Cob Workshops

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

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

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

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

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

The Building Project
During this ten day workshop we will build a beautiful garden wall, an earthen bread/pizza oven, and plaster the new cob cabin built during our workshop in 2021. Within the garden wall, we will incorporate all the features of a wall in an earthen house: windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, arches, niches, and artwork.
(We don’t start a whole building in a shorter workshop, as attractive as that may sound; it will have people do too much of one thing (mixing cob and wall building) while not being able to learn the other important aspects of natural building in a meaningful way, such as roof variations, natural plasters, earthen floors and design.)
About the Site
Rosewater Ranch sits at the north-eastern base of the Sierra Nevada mountains, on the edge of coniferous alpine forest and sagebrush steppe. The land is a delight of transitional eco-tones on a slope that runs from tall pines down to open grassland. The sky is big and the stars shine bright. Not far from Reno, NV, the ranch has a sunny and dry climate in the rain shadow of the Sierras, though high enough at 5,200 feet to receive a full share of winter and snow. In June days are typically sunny and warm – lovely working weather and nights can be cool.
Rosewater Ranch itself is a project 7 years in the making. The community’s goal is “…to become a multi-generational little village of farming, land-loving folk who can live small and beautifully and pass on a worthwhile future for those yet to come. Through our own best efforts at good living, community events and education, and a patient dialogue with the land, we hope to shape and adapt ourselves to be welcome here and to spark others into their own forms of work for a culture of generosity, inclusion, and belonging.”
At the moment, Rosewater Ranch has a small nucleus of human residents, a homestead goat dairy, a free-range flock of hens, homestead gardens and orchards, pigs, dogs, cats, and also on site are Loping Coyote Farms plant nursery and Prema Farm, an organic vegetable market farm.
Wifi is available on site and cell coverage is good.
Lodging
Tent spots and car/camper/van parking are sprinkled across the property
Overview
This is one of the most comprehensive natural building workshops you can find. Together, VersaTerra instructors have decades of experience on four different continents. This has helped us design rich learning experiences giving students the tools they need to become confident earthen builders.
Earth is the mother of all building materials. For millennia, and all over the world, people have used earth to build beautiful, simple, efficient and inexpensive homes. It’s plentiful, ecological, and non-toxic. Plus, it can’t burn, won’t rot and is much simpler to build with than conventional construction.
We will teach you how to use clay-soil to build just about everything: from strong structural walls (cob and adobe) to beautiful floors, plasters and light-straw-clay walls. Because the materials are fireproof, they are ideally suited to sculpt ovens, fireplaces and cook stoves.
The essence of your learning experience will revolve around developing a deep understanding of how to process and combine a few simple materials: clay-soil, sand, and straw. How you apply that in your building adventures is then up to you, but you will find the possibilities endless and exciting.
What you will learn
After this workshop, you will feel confident that you can

Design and build yourself a cob cottage
Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials
Build and use an earthen oven
Use cob to create garden walls and hot tubs
Teach a one-day natural building event yourself!

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

Foundation systems, rubble trench, stem walls, earthbag construction (as a stem wall)
Identifying the right materials, screening, processing, testing, costs, amount calculations
Mixing cob efficiently
Making adobe bricks and using straw bales (“balecob”) and cordwood cob
Building with cob: strong sculptural walls, arches, windows and doors, niches, and sculptural artwork
Electricity and plumbing, how to install wires and pipes in the walls
Roof attachment and roof design
Light-straw-clay: this is an infill technique perfect for code-approved buildings and natural renovations of existing homes. You will learn how to make the right materials and how to install them
Natural plasters, tools, making your own plasters and paints, colors, applications, how to apply it on earthen walls, drywall, wood, concrete
Tamped floors, finish earthen floors in natural buildings, earthen floors in existing homes on plywood, oriented strand board, and concrete
Earthen ovens: from start to finish and how to use them (pizza party!)
Different design strategies, natural design essentials, passive solar, using cob to make models
Building codes, how they work, how to work with and around them

During every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a careful look at different climates and regions, living with families or in communities, dealing with the building code, physical and financial challenges, appropriate technologies and more.
Our book “House of Earth” will be used as a textbook for the workshop.
The Daily Schedule
We are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop such as this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect long days with lots of building and learning. On some evenings we will show slides and films featuring our previous projects and that of other people and cultures. Believe it or not, we also still like to make time for a campfire and some music. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable, memorable and fun experience.

