Finishing (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster finishes to your walls)
– Create your own Dorodango – polished earth sphere! A fun project that you can take home with you.
– 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 Little Hills Farm in Parrottsville, Tennessee. Enjoy the workshop in this natural environment on a small, health-conscious farm.

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.

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).
Campers will have access to a private composting 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.
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. Coolers are welcome and encouraged!
Recreation & Surroundings
Parrottsville 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

Workshop Series: Building a Community Tool Library – Interior Fixtures
2026-05-23 08:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver) | RCRCD, 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA, 92501, United States
Tool Lending Library Build – Interior Fixtures & Plaster Workshop
📅 May 23 | 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District (RCRCD), Riverside, California
Join us for a hands-on workshop as we continue developing the Tool Lending Library with interior fixture installation and interior and exterior plastering.
This build day combines functional design with finishing techniques. Participants will help design and install shelving and storage systems while also applying earthen plasters to protect and refine both interior and exterior wall surfaces.
Participants will:
• Collaboratively design and install interior shelving and storage
• Mix and apply interior and exterior earthen plasters
• Understand surface preparation, layering, and finishing techniques
• Contribute to a durable and beautiful community-built structure
This workshop blends design, carpentry, and natural finishing skills in one cohesive build day. You will gain practical experience in creating functional infrastructure while learning traditional plaster techniques that protect and enhance earthen walls.
No prior experience is necessary. All skill levels are welcome. Wear work clothes you don’t mind getting dusty or muddy, and bring gloves, sun protection, and water.
Use the provided link to make a donation that fits your education budget. This will also register you for the event. You will then receive an email with instructions.
Come ready to collaborate, refine, and help complete a space that will serve the community for years to come.

DiHG Eco-Prise, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to regenerative design, permaculture education, and community resilience. Through hands-on workshops, demonstration projects, and collaborative builds, we help communities develop practical skills in natural building, food production, water stewardship, and cooperative systems. Our work focuses on creating long-term ecological health, local self-reliance, and shared infrastructure that supports people and planet.

Cob Outdoor Kitchen with Oven, Rocket Stove Cooktop & Reciprocal Green Roof at Sitio do Valverde in Coruche, Portugal
2026-05-24 12:00 - 2026-06-21 14:00 (Europe/Lisbon) | Sitio do Valverde, Coruche, Portugal
OUR HOST

Our Host Nuno

Bom Dia! My name is Nuno Figueira and I was born in the southern Portuguese town of Faro and have lived in Lisbon for the last 20 years. My background has always been in theater and technical and visual experimentation using images and video-mapping in the visual and performing arts, helping transform mine and others’ visions and perceptions towards a new way of seeing. Parallel to this profession, I have been developing a new path in natural building or, in Portuguese, “bioconstrução”, which has also been integrated into my theater-based work.
Sitio do Valverde is 6000 m2 of very special sanctuary land, located one hour northeast of Lisbon near the town of Coruche. There we hold a variety of workshops and promote connection with Nature. Situated in a quiet rural zone surrounded by green, it is an ideal environment to relax and disconnect from urban life. We offer diverse activities including natural building, walks, yoga and meditation. We offer accommodations in a typical “ribatejana” house as well as space for camping and caravans.

The Land

Sitio do Valverde is more than a space. We also want to create a farm school for personal, social and ecological growth and development with practical and theoretical classes, like natural building techniques with Earth, bamboo and straw, as well as regenerative design. We attract communities who value collaborative learning and integration with Nature and want to enrich their lives and those of their neighbors with new sustainable building systems and a greater respect for the Earth and Life.

THE LOCATION
Just a 20-minute walk from Sitio Valverde, the Sorraia River is the natural heart of the town offering birdwatching, aquatic activities, picnics, walks, and relaxation. Nature is everywhere in the Coruche region and the landscape vistas are endless. Here far from Lisbon, people come for the fresh air, the peace and the serenity. One can also appreciate the land from above by taking a hot-air balloon ride and then on the weekends visiting the mountains, parks and “barragens” in the surrounding areas. Of course the Lisbon area usually has many cultural and music events happening every weekend as well.

THE PROJECT

Azores Outdoor Kitchen Workshop, September 2024

We will build an outdoor kitchen for Sitio Valverde with a cob oven and a rocket stove cooktop as well as benches, countertop, shelving and a space for a sink, all under a green reciprocal roof, built in Week 1. This outdoor kitchen will serve as a gathering place for community celebration as well as a learning venue for ancestral and traditional hand-made crafts and cooking like bread-making and other healthful and sustaining practices. The outdoor kitchen will strengthen community connections by offering a space for sharing experiences, exchanging knowledge and celebrating the simplicity and wisdom of the old ways. Its construction reflects our commitment to sustainability, tradition and collaboration, fundamental elements in the creation of a living lively community in harmony with its environment.

DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTION

Azores Outdoor Kitchen Workshop, September 2024

Throughout the workshop, we will build a complete outdoor kitchen using Cob. The kitchen will feature a wood-fired cob oven, a rocket-Lorena stove for pot cooking, and various amenities such as shelves, niches, cob benches, and cob walls. The entire structure will be sheltered by a stunning reciprocal roof, topped with a green roof system.

Puerto Rico Cob Workshop, 2025

In the first week, we will focus on constructing the roof, starting with the primary reciprocal structure, followed by secondary beams. We will then install the sheathing and a multiple-layered green roof.
During the second and third weeks, we will begin working with cob to build the perimeter walls (half-height) while simultaneously constructing the Lorena stove and cob oven. This parallel workflow will allow for proper drying times. Additionally, participants will receive both theoretical and practical instruction to ensure a thorough understanding of the techniques and materials used.
In the fourth week, we will add the finishing touches: sculpting and plastering the entire structure with a variety of earthen plasters.
This workshop covers a range of fascinating topics and skills and is the perfect opportunity for anyone eager to learn about natural building and specialize in earth-based cooking appliances!

GENERAL SCHEDULE
The 28-day Outdoor Cob Kitchen Workshop consists of 20 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 afternoons to complement the hands-on experience.

Opening Circle in Puerto Rico, 2024

Students arrive on Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The Workshop begins at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 4 weeks later, 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 and accommodations if not camping, 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 Saturday before dark or 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 prepping our roof rafters and getting them on the supporting structure!

Kenya Cobbers finishing the Primary Construction of the Roof, 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 may be 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.

Morning stretching is a must!!!! Kenya Cob Workshop, 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 2-3 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 a 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 workshop experience.
On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval. All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome to use the kitchen. Host and/or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions.
The 28-day Course will offer comprehensive practical learning by building a complete 14m2 curvilinear outdoor kitchen with roof, as  described in the “Project” section. Those who complete this 28-day Workshop will receive a CruzinCobGlobal Certificate of Completion for an Outdoor Cob Kitchen including green reciprocal roof, cob walls, cob oven, rocket stove cooktop, sculpting and plaster.

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)
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 some foundation, cob walls, oven, rocket stove, furniture, sculpting, plaster and green 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, and business options.
Our hands-on practice will include:
building partial foundation walls to support oven, rocket stove and benches
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 shelves
inserting bottle windows, glass and other objects
insert PVC pipe for plumbing in walls (when applicable)*
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plaster (1 coat)
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on roof sheathing and other elements
installing green roof
In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:
cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, interning and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Students will need to come prepared for demanding physical work from Day 1.
This includes bringing:
Work clothes appropriate for the country and climate we are in
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes (for foundation and roof)
Flip-flops (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (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 wth 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.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**!!!