8:00 breakfast
9:00 building with cob
1:00 lunch
3:00 other techniques, lectures, and oven building
7:00 Dinner
8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time

Delicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options.
VersaTerra* Certification
After full participation, every student will receive a VersaTerra certificate. We believe that after taking this workshop, participants are qualified to teach a one-day event in their community. By providing a certificate, we want to empower our students to become facilitators of community revitalization through building with earth!
*VersaTerra is a holistic design, building, and living philosophy, celebrating clay-soil as its primary building material. Clay-soil is:

Plentiful, inexpensive or free, durable, easy to maintain and modify, and endlessly reusable
Non-toxic, breathable, soft, beautiful, and displays superior performance in a wide variety of climates
Sculptural by nature, inviting to work with needing only simple tools and methods, and easily combinable with other natural and human made materials.

By focusing on these specific qualities of clay-soil, we can make the design, building, and living process a conduit for community revitalization and personal transformation, while creating housing with dignity for the people of this world.
Pickup and Dropoff
Airport pickup and dropoff is available from the Reno Airport, Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Contact Kyle to arrange a lift.
Instructors
Lead instructor Kyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive and the Be the Change Project. Kyle has a background in construction, teaching, and simple living. He’s worked as a framer, carpenter, and commercial roofer and recently finished building a “green” conventional house in his neighborhood in Reno. He was a science teacher for 7 years, is a frequent speaker on sustainable living, and is a contributing writer for Mother Earth News magazine and blog. Kyle enjoys basketball, hiking, reading, and martial arts.
Kathleen O’Brien started natural building with two VersaTerra workshops several years ago and has gone on to teach with us in India, Mexico, Oregon and Reno. She has extensive carpentry experience, is a certified permaculture designer and talented grower, and has over 20 years of public school teaching experience. She is an avid reader and writer and is currently building her own off-grid home at Long Ranch in Surprise Valley, Nevada.
Jonathan Vocke started natural building three years ago and has since built and taught with us in India, Mexico, and Reno. When not slinging mud he’s a professional musician and music teacher in Baltimore. He brings his love of music and his skill as a teacher to every workshop. He is a talented builder and is particularly passionate about dry-stack stone work.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and played with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer, urban garlic farmer, and former math teacher and school designer. She loves to dance, laugh, and pore over seed catalogs while cozied up to the wood stove on long winter nights. Kyle and Katy also have two teenage sons.
Registration
Go here​ to register

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

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

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

Hands-On Topics:

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

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

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

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

Natural Building Basics Cob Workshop
2022-06-11 - 2022-06-21, 2022-09-09 - 2022-09-19 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults who intend to build their own cob home, or who seek to begin their learning journey toward helping others realize their natural building dreams! Test your grit during 10 days at Cob Hill Natural Building School, as Cat Taylor teaches the techniques and skills you will need to get from the foundation to the roofing system. We will learn about site placement and preparation, dig a rubble trench, stack a stone stem wall, tamp subfloors, set windows and of course cob, cob, cob!
Primitive tent camping sites are available near the build including access to hot showers, plus 3 plant-based meals a day are included in your tuition! You will need to bring your own camping gear. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, children or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill.
$1000 tuition includes a $200 deposit to secure your spot that is is non-refundable unless NaturalBuildingOrg has to cancel the workshop for some unforeseen reason. Save $100 automatically if your registration includes two or more people. Active duty military personnel and honorably discharged veterans with valid ID or DD214 may select the appropriate tuition tier to receive 20% off, and eligible Cob Hill Lifetime of Learning (L.o.L.) Members can register as such by selecting that tuition tier. If you do not pay in full, the balance will automatically be charged to your card 30 days prior to start date unless you cancel prior to that. Please see also our Payment and Refund Policy at NaturalBuildingOrg.com

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

Location: Jonesborough, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a cob house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob constructions or cob building.
Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a mortar mixer)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building cob walls (learn my four steps to efficient cob wall building)
– Creating window and door frames (how to build and attach frames to cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)
– Earthen Plaster (learn to mix and apply earth plaster)
Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Foundation design (how to build strong foundations for heavy earthen walls)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials
This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:30 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!
The workshop will be taught by Alex Sumerall, an east coast Earth Building Mason who has a focus on creating earthen structures that are healthy, aesthetically pleasing, and functional for modern life. He is the owner of This Cob House, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.
Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

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

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”
Marybeth Babos, Tennessee
Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnB. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Jonesborough, Gray, and Johnson City.
Camping is FREE, but space is limited on the property so let us know ahead of time if you will be camping or lodging off-site. Campers will have access to a portable toilet and private outdoor shower.
The location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools.