Teaching the Reciprocal Roof in 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 amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building 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 build  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 a build 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 this workshop. 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!
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, as well as the cob oven and rocket heater/stove books they find or are listed on our Resources page, as well as books 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).
Students must tend to their own personal needs, drink alot of water, rest when needed and work at a steady pace. 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!

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 reasonably with canned fish, dried meats, cold cuts. They are also welcome to buy additions to cook on the side.
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 and our host Nuno will rent out 5 beds (2 bunk beds and 3 individual beds) in a large room in the house for 5€/night or 140€ for the 4 weeks from Sunday to Sunday. There is also a private bedroom for 1 or 2 people with one queen bed for 15€/night or 420€ for the 4 weeks. People who arrive early and/or or leave after Sunday please pay the adjusted amount with the nightly rate of 5€ or 15€.

COB INSTRUCTOR
TOM VAN WELL
Hi there! I’m Tom — born and raised in the only not-flat part of the Netherlands, the deep south. Around the age of 20 I began spending most of my time outside the country, and before long I was living abroad full-time. Since 2020, Portugal has become my home base.
Living on permaculture farms here brought me into contact with Natural Building, and it was love at first sight. I devoured every bit of information I could find. The Hand-Sculpted House completely captivated me, and before I knew it, my feet were on a blue tarp and I was mixing my first batch of cob in a CruzinCobGlobal workshop in the Azores and then Tennessee in 2023.
Following my curiosity has taken me on a journey I never could have predicted: COB builds, timber framing, conventional construction, and deep dives into plastering. Through private builds, apprenticeships, and workshops across Portugal, the Azores, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and now Japan, I’ve been lucky to learn and work alongside passionate natural builders and true masters of their craft.

Teaching in Puerto Rico, 2025

Roof Mania Acrobatics in Puerto Rico, 2025!

That’s why I’m genuinely excited to be leading not one but TWO CruzinCobGlobal workshops in Portugal in 2026, the Outdoor Kitchen and the Full Build. I love Portugal—its food, the people, the mountains, and the sea. Getting to know and building with Portuguese clay soil and local materials while creating timeless structures in different zones, has been my main passion.
Sítio do Valverde, my friend Nuno’s place, is the perfect workshop site: peaceful, enjoyable and comfortable weeks focused on the build, and ideally located for weekend adventures to Lisbon, the ocean, rivers and mountains. Nuno is already an amazing Host and his place is stunning. I speak Portuguese fluently, so anyone who is less comfortable with English, can count on me for translations at any moment.
Looking forward to another unforgettable life-changing CCG workshop!!!
See you in the mud — vaaaamos!

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Coruche from Lisbon by bus or carpooling with each other or using BlaBlaCar, a popular European carpooling service. More information to come on getting to the workshop site…

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: 1650€, paid in full by December 31st, 2025
Early Bird Rate: 1750€, paid in full by February 24th, 2026
Standard Rate: 1850€, paid in full by April 24, 2026
We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a 200€ 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.
Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros using the Wise app/website using same email. You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined
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 April 24th, 2026.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by February 24th, 2026 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by March 24th, 2026 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after March 24th, 2026 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 ON THE ROOF!

California Complete Cob Bungalow in Santa Cruz, California!
2026-05-31 12:00 - 2026-07-05 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Root n' Rock Farm, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
OUR GRACIOUS HOST

November 2025 Site & Host Visit!

Hi there! My name is Jacob. Originally from Western New York, I grew up fishing, hunting and helping my parents around our 20-acre homestead. My family raised us close to nature, and we believed strongly in conservation of natural resources, including woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife. Later in life, protecting these resources is written into the laws I have applied to certified organic farms over the last 18 years of my career. When I moved to California for the AmeriCorps program, I was lucky enough to work for a tribal health organization in Sacramento, serving rural Native health clinics all throughout the state. Afterwards, I spent two years canvassing for environmental and social justice campaigns before studying water policy and natural resource conservation, along with Native American studies and tri

Welcome to 5 weeks in Paradise!

bal water rights. I have been lucky enough to purchase and care for an off-grid property bordering California’s oldest State Park, Big Basin, which is where my own homesteading journey began.

The View from Sunrise to Sunset

Community is nothing without people. This workshop is a grand effort to reseed the land with people to regenerate real community. This very special place has been through a lot. Being logged almost 100 years ago, the Big Basin area more recently experienced an 80,000 acre megafire. Five years later, the larger community of people (all off grid), as well as the plants, animals, and insects are regenerating and resilient. However, out of the seven homes that were thriving on this specific mountain, only one has been rebuilt after the fire. This makes our effort to build a natural, fire resistant, and healing home space more important now more than ever. I have been able to create a strong foothold, and planted a small orchard, but now it is time to create a space to help bring people back to the land. I am infinitely grateful to all those who choose to come learn, share, and dance this dream into reality.
June on the Central Coast of California is a sublime season to work in. Sunny, but cool, with temps not much higher tha

Goin’ in!!!

n 80 F, and not lower than 50F at night. Locals dress in layers. Sweaters or jackets in the morning, make way for shirts and shorts at midday and back to jackets or hoodies in the evening. The sun is strong here, so sun-ware and protection are important considerations.
The building site is a scenic, 20 min (15 mph) drive from the beach on a bumpy dirt road. There is a small pool onsite and creek swimming spots to cool down on the weekends, along with plenty of beauty as we regularly gaze at 360 degrees and ocean views. Wi-Fi is here, as well

The super-friendly welcome crew: Juniper & Georgina

as solar power for devices. An hour’s drive away is the artsy, surf town of Santa Cruz, CA, where there are many live music venues & events year-round, natural food stores, and more yoga studios than you can shake a stick at. San Francisco is a 1.5-hour drive, and there are world class beaches and surf breaks along the whole coast to explore. We do have two sweet sister dogs that will be excited to greet everyone. I have a “condo-kennel” they sleep or relax in, but they are generally around and may want to help us dig! Juniper and Georgina can be excitable, but they are friendly and will settle in.
Camp sites will have views, and I have no doubt you will be excited to call this place home for five weeks. Come join us on Mt. Shelby for an unforgettable experience of beauty, work, and community! Thank you and blessings.

LOCATION
One of the most breathtaking and magical cob workshop sites hands down! Just a 20-minute drive north from Santa Cruz, California, you will not want to leave on the weekends, well, maybe to go to the Pacific Ocean! Root Rock Farm in the Big Basin State Park area will be our home for 5 weeks, close and far from civilization. Many people will be driving in and some will be flying in. As Jacob said above, the California coastal weather can change quickly and usually has a constant pattern of foggy cool ams and pms as the ocean air drifts over the cool ocean and onto the land and back onto the ocean, while the middle of the day is hot and dry. Just take a look at the photos….they say everything!

THE PROJECT

Lovely Belgium 2025 Full Build Workshop Cottage & the newly- certified Advanced Cobbers relishing in their success!