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

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

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-to-cob-workshop-jonesborough-tennessee-june-2022/
If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

5-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2022-06-22 - 2022-06-26 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$875 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$975 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

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

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

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

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

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

Earthen Floor Workshop
2022-06-25 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | SpiritWood Natural Building, Victor Montana, Victor, MT, 59875, United States
In this one day workshop you will learn how to install an earthen floor, or “poured-adobe” floor from locally sourced materials. Learn about the materials, process and durability of these beautiful floors and leave with the skills and knowledge to install your own.
This hands on class is located at Spiritwood Natural Building, in Victor Montana. Attendees will join Katherine and Daniel Ray of Spiritwood Natural Building to install an earthen floor in an existing strawbale workshop.
Class Activities: Instructors will cover the materials, tools and techniques used in the construction of an earthen floor. Participants will mix materials used for the earthen floor and install the finish layer of a poured adobe floor. Dress to get dirty!
Participants will also be able to view a finished earthen floor in a balecob house and see the process for finishing these beautiful floors with oils and wax.
Food is not provided. Participants should bring a lunch to this workshop.
Space is limited to 15 participants.

Permaculture Technology Jamboree
2022-06-27 - 2022-07-09 | Wheaton Labs, near missoula , missoula, MT, 59806, United States
2022 Permaculture Technology Jamboree

So MANY REASONS TO JOIN!

Move permaculture technology forward: Collaboration, experimentation and innovation in the field of permaculture!
This event provides experiences for people new to permaculture technology
To build homesteading skills
To gain hands on experience with various technologies
Community and conversation with people who are bonkers about permaculture!

Our Jamboree Format:

Attendees can wander among all FIFTEEN of the tracks and participate or observe as much or as little as they like. The instructors will see a project to completion either with or without help.

2-Day Value-Based Cob Design
2022-07-02 - 2022-07-03 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$350 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$390 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: July 2/3rd
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15
INSTRUCTORS: Rebecca + Greg
During this two-day workshop you will learn the foundational philosophy of Oregon-Cob* so that you can use it as a launching pad for your own process of self-discovery and design.
You will engage in value-mining exercises so that you will gain clarity on what kind of home you want to create for yourself. You will then have the opportunity to draft your home and/or build a model of it to take home, if you like! The workshop will conclude with an exploration of how to incorporate these concepts into your current home now.
*Oregon-Cob is the style credited to Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley of Cob Cottage Company, and is a practical and ideological adaptation of traditional English Cob

HANDS-ON TOPICS:
* “Value-mining” exercises
* Drafting (simple pencil + paper)
* Foot-mixing cob
* Building scale models with cob
DISCUSSION:
* Oregon-cob philosophy
* “Choice Architecture”
* CAMPUS TOUR

3-Day Natural Plasters + Paints
2022-07-08 - 2022-07-10 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
$525 Early Bird Rate (register 30 days in advance)
$585 Regular Rate
5% discount for family + friends participating together!

DATES: July 8-10th
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15
INSTRUCTORS: Greg, Danielle, and Rebecca
Plasters and paints are important functionally and aesthetically. They protect the natural wall system from the elements, and also provide an opportunity to add color, texture, and beauty. Plastering can be quite a satisfying experience, both in regards to how it looks, and how it feels to apply. Our students often refer to it as the “icing on the cake!”
Join us to learn about a multitude of options for mixing your own natural paint and plaster finishes. We will be working on-site on our demonstration cottages, as well as experimenting on individual sample boards.

HANDS-ON TOPICS:
* applying all layers of earthen plaster: adhesion coat, base/scratch coats, finish coat
* plastering on different wall substrates: cob, strawbale, drywall, lath
* lime plaster
* working with site-harvested clay vs. bagged clay
* mixing and using clay alis paint, and lime wash
* sculptural relief work with earthen plaster

DISCUSSION:
* options for additives to plasters, and ways to seal natural plasters

Cob Oven Weekend
2022-07-08 08:00 - 2022-07-10 17:00 (America/Denver) | Stable Gate Farm, Linda Way, Castleton on Hudson, NY, 12033, United States
Cob Oven Weekend – $500
July 8th-10th (From 9am on the 8th to 3pm on the 10th)
This workshop is a great introduction to natural building materials and methods. We will build a wood-fired
cob bread/pizza oven from start to finish. Students will build the stone foundation, firebrick hearth, cob
structure, and finish the oven with earthen plasters. We will also build an attached cob wall and a
cast-in-place concrete countertop. You will learn the skills to go home and build your own oven!
What to expect:
Our days will be spent engaged in hands-on building and learning with natural materials. Expect a rich
weekend of natural and community building with the group. We’ll work, learn, eat, and relax with each
other in a positive, hard-working, fun atmosphere. Conversation on natural building will provide constant
background chatter throughout the weekend. Evenings are typically unscheduled so folks have time to
enjoy the site, explore nearby towns, or relax around the fire.
We will make time for a few focused discussions on related natural building subjects such as
straw-bale construction, passive solar design, wood framing, roofing, permits and codes, and more.
Michael may give an interesting slideshow presentation.
The Site:
Our site is Stablegate Farm, a beautiful family owned winery, wedding venue, and spiritual center.
Located at 10-12 Linda Way Castleton-on-Hudson, NY 12033. Camping facalties include a bathouse
with toilet/sink, a hot/cold water outdoor shower, and a fire pit gathering area.
Meals/Food preferences:
We will serve three meals daily, cooked on-site by staff. The food will be healthy and filling vegetarian
cuisine with a vegan option. Many of the ingredients will be sourced from local farms. Please indicate any
food allergies upon registration.
Schedule:
The workshop will begin at 9am on Friday the 8th. We will break for lunch around 1pm and work again
until 5pm. The evening is informal and unscheduled, although a campfire hang-out will be available.
Breakfast will be served at 8am with the workshop to follow. Saturday we have to end early, around 3pm
to accommodate a wedding that day. Participants may arrive Thursday evening to set up camp, but no
meals will be provided until lunch Friday.
Instructor:
Michael McDonough is a Troy, NY based building contractor, designer, and educator. His work can be
found at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Oxmoor
Farm, and a number of happy homesteads around the east coast. He learned a great deal by working with
leading natural builders including Ianto Evans, Clark Sanders, Thea Alvin, Ben Simpson. He has taught
about 20 natural building workshops.
What to bring:
* Camping equipment including tent, sleeping bag, flashlight
* Work clothes and shoes. Slip on/off shoes are recommended, such as crocks, sandals, etc.
* Work gloves
* Sunscreen, bug spray, hat, water bottle, rain gear
* Notebook, building plans or sketches to discuss
To Register:
Tuition is $500 and includes the camping fee, workshop experience and materials, and all meals. Group
rates, discounts for previous students, or for taking multiple courses are possible.
You may register via paypal by sending the tuition to michael@risingearthbuilding.com
Or mail your tuition check to the address below and we will confirm your registration via email.
Rising Earth Natural Building
363 3rd St.
Troy, NY 12180
Call or email with questions:
(919) 685-0123
michael@risingearthbuilding.com

Rocket Mass Heaters and Natural Building
2022-07-09 - 2022-07-13 | Abuela Gardens, 4649 Bear Canyon Rd., Willits, CA, 95490, United States
Like two jam-packed workshops in one! Come build a rocket mass heater, a super-efficient wood-burning stove that stores heat in the thermal mass of an earthen bench. Learn about the many exciting RMH variations and possibilities: batch vs. downfeed! cooking! water heating! hypocaust floors!
At the same time, we will be exploring a range of high-insulation and thermal mass natural building systems including cob, straw bale, light straw-clay, and slipsquatch (redwood bark and clay.) We will also install the drainage layer and the first pour of an earthen floor.
Students will rotate daily between several hands-on projects so that they get to know each of these techniques. Daily lectures cover the theoretical knowledge you will need to design your own project: how a RMH works; dangers, do’s, and don’ts; thermal properties of natural building systems; and how to combine them all into an energy-efficient passive solar home.
Instructors include Michael G. Smith, Sasha Rabin, Colin Gillespie. See web site for more details, instructor bios and discounts.

Advanced Cob Building Workshop: Build a Community Space (Foundation to Roof) at Quinta da Vida Beleza in the Azores!
2022-07-10 - 2022-08-14 | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
HOST & LOCATION

Our Host Claudine Désirée founded CruzinCobGlobal in 2015 when she began a 5-year GlobalBikeCobTrotter Tour through Europe, Africa, South America and the US. CruzinCobGlobal is the international version of CruzinCob, which was born in Santa Cruz in 2004.
This workshop will be held at Quinta da Vida Beleza in the Atalhada neighborhood of Lagoa. The Quinta or Farm was born in January 2020 when Claudine, our Host, acquired this 2-acre piece of land nestled in a quiet, agricultural zone just a 7-minute walk to the natural swimming pools and snorkeling waters of the Calhau, and a short bike ride to Lagoa and Ponta Delgada along the coast.
The land is brimming with bananas, guavas, kumquats, and granadilhas, vegetable gardens, a chicken family of 30 and 3 guardian cats: Viva, Joia and Xica. Over the last 2 years there have been 6 cob workshops that have built a sauna, 2 cottages, a 2-story house, an oven & benches and, most recently, a beautiful elegant rocket mass heater family-size couch. The land is now a unique Ecovillage and Education Center for all kinds of Workshops with camping areas, 3 compost toilets, 3 outdoor showers with hot water, 3 outdoor fire-heated bathtubs, an outdoor kitchen & eating area and a huge yoga/dance/meditation deck overlooking the property.
The weather in this zone of Lagoa is warmer & drier than the other parts of the island. This and its proximity to the capital, the airport, the surfing beaches of the South & North Coast, the Hot Springs, and the nicest black sand beaches on the island make Lagoa a very coveted spot.
During the longer workshops, weekends are free for students to visit the island by bus, bike, rental car, hitchhiking or by foot. While São Miguel is large enough to keep you busy with a variety of hiking, hot springs, water sports and cultural adventures, students can also choose to fly or take a boat to the other islands for something different.
This home away from home will welcome you with comfort and conviviality as you live in community for the duration of the workshop, an integral transformative part of your experience.