Workshop students will be building the first COB structure on the Land and we are honored Jacob, our Host, has chosen COB to represent the start of his project, to be built in an intimate, sacred and soulful way and created, as always, with 12-15 pairs of loving and passionate muddy hands and feet. Starting with the “boots”, symbol for the stone foundation, to the “hat”, our indestructible, gorgeous trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover EVERYTHING important in between! You will leave blissed out, confident, transformed, inspired, motivated, excited, and ready for more. Be prepared for a total life makeover, and renewed strength and empowerment to fearlessly lead a life TRUE to yourself! We see this in every workshop year after year. It’s called “Cob Therapy” and it happens organically whether you intend it or not:)

Belgium 2025 Reciprocal Roof Structure installed on Day 20

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number but this is usually the outcome). 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 council circles, as we will do weekly throughout the 5 weeks, to support all the inner and outer work happening.
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 foundation trench and fill it with landscape-wrapped drainage rock/gravel followed by a sturdy 30cm-wide aesthetic natural stone stemwall to support the cob wall and roof. We finish the week off by pouring the first layer of adobe/cob floor on a layer of insulation underlain by a gravel drainage base and wrap up with the door(s) installation. In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall, layer by layer, with all its detailed insertions (windows, shelves, electrical housing, hooks, niches, bottles, desk/counter, anchors and roof connectors), and finish week 3 off with 2 days of relaxed

Sensual terracotta-hued local plaster from the workshop site to finish off the walls, Belgium 2025

sculpting. In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and solid wall with an earthen/fermented manure scratch coat mix. On Friday we build and install the Reciprocal Roof primary rafter structure and in week 5 we complete the structure and sheathing to support the impermeable Green Roof covering. On the final days we will finish the top of the wall as well as the second finish floor coat, ready for Graduation and the Celebration on Saturday evening. Sunday morning is our Closing Circle followed by our final Lunch together and before the afternoon public Open House, when the final project is revealed to the outside world!

Solid COB friendships come with the territory….

We encourage 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 of races, cultures and languages. 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 embark on a life-changing adventure in 2026!

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The COB bonds start the moment everyone comes together on Opening afternoon, and the masks fall and you can just be YOU! Costa Rica, 2025

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience. Students arrive on Saturday before dinner and Sunday by 12pm and settle in. The two meals offered on Saturday (dinner) and Sunday (brunch) are optional and an additional fee of 10€ each. 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 before (Saturday) to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs, or pay the extra meal fees . The Opening Circle begins promptly at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7:30pm. We require that students arrive Saturday before dark or Sunday by 12pm 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.

2025 Costa Rica CCG students hard at work bonding the cob layers with cobbers’ thumbs as the wall rises 30cm each day!

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!!!!
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.

Costa Rica students trying out their new reciprocal roof for the weekly Council Circle, 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 throughout the workshop after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings except Tuesdays 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.
On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval. All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome 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 14m2 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, Niches, Bottles, 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)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Council Circle (Tues) & Slides/Videos/Discussion (Thurs)
Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!
COURSE CONTENTS
Students will learn 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 impermeable liner and green roof components
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, building 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 or Crocs (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tool Belt
Tape Measure
Box Cutter /Straight Edge
Wood Hand Saw with medium teeth (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (order online)
Basic pointed steel mortar/plastering trowel
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer  for Hands & Feet
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)
Any other power tools like skillsaw, 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 IMPORTANT INFO!***

Approaching the end of the wall is always a moment of high energy, Costa Rica, 2025

Everyone is essential to the completion of the build! These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building 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 bepresent 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! Everyone has a role every day all day!

Everybody on the roof to tighten the first 20 washers & nuts on the threaded rods holding the primary roof rafters together in Kenya, 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 is 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 still 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.

The collaborative effort in our intensive trainings makes the work so much easier, especially during the wall build! Kenya, 2025

The fulfilling joy of figuring out how to build a stone foundation! Kenya, 2025

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 connect with their creative source now to design sculptures and beautify the walls around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with personal meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by the Host(s). Plastering follows sculpting and is another 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, after the wall has been plastered, 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,

Setting up and deconstructing the roof on the ground a few times to build the confidence of building it on the wall! Kenya, 2025

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, focused on 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).

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

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Our amazing workshop cooks chosen by each Host are responsible for the daily joy of rewards for the sweat and effort!!! Belgium, 2025

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch. On 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 or hammock and bedding or and in your vehicle are free. If you want to rent an indoor space at a neighbor’s nearby, that may be a possibility we can look into.

COB INSTRUCTOR
CLAUDINE “COB QUEEN” DÉSIRÉE

Nevada City COB, 2019

Born and raised on the 22nd floor of a skyscraper in NYC to two Jewish European immigrants from France and Romania via Morocco, I carried my Manhattan/European roots with me to California and beyond. I studied Geography, International Relations/Development and International Environmental Policy in the academic world in California, France, and Switzerland before and while raising Viva, Joia and Xica, my three stellar sons, currently established all over the U.S. and honing their unique journeys… and all cob lovers of course!!!! My eldest Son Viva has become a Master Cobber in his own right, specializing in Fire & Cob, meaning beautifully-sculpted heaters, cookstoves, and ovens, as well as stand-alone Cob Art.

With Tennessee 2026 Workshop Host River looking for the perfect clay soil for the Cob mix!

My academic pursuits soon gave way to the obligatory West Coast Yoga/Meditation/Massage path and thus the work of a Spiritually Awakened life was initiated. My academic interests were also complemented with hands-on learning in every aspect of Sustainable Living skills, which I then put into action in our 5000 square foot homestead in downtown Santa Cruz, near the beach, with cob buildings, permaculture, a compost toilet, chickens, fruit trees and the lowest utility bill in SC! When my youngest son turned 18 in 2014, and I turned 50, my next Dream was manifested with the sale of our Mini-Urban Ecovillage in Santa Cruz to fuel a solo Global Ecovillage and Cob Teaching Bike Tour for the next five years through 15 countries in Africa, South America, the US and Europe, in which I taught over 30 workshops, most of them 4-5-week full builds.

Azorean Cob-Loving Cat

In January of 2019 I bought 5 hectares in the Alentejo region of Portugal, planning on manifesting a Cob Ecovillage there. However the isolation and dependence on a vehicle, as well as the extreme winter/summer climates and drought conditions led me back to the Azores Islands, that had caught my Heart the first time I stepped out of the plane and smelled/felt the air. I had been brought to the Azores by an astrocartography reading in which my Venus and Neptune lines were strongly activated there. My Neptune line runs right through São Miguel and one kilometer from the Quinta da Vida Beleza Ecovillage Farm

Sunrise behind the Majestic Azorean Cob Villa at the Quinta Da Vida Beleza, 2025

that I created from scratch between January 2020 and 2023, with the help of many workshop students, teachers, volunteers, friends and my sons. It is the present culmination of my 20+ years of Cob Life! It is a fearlessly manifested Vision. It is my comfort as I wake up every morning on the 2nd floor of my Cob Home and look out at the Atlantic Ocean to see if it looks good for an early morning swim. The Azorean moist pleasant breezes that are always a perfect temperature wrap me in LOVE, nurturing my Soul and Spirit every day. The village I envisioned became a reality in a mere 3 years, and is now highly enjoyed by campers, bungalow guests, volunteers, family, friends, students, cats, chickens and many other living beings visible and invisible. It is the first if its kind in the Azores and a unique phenomenon on the Planet. You can find it on GoogleMaps and visit the website, and come visit us for a dose of Natural before it is sold and transferred to the next fortunate caretaker.