THE PROJECT
The final build at Quinta da Vida Beleza Ecovillage & Education Center is an indoor Community Space for hanging out, classes, non-Cob workshops, small group activities, massage, yoga, dance and even a space for indoor camping. It will be a round building around 200 ft2 or 18m2.
Because the structure will be larger than the usual workshop size, we will build part of the foundation beforehand and part of the wall will be stone and also built beforehand. It will be a Rock’n’ Cob wall! This will allow the students to ideally complete the structure in 5 weeks while learning all the phases, as usual.

INSTRUCTOR
Claudine Désirée
Claudine is the founder and director of CruzinCobGlobal and taught her first long-form full build workshop in 2015 in Andalucia, Spain. Since then she has been leading 2-4 of these workshops a year, always trying to teach in new lands, new cultures, new languages to spread the Cob word far and wide. Today she is grateful to finally be teaching on her own homestead born in January 2020, where she and her wonderful students have slowly colonized São Miguel with the beginning of many Cob Ecovillages to come. As a matter of fact, as we speak, she is teaming up with the local govmt entity and Kairos, an NGO, to begin training local unemployed youth to build their own Cob Community Space in Lagoa, on their organic farm. They will then train more locals and on the other islands. Its just the beginning. Cob is the future. Glad you are part of it!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Students will learn every step of building a Cob structure from foundation to roof.
location and design decisions (sun, water, wind)
soil analysis
soil testing
foundation building
preparing foundation for Cob wall
making Cob
building with Cob
inserting door, windows, electricity, plumbing, hooks, etc
inserting roof connection
earthen floor (one coat)
earthen plaster (1 coat)
building a reciprocal framed roof structure
building a green roof
building a “legal” Cob house
starting a Cob business
working with CCG
Lectures will be 2-3 times a week and will be aligned with the practical building. There will be a few slideshows by Instructor and students who want to share.
Students who complete the whole workshop will receive a Certificate of Completion which will include all they have done, as well as the CruzinCobGlobal Handbook, which summarizes the workshop steps with graphics from the lectures. All the visual teaching materials as well as links, videos and other documents referred to in the lectures or slideshow night will be emailed to the students after the workshop.

WHAT TO BRING
Students need to come prepared for the build, for being outdoors all day, and for camping (unless you are staying indoors). The workshop will be held during the driest and warmest months of the year, but still, it sprinkles regularly.
closed-toe shoes (for foundation & roof weeks)
flip-flops
rubber or plastic gloves (for lime mortar)
work/gardening gloves (for working with rocks/wood)
good hat (July/August can get into he 80’s and even 90’s)
sunscreen/sunglasses
water bottle (with filter is useful)
notebook/pen
“The Hand-Sculpted House” by Ianto Evans (READ BEFORE!!!)
work clothes
ear plugs (for roosters & power tools/hammering)
measuring tape (cm)/wood saw/level/trowel (esp tape)
yoga/dance clothes
swimsuit, towel, snorkeling gear
lightweight rain jacket
photos/videos of your projects for sharing in slideshow night
your favorite music playlists for the build site
favorite personal healthy snacks that you can’t get here!

WHAT TO EXPECT
VERY IMPORTANT!!!
This workshop is an INTENSIVE, DEMANDING experience for people who are ready to show up every day all day and work hard in Community to erect this beautiful masterpiece in record time! It cannot happen without EVERYONE’s contribution each of the 25 days! Please expect to come every day and rest during your downtime and on weekends. Of course if you are ill or injured we will make the necessary adjustments but it does make the work harder on the rest of the group when people are not there.
This Advanced workshop is for serious student builders who really want to learn how to build a complete cob cottage and who plan to do so after the workshop, when they are ready. Everyone will be trained to be able to do so on their own. This is not a mellow exploration of cob. For that there are other workshops. So please please please make sure you qualify for this workshop.
That being said, you don’t have to be a builder, an athlete, 25 years old or some compulsive workaholic (like me :)) to qualify for this workshop. We receive students of all ages, all backgrounds, all professions, all abilities. The only requirement is that you make an effort to do your personal best each day and show up for the group. Some of my best students have been in their 60’s! So if you are willing, motivated, excited, ready and chomping at the bit…this is the workshop for you! If you have doubts or questions…please email me at claudinedesiree@gmail.com and we can talk.