Beautiful outdoor cob kitchen built by students led by Brazililan CCG Instructor Paula Carneira, 2023

Our last additions are my beloved and magnificent 2-story personal Compost Toilet with ocean view and an Outdoor Rocket Stove Kitchen. My unending love of travel, speaking in other languages and cultural immersion will always continue, and I envision having beautiful cob houses to come to in all of my favorite places, which I am continuing to discover. I am so grateful for the strong support of the Universe confirming this path every day.

My first international cob workshop in the Canaries in 2015…been a full 11 years on the road and 22 years of spreading the COB word!

Learning to build cob houses has been an unexpected gift in so many ways. The joy I see on people’s faces at my workshops when they roll up their pants for the first time and stick their toes in the cool soft mud, the laughter and heart-to-heart conversations ignited while mixing and building with a partner, the meditative concentration of working on a sculpture, the satisfaction of stepping back and seeing your beautiful trimmed wall section, the excitement at embedding bottles and sculpting an art window, the bliss of relaxing with good food and a cold beer after a full day’s building in community, and the gratitude of leaving confident in starting a dream project….are why I do this work. Over and over again, all over the world, cob building creates childlike joy, love, community, and empowerment. It has shown itself to be much more than a building technique. It is a remedy for a better Life on Earth. It creates Happy People living in Happy Houses. May the legacy of CruzinCobGlobal continue to heal the World one workshop at a time, one new cobber and one more cob house at a time. Aho.

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Santa Cruz by car and rideshare/carpooling, bus or train/plane to San Jose. The San Jose Airport (SJC) is the easiest, though SFO is only an hour away. We will setup a Whatsapp thread once we are a month out for students to organize carpooling.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: $2600, paid in full by February 1st, 2026
Early Bird Rate: $2700, paid in full by April 1st, 2026
Standard Rate: $2800, paid in full by May 1st, 2026
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.
Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros at the current conversion rate using the Wise app/website using same email. You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined
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 May 1st, 2026.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by March 1st, 2026 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by April 1st, 2026 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after April 1st, 2026 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 MUD!

Cob Oven and Straw Insulation Workshops in New Hampshire
2026-06-06 - 2026-06-07 | The Craft School Mill Hollow Works, 149 Hurricane Rd, Keene, NH, 03431
Biolithic Builds is delighted to be coming to The Craft School at Mill Hollow Works this year for a series of natural building weekend workshops.
Insulating with Straw: June 6th + June 7th
A detailed introduction to straw-insulated wall systems, appropriate for many climates including the cold Northeast. Students will receive both hands-on and classroom instruction over two days, and practice by building a light straw-clay wall.
Cob Oven Workshop: June 13th + June 14th
Learn to build an outdoor pizza oven using the soil under your feet! This hands-on class is a great introduction to mixing and sculpting with cob: one the most ancient, versatile, sustainable, and fun building materials. Come ready to get muddy.
Mill Hollow Works is a heritage craft school is located in southern New Hampshire, just three miles away from downtown Keene.

10-Day Earthen Building Intensive
2026-06-18 12:00 - 2026-06-27 12:00 (America/Denver) | Rosewater Ranch, 30 minutes north of Reno, Nevada, Reno, CA, United States
The Building Project
We will build a beautiful outdoor shower enclosure and an earthen pizza oven. The shower will be an addition to the bathing area we started last year with our 4D sauna project. While our design is not finalized yet, the curving walls will be about 30 linear feet long and incorporate cob, adobe, waddle and daub, straw bales, slipstraw, cordwood cob and other techniques. It will sit on a rubble trench with an earth bag stem wall to demonstrate an alternative foundation system. We’ll incorporate lots of sculpting in this project and finish with base and finish plasters and clay and lime paints.
At the same time as the walls are going up we’ll build an earthen pizza oven at Prema Farm, an organic market garden that’s on the Rosewater Ranch property. To celebrate the end of the workshop and teach participants how to fire up and use the oven we’ll have a rockin’ pizza party!
Overview
This is one of the most comprehensive natural building workshops you can find. Together, Versaterra instructors have decades of experience on four different continents. This has helped us design rich learning experiences giving students the tools they need to become confident earthen builders.
Earth is the mother of all building materials. For millennia, and all over the world, people have used earth to build beautiful, simple, efficient and inexpensive homes. It’s plentiful, ecological, and non-toxic. Plus, it can’t burn, won’t rot and is much simpler to build with than conventional construction.
We will teach you how to use clay-soil to build just about everything: from strong structural walls (cob and adobe) to plasters and light-straw-clay (slipstraw) walls. Because the materials are fireproof, they are ideally suited to sculpt ovens, fireplaces and cook stoves.
The essence of your learning experience will revolve around developing a deep understanding of how to process and combine a few simple materials: clay-soil, sand, and straw. How you apply that in your building adventures is then up to you, but you will the find the possibilities endless and exciting.
What you will learn
After this workshop, you will feel confident that you can

Design and build yourself a cottage using cob and other natural materials

Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials

Build and use an earthen oven

Use natural materials to create garden walls

Teach a one-day natural building event yourself!

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

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

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

Mixing cob efficiently

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

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

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

Roof attachment and roof design

Light-straw-clay/Slipstraw: this is an infill technique perfect for code-approved buildings and natural renovations of existing homes. You will learn how to make the right materials and how to install them

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

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

Earthen ovens: from start to finish and how to use them (pizza party!)

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

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

Appropriate technologies like solar showers and thermosiphon hot water systems, composting toilets and an alternative septic system, root cellars, and more

During every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a careful look at different climates and regions, living with families or in communities, dealing with the building code, physical and financial challenges, appropriate technologies and more.
Kyle’s book, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” and Conrad’s, “House of Earth” are both included with the workshop and will be mailed before we begin. They will serve as guidebooks for the workshop.

Earthen Oven Build (2 days) -- Montana
2026-06-20 11:00 - 2026-06-21 17:00 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Earthen Oven Build

Learn to build an earthen oven good for cooking pizza, bread, and much more! Participants will get hands on experience all the steps needed to build a functional earthen oven. Cob ovens are inexpensive and beautiful wood fired ovens that anyone can build. These ovens can be used to bake bread, cook pizzas, and anything you could normally do in a conventional oven, but with the fun of being outdoors.
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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.​
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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.​
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Those joining us are welcome to explore the 5 acre property, forage, swim in the ponds, and walk to the frisbee golf course just down the road.
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We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
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Food:
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An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden.
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Date: June 20-21, 2026
Start Time: 11am
Cost: $290
5% discount for family + friends participating together
Maximum 10 participants

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2026-06-22 - 2026-06-26 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: June 22 – June 26, 2026 (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 structure 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) and hempcrete!
– How to build highly insulating straw-clay and hempcrete 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)
– Create your own Dorodango – polished earth sphere! A fun project that you can take home with you.
– 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 outdoor shower features a beautiful rammed earth wall and timber framed enclosure.
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

Cob Sauna Workshop (4-day) Montana
2026-07-03 11:00 - 2026-07-06 17:00 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
4 Day Cob Sauna Workshop

During this four 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.
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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.
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Those joining us are welcome to explore the 5 acre property, forage, swim in the ponds, and walk to the frisbee golf course just down the road.
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We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
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Food:
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An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden. The first evening of the class we will host a pizza party using our cob oven.