DAILY SCHEDULE
6:30-7:30 Yoga/Movement Practice/Meditation (optional)
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:45-1:00 Morning Session
1:00-2:30 Lunch & Rest
2:30-5:30 Afternoon Session & Lectures
6:30-7:30 Dinner

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

Students will receive three delicious vegetarian/vegan meals a day Monday through Friday, prepared by one or more local chefs, beginning with Dinner on Sunday, July 10, 2022 and ending with Lunch on Sunday, August 14th, 2022. Weekends students will prepare their own meals and go exploring on the island trying the local fare!

There will be room for 7 campers. Tents can be rented for 2€ and 5€/day (see below). People who prefer to rent a private or shared room in a house will need to contact Claudine as soon as possible, so she can secure the house. There is a two-bedroom 2-story house a short walk from the Quinta that has one room with a queen-sized bed and one room with two double beds. These two rooms share a beautiful oceanview balcony on the second floor. There is wifi, a full kitchen, and a patio. Another person can choose to sleep in a walled off section of the living room on a bed as well. Rates depend on how many students will share the house.

There is also a wonderful local hotel called “Arcanjo Hotel” with oceanfront rooms also very close to the Quinta. And there are several Airbnb accommodations. There is also a nice hostel called Pés Verdes about 3km away near the nicest beaches in the area. The only issue is distance so if u can use a bike life will be easier. There are public bikes usually available.
Students staying off property will share meals on the Land, an important community time for the group.

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

Students need to fly into the PDL airport from Lisbon, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Boston or New York. SATA/Azores Airlines, TAP, RyanAir and Delta fly into PDL. You will need to have a Covid test done wihin 48 (Antigen) or 72 (PCR) hours before flying and fill out a SafeAzores questionnaire online with a QR code.
Once you arrive, there are cabs for 15€ (daytime) or 18€ (nighttime) that will take you to the Quinta. If several students arrive on the same flight or around the same time, I am happy to coordinate you so you can share a cab. And if I happen to be nearby I am happy to come get you. If you are adventurous and with a pack, you can also walk the spectacular 12 km (7.5 miles) to the land through Ponta Delgada along the coast.
Directions will be sent in Welcome Letter.

PAYMENT & REGISTRATION

Tuition & Meals for the 5-Week workshop is 2400€ (approx USD$2700 but varies with conversion rates). Camping is free if you bring your own tent. I have 2 smaller 1-2 person tents for 2€/day and 2 family-size 2-room tents that can sleep 4 people for 5€/day. They come with inflatable mattresses and, if needed, a pillow, sheets and a blanket.
Locals can choose to just come for the day and lunch/snacks. Please inquire with Claudine.
There are 2 work trade positions which will give the student 10€ off/day for working 75 minutes a day helping with breakfast or site preparations. Work traders who cancel less than a month from start date (after June 12th) will have to forfeit the value of their work trade discount (250€) because of the inconvenience and need to potentially pay a substitute.
To guarantee your spot, either pay in full or make a 50% deposit. Payments will be non-refundable after May 29th, 2022. Any cancellations between May 29th and June 26th may be approved to be used as a credit for another workshop within 2 years, depending on the circumstances of the need to cancel (with proof) and with a 10% cancellation fee deducted. After June 26th there is no refund or credit possible.
Payments can be made in USD at the current conversion rate with Venmo, Zelle or Paypal to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Payments in Euros can be made using Transferwise or as regular European inter-bank transfers.
Students will be sent a Welcome Letter 2 weeks before the workshop with any additional information, especially concerning the recommended trowels.

LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU HERE!!!!

Build a Cob Oven
2022-07-15 - 2022-07-18 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Get your hands in the dirt with Camilo Cadavid to construct a cob oven! We will learn to build an oven using natural materials in a step by step, hands-on workshop including an examination of soil composition and learn to identify and test suitable soil as a building material. Camilo learned to build with cob during a summer apprenticeship at Cob Cottage Company and SustainableU in Oregon. His first oven was inspired by friends who wanted to learn to cob and get together over pizza parties. Since this first project, many people have become inspired to do the same. Camilo has taught numerous workshops with diverse groups and has been involved in commissioned projects nationwide since 2017.

Cob Oven Rebuild at Wo-Man-I-Fest
2022-07-15 15:33 - 2022-07-18 17:55 (America/Denver) | Bear and Bunny Permaculture Farm, Deer Island, OR, United States
Wo-Man-I-Fest is a collective of teachers, artists, inspired visionaries and entrepreneurs who empower others to step into their highest potential.
Wo-Man-I-Fest is an intentional container to honor, restore, and harmonize the divine feminine (WO) and divine masculine (MAN) apart with the supreme consciousness (I) to co-create and manifest our
dreams of a more beautiful world. All humans are welcome; women, men and children.

We support authentic connection, intimacy, inclusivity and love. This is a restorative festival centered around the ancient teaching of womb mysteries, the art of embodying sovereignty within symbiotic relationship, and creative empowerment… all delivered in a playful and interactive way.

We will be rebuilding an existing cob oven dome over the weekend to be ready for the pizza party on Monday. Your entrance fee is on a sliding scale from $88 to $333 which includes lunch every day, a place to camp, sound healing, ecstatic dancing, workshops and community. Visit the website and register.

Earthen Building Weekend
2022-07-16 - 2022-07-17 | Be the Change Project, 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV, 89512, United States
Earthen Building Weekend
Natural Building at an Off-Grid Urban Homestead
Dates: Saturday, 7/16/2022 – Sunday morning, 7/17/2022
Number of Students: up to 15
Cost: $150
Join us for a day and a half of earthen building in Reno, Nevada.
When: Saturday, July 16th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, July 17th from 8:00 am to noon.
Where: The Be the Change Project urban homestead in Reno, NV. 2055 McCloud Avenue, Reno, NV 89512
BTC is the home of Kyle Isacksen, Katy Chandler and their two sons and is a permaculture demonstration site replete with annual and perennial organic gardens, appropriate technologies in use, and various earthen constructions. BTC is a hub for community and sustainability education.
What you will learn: This is an ideal workshop for people who want to explore the possibilities of earthen construction. We’ll be building more wall for a 200 square foot earthen “shed” that was partially built in a ten-day workshop in May and June. We’ll start with earth bags for the stem wall, mix and build with cob, make adobe bricks, do bale cob and cordwood cob, make and apply basic plasters, check out appropriate technologies (solar wall heater, solar oven, solar shower, greywater, root cellar…) and learn the basics about windows, doors, niches, sculpting, and more. We’ll tour other earthy buildings on site, you’ll have the opportunity to ask tons of questions, and you’ll leave with the basic knowledge of how to build with earth.
Pizza party using our cob oven on Saturday night. Locals, please bring a topping to share.
​If you’re coming from out of town, there are lodging options in our backyard cabins as well as camping. Along with lodging we’ll provide a pizza dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday for an additional $20 fee/pp. Partners get a discount.
Bring your own lunches, snacks, water bottles, gloves, clothes that can get dirty…RSVP to Kyle to sign up and to get more information.
Registration
Contact Kyle via email to register and learn how to pay.

Natural Building with Michael G. Smith: Straw Bale, Cob, Light Straw Clay, Slip & Chip
2022-07-24 - 2022-07-30 | Tirth, Tonasket, WA, United States
Learn the techniques you need to build a low-carbon, energy-efficient home in any climate. This workshop teaches the hands-on skills needed to construct both high-insulation (straw bale, light straw-clay, slip-and-chip) and thermal mass walls (cob), using low-cost, locally available materials including clay soil, straw, and wood. These wall systems are easy to learn, inexpensive, beautiful, durable, and fire-resistant. Which one you choose depends on your climate, design, and local resources – or build a hybrid home utilizing multiple wall systems to maximize efficiency and design flexibility!
Most of each day will be spent constructing an actual hybrid home. Hands-on building will be supplemented with daily lectures and slide shows that provide the theoretical understanding you will need to design your home: finding and testing clay soils and other local resources; foundations, drainage and moisture protection; passive solar design; structural and thermal properties of different natural wall systems; how to develop your own successful recipes for cob and natural plasters, and more!
Camp under the trees on this remote and peaceful community property in Washington’s Okanagan Valley. Three delicious meals per day will be prepared on site, emphasizing organic and local ingredients. Meet new friends who want to help build a healthier future. Register soon, as space is limited.
INSTRUCTOR:
Michael G. Smith has nearly three decades experience with natural building; he has taught over 120 hands-on workshops ranging from one-day earthen oven workshops to three-month professional trainings, and has designed or built close to 100 natural-building projects using many different techniques, including cob, straw bale, straw-clay, wattle-and-daub, rice-crete, earthen floors, natural plasters, and many more. Energy efficiency, passive solar design, empowerment of people through simple, accessible techniques, and the regenerative use of locally available materials are always the focus of his work. In 1993, he helped found The Cob Cottage Company in Oregon; the next year, he organized the first Natural Building Colloquium. He is a founding director of The Cob Research Institute, which developed the first building code for cob. He is co-author of The Hand-Sculpted House and The Art of Natural Building. He finds writing and teaching about natural building to be an excellent way to empower people to make positive changes in their lives and for the planet. He now lives and farms with his family in Northern California. Learn more at strawclaywood.com.
COST AND DISCOUNTS:
The base fee is $840 per person. Our aim is to provide the most enriching learning experience possible that is accessible to everyone. We have many discounts available in addition to work-trade opportunities. If you want to join us, we want you to be here so let’s make it happen! Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Natural building sites are family friendly and we welcome all ages (inquire about rates & special circumstances for minors).