Space is limited to 12 participants.
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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: Earthen Renders and Lime Plasters
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Date: July 3-July 6, 2026
Start Time: 11am, July 3
Cost: $690
5% discount for family + friends participating together

Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

5-Week Full Build For ALL Levels: A Complete Cob Cottage at Sitio do Valverde in Coruche, Portugal
2026-07-05 12:00 - 2026-08-09 14:00 (Europe/Lisbon) | Sitio do Valverde, Coruche, Portugal
Yeehah!!!! We invite you with a Big Open Heart to join CruzinCobGlobal in our 22nd year of teaching the world the ins and outs of building a beautiful functional art piece to live in, in style and comfort! Your Soul, Heart, Body and Mind will be filled with peaceful bliss as you live in a community of new friends, eat delicious local healthful cuisine, and have many meaningful exchanges and moments while working, building, dancing, breathing, eating, sharing and sitting in Council Circle once a week! You will have weekend adventures alone or with others discovering the surroundings. With lectures three times a week and daily hands-on demonstrations and building, you will accomplish more learning in these 5 weeks, about cob, you and life, than you probably ever have. It’s all part of the experience. Bottom line is that your life will change for good in so many great ways, just from learning how to build an ecological, safe, locally-resourced, economical and heart, hand and feet-loved home with a group of passionate folks from all over.
Only an hour from Lisbon and in the heart of nature and rivers and villages and great hikes, our workshop is hosted by local creator, ecological entrepreneur and natural builder Nuno Figueira (also hosting “Cob Outdoor Kitchen Workshop”). Take both workshops at Sitio do Valverde in 2026 (only 2 weeks apart) for a reduced fee and book your summer up with the CCG Full Cobber Training: all you need to continue building and eventually start teaching and/or creating a cob business! The world needs more Cobbers! Designed for success, our globally-renowned workshops will take you from zero experience to a newly confident, fit, happy and fulfilled cob builder. Whether you are all in from the get-go, or need support in leaving a life that is not you and taking the jump, we are here for you and are happy to chat.

OUR HOST

Our Host Nuno!

Bom Dia! My name is Nuno Figueira and I was born in the southern Portuguese town of Faro and have lived in Lisbon for the last 20 years. My background has always been in theater and technical and visual experimentation using images and video-mapping in the visual and performing arts, helping transform mine and others’ visions and perceptions towards a new way of seeing. Parallel to this profession, I have been developing a new path in natural building or, in Portuguese, “bioconstrução”, which has also been integrated into my theater-based work.
Sitio Valverde is 6000 m2 of very special sanctuary land, located one hour northeast of Lisbon near the town of Coruche. There we hold a variety of workshops and promote connection with Nature. Situated in a quiet rural zone surrounded by green, it is an ideal environment to relax and disconnect from urban life. We offer diverse activities including natural building, walks, yoga and meditation. We offer accommodations in a typical “ribatejana” house as well as space for camping and caravans.

The Sanctuary Land

Sitio do Valverde is more than a space. We also want to create a farm school for personal, social and ecological growth and development with practical and theoretical classes, like natural building techniques with Earth, bamboo and straw, as well as regenerative design. We attract communities who value collaborative learning and integration with Nature and want to enrich their lives and those of their neighbors with new sustainable building systems and a greater respect for the Earth and Life.

LOCATION

Just a 20-minute walk from Sitio Valverde, the Sorraia River is the natural heart of the town offering birdwatching, aquatic activities, picnics, walks, and relaxation. Nature is everywhere in the Coruche region and the landscape vistas are endless. Here far from Lisbon, people come for the fresh air, the peace and the serenity. One can also appreciate the land from above by taking a hot-air balloon ride and then on the weekends visiting the mountains, parks and “barragens” in the surrounding areas. Of course the Lisbon area usually has many cultural and music events happening every weekend as well.

THE PROJECT

The final stretch: pouring the finish floor in Belgium, 2025

Workshop students will be building the first COB structure on the Land and we are honored Nuno has chosen COB to represent the start of his project, to be built in an intimate, sacred and soulful way and created, as always, with 12-15 pairs of loving and passionate muddy hands and feet. Starting with the “boots”, symbol for the stone foundation, to the “hat”, our indestructible, gorgeous trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover EVERYTHING important in between! You will leave blissed out, confident, transformed, inspired, motivated, excited, and ready for more. Be prepared for a total life makeover, and renewed strength and empowerment to fearlessly lead a life TRUE to yourself! We see this in every workshop year after year. It’s called “Cob Therapy” and it happens organically whether you intend it or not:)

PRIDE!!! The beautiful oculus watching over the sacred space!Belgium, 2025

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number but this is usually the outcome). 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 council circles, as we will do weekly throughout the 5 weeks, to support all the inner and outer work happening.
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 foundation trench and fill it with landscape-wrapped drainage rock/gravel followed by a sturdy 30cm-wide aesthetic natural stone stemwall to support the cob wall and roof.

Day 1: The foundation begins… trench, landscape cloth, drainage rock and first layer of stone! Breaking in those new muscles in Costa Rica, 2025

We finish the week off by pouring the first layer of adobe/cob floor on a layer of insulation underlain by a gravel drainage base and wrap up with the door(s) installation. In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall, layer by layer, with all its detailed insertions (windows, shelves, electrical housing, hooks, niches, bottles, desk/counter, anchors and roof connectors), and finish week 3 off with 2 days of relaxed sculpting. In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and solid wall with an earthen/fermented manure scratch coat mix. On Friday we build and install the Reciprocal Roof primary rafter structure and in week 5 we complete the structure and sheathing to support the impermeable Green Roof covering. On the final days we will finish the top of the wall as well as the second finish floor coat, ready for Graduation and the Celebration on Saturday evening. Sunday morning is our Closing Circle followed by our final Lunch together and before the afternoon public Open House, when the final project is revealed to the outside world!

Wairimu beaming with pride and gratitude in Kenya, 2025

We encourage 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 of races, cultures and languages. 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 embark on a life-changing adventure in 2026!

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Ready to get muddy in Kenya, 2025!

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience. Students arrive on Saturday before dinner and Sunday by 12pm and settle in. The two meals offered on Saturday (dinner) and Sunday (brunch) are optional and an additional fee of 10€ each. 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 before (Saturday) to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs, or pay the extra meal fees . The Opening Circle begins promptly at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7:30pm. We require that students arrive Saturday before dark or Sunday by 12pm 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.

Lecture time in Puerto Rico, 2025

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!!!!
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.

The final Graduation Circle in Kenya, 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 throughout the workshop after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings except Tuesdays 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.

Another beaming happy fully-trained Cobber in Kenya, who is assisting in Tasmania this year!

On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval. All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome 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 14m2 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)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Council Circle (Tues) & Slides/Videos/Discussion (Thurs)
Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!
COURSE CONTENTS
Students will learn 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 impermeable liner and green roof components
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, building 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 or Crocs (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tool Belt
Tape Measure
Box Cutter /Straight Edge
Wood Hand Saw with medium teeth (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (order online)
Basic pointed steel mortar/plastering trowel
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer  for Hands & Feet
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)
Any other power tools like skillsaw, 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 IMPORTANT INFO!***

Kenya workshop students beautifying the sculpted bottle design before plastering, 2025

Everyone is essential to the completion of the build! These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building 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 bepresent 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! Everyone has a role every day all day!

Day 4: Foundation complete in Kenya, 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 is 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 still 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.

Time for the window prepping and an appreciated break from cobbing in Kenya, 2025

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 connect with their

Proud Puerto Rico workshop student after alot of focus and determination! Pays off! 2025

creative source now to design sculptures and beautify the walls around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with personal meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by the Host(s). Plastering follows sculpting and is another 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, after the wall has been plastered, 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, focused on 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

CCG Instructor Tom Van Well demonstrates carpentry tool use at the start of Roof Week in Puerto Rico, 2025

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).
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!!!

Creative eco-friendly shade headpiece in Puerto Rico, 2025

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

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Snacktime includes tropical smoothies when you are in Puerto Rico, 2025

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch. On 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.

The House

Camping with your own tent or hammock and bedding is free and our host Nuno will rent out 5 beds (2 bunk beds and 3 individual beds) in a large room in the house for 5€/night or 175€ for the 5 weeks from Sunday to Sunday. There is also a private bedroom for 1 or 2 people with one queen bed for 15€/night or 525€ for the 5 weeks. There will also be 2 tipis set up for 1-2 people with beds and bedding for 5€/ night per person. People who arrive early and/or or leave after Sunday please pay the adjusted amount with the nightly rate of 5€ or 15€. Inside accommodations will be included in you workshop payment.

COB INSTRUCTOR

TOM VAN WELL
Hi there! I’m Tom — born and raised in the only not-flat part of the Netherlands, the deep south. Around the age of 20 I began spending most of my time outside the country, and before long I was living abroad full-time. Since 2020, Portugal has become my home base.
Living on permaculture farms here brought me into contact with Natural Building, and it was love at first sight. I devoured every bit of information I could find. The Hand-Sculpted House completely captivated me, and before I knew it, my feet were on a blue tarp and I was mixing my first batch of cob in a CruzinCobGlobal workshop in the Azores and then Tennessee in 2023.
Following my curiosity has taken me on a journey I never could have predicted: COB builds, timber framing, conventional construction, and deep dives into plastering. Through private builds, apprenticeships, and workshops across Portugal, the Azores, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and now Japan, I’ve been lucky to learn and work alongside passionate natural builders and true masters of their craft.

Roof Mania Acrobatics in Puerto Rico, 2025!

That’s why I’m genuinely excited to be leading not one but TWO CruzinCobGlobal workshops in Portugal in 2026, the Outdoor Kitchen and the Full Build. I love Portugal—its food, the people, the mountains, and the sea. Getting to know and building with Portuguese clay soil and local materials while creating timeless structures in different zones, has been my main passion.

Tom teaching in Puerto Rico, 2025

Sítio do Valverde, my friend Nuno’s place, is the perfect workshop site: peaceful, enjoyable and comfortable weeks focused on the build, and ideally located for weekend adventures to Lisbon, the ocean, rivers and mountains. Nuno is already an amazing Host and his place is stunning. I speak Portuguese fluently, so anyone who is less comfortable with English, can count on me for translations at any moment.
Looking forward to another unforgettable life-changing CCG workshop!!!
See you in the mud — vaaaamos!

COB ASSISTANT
LAURA GARCIA
Hola! I’m Laura, a Colombian architect who was fortunate to live among communities who created buildings rooted in their landscapes. Early on in my life, I became curious about indigenous architectural practices and the respectful, interconnected relationship they have with their environment.
During my studies, I lived and learned with the Embera people in the Pacific jungle, observing how they build wooden stilt houses with thatched roofs using local materials. I also studied the Kogui in the Sierras Nevadas of northern Colombia, who have round earthen houses supporting communal ways of living. Alongside this, I explored rural construction techniques like bahareque (wattle and daub), adobe, and tapia pisada (rammed earth), and took heritage courses focused on adobe constructions introduced by the Spanish during the colonial period.

Happy sculptor-plasterer in Puerto Rico, 2025

Later on, during my 8 years of professional experience I moved away from these natural practices while working on single family residential public housing and commercial projects in Texas. Although I was able to introduce sustainability initiatives not typically included in these projects, it felt insufficient and disconnected from the land. I knew I wanted to return to more grounded and ecologically-friendly building practices in my architectural work. I continued taking courses in natural building, including bamboo (guadua) construction techniques in Colombia, where I helped built a roof structure at an Ecofarm.

Pouring the adobe floor scratch coat in Puerto Rico, 2025

In early 2025, I discovered CruzinCobGlobal and my deep connection to COB and its communal way of building while taking their 5-week Full Build Workshop in Naguábo, Puerto Rico. Soon after, I quit my job and fully committed to natural building. I traveled to Turkey to deepen my knowledge of natural plastering and worked on a farm building straw bale bungalows with earthen plasters. My other passions are hiking, camping, time in nature and yoga, for which I just received a Teacher Training Certificate in India.
I’m excited to continue my learning journey and begin to teach with the CruzinCobGlobal team in Portugal this summer assisting Tom Van Well, who was one of my Instructors in Puerto Rico. I am looking forward to expanding my passion into this new chapter of my life and meeting you all in Coruche!

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Coruche from Lisbon by bus or carpooling with each other or using BlaBlaCar, a popular European carpooling service.

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: 2200€, paid in full by February 5th, 2026
Early Bird Rate: 2300€, paid in full by April 5th, 2026
Standard Rate: 2400€, paid in full by June 5th, 2026
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.
Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros using the Wise app/website using same email. You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined
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 5th, 2026.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by April 5th, 2026 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 5th, 2026 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 5th, 2026 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 MUD!

Natural Building Techniques
2026-07-18 12:00 - 2026-07-25 12:00 (America/Denver) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults and youth ages 12+ accompanied by parents who intend to build their own cob home! Test your grit during this introduction to natural building at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor and Danny Holmes teach the techniques and skills to get you started. 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; foundation requirements; windows; walls, roofing 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)
Camping sites are available near the build including access to restrooms, 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.)

Intro to Cob and Straw Workshop – East Tennessee
2026-07-20 - 2026-07-24 | This Cob House, Greeneville, TN, 37743, United States
Dates: July 20 – July 24, 2026 (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 structure 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) and hempcrete!
– How to build highly insulating straw-clay and hempcrete 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)
– Create your own Dorodango – polished earth sphere! A fun project that you can take home with you.
– 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 outdoor shower features a beautiful rammed earth wall and timber framed enclosure.
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

Rocket Mass Heater Build (2 Day) — Montana
2026-08-22 11:00 - 2026-08-23 17:00 (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 Style 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.
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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.
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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.​
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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.
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We love animals, but unfortunately no pets are allowed.
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Food:
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An outdoor kitchen is available for community use with staples provided (rice, bread, sugar, tea, coffee, etc.) as well as many greens from the garden. The first evening of the class we will host a pizza party using our cob oven.

Space is limited to 10 participants.

Date: Saturday-Sunday August 22-23
Start Time: 11am, August 22
Cost: $290
5% discount for family + friends participating together

Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

Clay and Lime Plaster Workshop-- Montana
2026-09-06 10:00 - 16:30 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
Clay and Lime Plaster Workshop

In this one day workshop you will learn how to mix and apply earth based plasters.

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 learn how to mix and apply earth based plasters onto earthen walls.

Earthen plasters can be used to protect wall systems against the elements while also being aesthetically pleasing. This class will give participants the opportunity to apply thick protective plasters and work with much finer finish plasters to make a beautiful finish!

Participants will also see examples of how cob is used to construct a balecob house and rocket mass heaters.
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Food is not provided. Participants should bring a lunch to this workshop.

Space is limited to 15 participants.

Date: Sunday, September 6
Time: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Cost: $150
5% discount for family + friends participating together

Location: SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor, MT

Complete Cabin Morocco
2026-09-06 12:00 - 2026-10-10 12:00 (America/Denver) | TN
This is a special class for us at Cobitat. In addition to having a fascinating culture and history, diverse geography and ecosystems, and serving as the gateway between Europe and Africa, Morocco has a long history of earthen building. Earthen blocks, cob, and rammed earth walls along with lime plaster called tadelakt have all been used for centuries and into the modern era. But, like many vernacular building styles around the world, this knowledge is being lost as less sustainable and industrialized materials like concrete take over. Farm Finn, however, has worked with local knowledgeable craftsmen to build an earthen house and are excited to host us to help foster an exchange of learning around natural building. But, it doesn’t end there.
For us, natural building is just one part of living in a way that helps create a new and regenerative paradigm to foster a more just, verdant, and beautiful future. Farm Finn is working to be a part of that new paradigm by utilizing tourism at it’s organic and “permacultured” farm and micro-hotel to support traditional ways of life while demonstrating how to adapt to a changing environment.
Our host Paul has spent decades working with organizations like Oxfam, UNICEF, and Save the Children helping communities around the globe clean and protect water resources, improve sanitation, and adapt to a changing climate. Farm Finn is his attempt to do the same work on a local and regional scale over a longer period while rooted in a community. His vision includes creating a climate change adaptation learning center that will teach and demonstrate permaculture, natural building, and other appropriate and democratic technologies.
We are excited to be a part of that vision and hope you’ll join us on this a once-in-a-lifetime natural building experience in Morocco.
The Building Project
We’ll build a 400 square foot earthen cabin alongside local craftsmen at beautiful Farm Finn. We’ll also build and use a cob oven.
We’ll start with the foundation and go up to the roof covering a host of wall, finishing, floor, and artistic techniques. The course will include instruction from local tadelakt and rammed earth experts and deep dives into the sustainability systems on site.
Go here for all the info

Tennessee Complete Cob Cottage For ALL in the Fall!
2026-09-06 12:00 - 2026-10-11 14:00 (America/New_York) | River & Michael's Farmstead, Decatur, TN, United States
OUR LOVELY HOSTS

A Southern-Style Welcome awaits us with River & Mike:)

River & Mike will welcome us with open hearts and smiles into their sanctuary home for this southern-style US workshop! Born in South Dakota, River has travelled throughout the States constantly, led by her deep hungry passion for learning all kinds of primitive, survival and natural wilderness living skills. She loves attending workshops and as a host she will be very well-prepared after attending her first full-build cob workshop taught by CruzinCobGlobal in Tasmania in 2026. Her partner, Mike, is an Ohio native. He is a full-time dentist who loves carpentry and building with his hands, and taking care of people’s teeth who can’t afford it. Together, Mike and River enjoy gardening and spending time in nature, whether it’s kayaking the local rivers, hiking mountain trails, or foraging for mushrooms.

Soil testing lookin’ good!

Our home in the woods is set on a 30-acre plot in Decatur, TN, halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga. This cozy homestead is one-third relaxing forest and two-thirds rolling grassy pasture. Deer and many small forest animals call this place home. The host site will have many beautiful and varied camping spots in the woods and open pasture for the students, as well as outdoor compost toilets, an outdoor and indoor shower, a massive outdoor movie screen with firepit, a beautiful vegetable garden and much more as we grow this year. We plan to use the cob house as a center for learning and healing.
Here there is no shortage of ways to spend time in the great outdoors on the weekends. We are about an hour’s drive from The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, America’s most visited park and only 17 minutes from the Hiawassee River for kayaking. This region is home to some of the best hiking trails you can find, with caves, waterfalls and gorgeous views. River will be a great guide for those who want to explore every weekend. For those who want to ditch the hiking boots and explore the city life, both Chattanooga and Knoxville are rich with art, culture, rich cuisine, and entertainment.

THE PROJECT

Belgium Cob Cottage, 2025

Workshop students will be building the first COB structure on the Land and we are honored River & Michael have chosen COB to represent the start of his project, to be built in an intimate, sacred and soulful way and created, as always, with 12-15 pairs of loving and passionate muddy hands and feet. Starting with the “boots”, symbol for the stone foundation, to the “hat”, our indestructible, gorgeous trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover EVERYTHING important in between! You will leave blissed out, confident, transformed, inspired, motivated, excited, and ready for more. Be prepared for a total life makeover, and renewed strength and empowerment to fearlessly lead a life TRUE to yourself! We see this in every workshop year after year. It’s called “Cob Therapy” and it happens organically whether you intend it or not:)

The sheathing before the green roof goes on! Belgium, 2025

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number but this is usually the outcome). 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 council circles, as we will do weekly throughout the 5 weeks, to support all the inner and outer work happening.

The sprint to the door and a completed finish floor, the last step of the workshop! Belgium, 2025

Happy Cob Sculptor in Costa Rica, 2025

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 foundation trench and fill it with landscape-wrapped drainage rock/gravel followed by a sturdy 30cm-wide aesthetic natural stone stemwall to support the cob wall and roof. We finish the week off by pouring the first layer of adobe/cob floor on a layer of insulation underlain by a gravel drainage base and wrap up with the door(s) installation. In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall, layer by layer, with all its detailed insertions (windows, shelves, electrical housing, hooks, niches, bottles, desk/counter, anchors and roof connectors), and finish week 3 off with 2 days of relaxed sculpting. In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and solid wall with an earthen/fermented manure scratch coat mix. On Friday we build and install the Reciprocal Roof primary rafter structure and in week 5 we complete the structure and sheathing to support the impermeable Green Roof covering. On the final days we will finish the top of the wall as well as the second finish floor coat, ready for Graduation and the Celebration on Saturday evening. Sunday morning is our Closing Circle followed by our final Lunch together and before the afternoon public Open House, when the final project is revealed to the outside world!

Kenya Cob friendship, 2025

We encourage 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 of races, cultures and languages. 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 embark on a life-changing adventure in 2026!

DETAILED WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Belgium Cob Maker, 2025

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience. Students arrive on Saturday before dinner and Sunday by 12pm and settle in. The two meals offered on Saturday (dinner) and Sunday (brunch) are optional and an additional fee of 10€ each. 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 before (Saturday) to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food  needs, or pay the extra meal fees . The Opening Circle begins promptl

All hands on deck fo the Ancestor Stones which will support our build! Belgium, 2025

y at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7:30pm. We require that students arrive Saturday before dark or Sunday by 12pm 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!!!!
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.

All smiles in Week 1! Belgium Host got to be a student, 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 throughout the workshop after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings except Tuesdays 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.
On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval. All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome 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 14m2 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, Bottles, Niches, Art, Electrical Housing & Plumbing preparation, Sculpting), 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)
5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga
7:00-8:00 Dinner
8:00-9:00 Council Circle (Tues) & Slides/Videos/Discussion (Thurs)
Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!
COURSE CONTENTS
Students will learn 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 impermeable liner and green roof components
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, building 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 or Crocs (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tool Belt
Tape Measure
Box Cutter /Straight Edge
Wood Hand Saw with medium teeth (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (order online)
Basic pointed steel mortar/plastering trowel
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer  for Hands & Feet
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)
Any other power tools like skillsaw, 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 IMPORTANT INFO!***

Door frame goes up with everyone participating on Day 5, the final goal for Week 1! Belgium, 2025

Everyone is essential to the completion of the build! These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building 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! Everyone has a role every day all day!

Costa Rica All-Women Cob Team, 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 is 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 still 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.

Tire foundation prep in Costa Rica, 2025

The first step of the Reciprocal Roof, a moment of joy! Costa Rica, 2025

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 connect with their creative source now to design sculptures and beautify the walls around niches, shelves, windows, etc. This is a very special rewarding experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with personal meaning as expressed by each unique student. Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by the Host(s). Plastering follows sculpting and is another 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, after the wall has been plastered, 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, focused on building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.

Reading up on the Reciprocal Roof is essential for building your confidence with this tricky roof! Costa Rica, 2025

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).
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!!!

Trying capoeira on the cob floor with one of the students during downtime! Costa Rica, 2025

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

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Kenya Workshop spread, 2025

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch. On 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 or hammock and bedding or and in your vehicle are free. There may be indoor sleeping options at neighbors’ houses. We will have more info on that in the Spring.

COB INSTRUCTOR
CLAUDINE “COB QUEEN” DÉSIRÉE

Born and raised on the 22nd floor of a skyscraper in NYC to two Jewish European immigrants from France and Romania via Morocco, I carried my Manhattan/European roots with me to California and beyond. I studied Geography, International Relations/Development and International Environmental Policy in the academic world in California, France, and Switzerland before and while raising Viva, Joia and Xica, my three stellar sons, currently established all over the U.S. and honing their unique journeys… and all cob lovers of course!!!! My eldest Son Viva has become a Master Cobber in his own right, specializing in Fire & Cob, meaning beautifully-sculpted heaters, cookstoves, and ovens, as well as stand-alone Cob Art.

With Tennessee 2026 Workshop Host River looking for the perfect clay soil for the Cob mix!

My academic pursuits soon gave way to the obligatory West Coast Yoga/Meditation/Massage path and thus the work of a Spiritually Awakened life was initiated. My academic interests were also complemented with hands-on learning in every aspect of Sustainable Living skills, which I then put into action in our 5000 square foot homestead in downtown Santa Cruz, near the beach, with cob buildings, permaculture, a compost toilet, chickens, fruit trees and the lowest utility bill in SC! When my youngest son turned 18 in 2014, and I turned 50, my next Dream was manifested with the sale of our Mini-Urban Ecovillage in Santa Cruz to fuel a solo Global Ecovillage and Cob Teaching Bike Tour for the next five years through 15 countries in Africa, South America, the US and Europe, in which I taught over 30 workshops, most of them 4-5-week full builds.

Azorean Cob-Loving Cat

In January of 2019 I bought 5 hectares in the Alentejo region of Portugal, planning on manifesting a Cob Ecovillage there. However the isolation and dependence on a vehicle, as well as the extreme winter/summer climates and drought conditions led me back to the Azores Islands, that had caught my Heart the first time I stepped out of the plane and smelled/felt the air. I had been brought to the Azores by an astrocartography reading in which my Venus and Neptune lines were strongly activated there. My Neptune line runs right through São Miguel and one kilometer from the Quinta da Vida Beleza Ecovillage Farm

Sunrise behind the Majestic Azorean Cob Villa at the Quinta Da Vida Beleza, 2025

that I created from scratch between January 2020 and 2023, with the help of many workshop students, teachers, volunteers, friends and my sons. It is the present culmination of my 20+ years of Cob Life! It is a fearlessly manifested Vision. It is my comfort as I wake up every morning on the 2nd floor of my Cob Home and look out at the Atlantic Ocean to see if it looks good for an early morning swim. The Azorean moist pleasant breezes that are always a perfect temperature wrap me in LOVE, nurturing my Soul and Spirit every day. The village I envisioned became a reality in a mere 3 years, and is now highly enjoyed by campers, bungalow guests, volunteers, family, friends, students, cats, chickens and many other living beings visible and invisible. It is the first if its kind in the Azores and a unique phenomenon on the Planet. You can find it on GoogleMaps and visit the website, and come visit us for a dose of Natural before it is sold and transferred to the next fortunate caretaker.

Cob Outdoor Rocket Stove Kitchen & Oven built by students led by Brazilian Instructor Paula Carneira, 2023

Our last additions are my beloved and magnificent 2-story personal Compost Toilet with ocean view and an Outdoor Rocket Stove Kitchen. My unending love of travel, speaking in other languages and cultural immersion will always continue, and I envision having beautiful cob houses to come to in all of my favorite places, which I am continuing to discover. I am so grateful for the strong support of the Universe confirming this path every day.

My first international cob workshop in the Canaries in 2015…been a full 11 years on the road and 22 years of spreading the COB word!

Learning to build cob houses has been an unexpected gift in so many ways. The joy I see on people’s faces at my workshops when they roll up their pants for the first time and stick their toes in the cool soft mud, the laughter and heart-to-heart conversations ignited while mixing and building with a partner, the meditative concentration of working on a sculpture, the satisfaction of stepping back and seeing your beautiful trimmed wall section, the excitement at embedding bottles and sculpting an art window, the bliss of relaxing with good food and a cold beer after a full day’s building in community, and the gratitude of leaving confident in starting a dream project….are why I do this work. Over and over again, all over the world, cob building creates childlike joy, love, community, and empowerment. It has shown itself to be much more than a building technique. It is a remedy for a better Life on Earth. It creates Happy People living in Happy Houses. May the legacy of CruzinCobGlobal continue to heal the World one workshop at a time, one new cobber and one more cob house at a time. Aho.

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Decatur, TN by car and rideshare/carpooling, bus or train/plane to Knoxville or Chattanooga or if necessary for international flights, Atlanta. Airport pickups will be organized by hosts and among students diving in from similar direction We will setup a Whatsapp thread once we are a month out for students to organize carpooling and povide info on airport pickups..

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

Very Early Bird Rate: $2600, paid in full by January 6th, 2026
Early Bird Rate: $2700, paid in full by May 6th, 2026
Standard Rate: $2800, paid in full by August 6th, 2026
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.
Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros at the current conversion rate using the Wise app/website using same email. You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined
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 May 1st, 2026.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Students who have paid and cancel by June 6th, 2026 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.
Students who have paid and cancel by July 6th, 2026 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.
Students who have paid and cancel after July 6th, 2026 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 MUD!

Cob Hill 21-Day Natural Building Cert
2026-09-19 16:00 - 2026-10-09 12:00 (America/Denver) | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Service Description
This intensive hands on workshop is for adults wishing to begin their natural building journey toward building for others, or to start their own home build. This class will give you a physical workout. Natural building is tough. Are you tougher? Find out during 21 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor and Danny Holmes teach the techniques and skills you will need to get from choosing property, building the foundation to the roofing system. Your class will be building a structure from start to finish, with hands on experience covering: property site selection soil testing home designing passive solar foundations stem wall 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) Shou Sugi Ban(Japanese art of waterproofing wood) budgeting/planning basic electrical/plumbing facts and myths common mistakes composting toilets. This is a certification course, to receive your certificate you must attend all class time activities and pass a written test. Tent camping sites are available on-site 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 $1975 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.