Family and Friends discount 10% off: Register together and each person gets a discount.
EARLY BIRD Discount 10% off: Pay in full by June 10th to receive discount.
BIPOC price 20% off: We acknowledge that many techniques of earthen building have been learned and adapted from cultures around the world that have been marginalized and even destroyed. May this be a way to include people who have been systemically isolated from ancestral knowledge and hereditary wealth.
Discounts are cumulative up to a maximum of 25% off.
1 Economic Hardship/Full Work trade available – includes arriving before the workshop to set up and staying after to clean up.
Partial work trade for partial enrollment discount is available (please inquire).

Earthen Floors & Natural Plasters with Athena Steen
2022-07-29 - 2022-08-01 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
Sought-after natural builder and artist Athena Steen will show you how to beautifully plaster your walls and floors with natural clays. Athena is an educator, designer, builder with over 28 years of experience with strawbale, adobe, and other natural buildings with artistic vision and sustainable design. Co-author of several books including, “The Straw Bale House”,”The Beauty of Strawbale Homes,” “Built by Hand,” and “Small Strawbale.” Co-director and founder of a small non-profit, The Canelo Project, dedicated to creative and simple living, growing and building practices that connect people, culture and nature. Visit caneloproject.com for more information on Athena.

Introduction to Cob Workshop
2022-08-08 - 2022-08-12 | Unnamed Venue, Jonesborough, TN, United States
Dates: August 8 – August 12, 2022 (YES. We are still having the workshop as scheduled.)

Location: Jonesborough, Tennessee

Come and join us in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob Workshop! We will be constructing a cob house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new cob building and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob constructions or cob building.
Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a mortar mixer)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building cob walls (learn my four steps to efficient cob wall building)
– Creating window and door frames (how to build and attach frames to cob walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)
– Earthen Plaster (learn to mix and apply earth plaster)
Classroom and Discussion Topics:
– Site selection and design (includes Passive Solar design principles)
– Materials and tools (covers traditional and modern cob building toolset and materials)
– Foundation design (how to build strong foundations for long-lasting earthen buildings)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials
This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and to get an overview of Natural Building. Not only are there plenty of hands-on lessons to learn from, but we will also have ample discussion and informal classroom time. Most cob workshops don’t cover this many topics. But here, you will learn all the core lessons needed to start building from this one workshop!
Plus – there will be many hours of discussions about building cob homes and natural building throughout the workshop. Its a great way to get your questions answered and brainstorm your building ideas!
The workshop will be held at a private property in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Each day will begin at 9:00 AM, and the days will include hands-on building, classroom sessions, discussions, and learning activities related to cob and natural building topics. We will break for lunch between 12:00 to 1:30 PM, and we will complete each day at around 4:00 PM. They will be full-packed days! Worth your every penny!
The workshop will be taught by Alex Sumerall, an east coast Earth Building Mason who has a focus on creating earthen structures that are healthy, aesthetically pleasing, and functional for modern life. He is the owner of This Cob House, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.
Listen to the great things that our workshop participants are saying!

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

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”
Marybeth Babos, Tennessee
Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnB. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Jonesborough, Gray, and Johnson City.
Camping is FREE, but space is limited on the property so let us know ahead of time if you will be camping or lodging off-site. Campers will have access to a portable toilet and private outdoor shower.
The location has electricity & water. Electric outlets are minimal, with the ability to charge phones & power tools.

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

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

Click here to register: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/introduction-to-cob-workshop-jonesborough-tennessee-august-2022/
If you have any other questions about the workshop, please feel free to email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com
If you have a large party of people registering, they can all register separately, or contact me for a custom invoice.

How to Build a “Palletable Cobin” with Miguel Elliott
2022-08-21 - 2022-08-27 | Cob hill natural building school, hughes springs, TX, 75656, United States
This action-packed, hands-on/feet-on workshop is for adults. We will be building a livable structure from the ground up. Course will include every step of the process, from the foundation, framing, cobbing and finish plastering. The structure will be framed with pallets, insulated with straw and covered in an earthen cob plaster. These structures are quick, easy and cheap to build while the finished product is beautiful and functional.
Miguel Elliott, aka Sir Cobalot, has been a leader in the natural building movement for the past 25 years. He had been operating his business/service Living Earth Structures out of Northern California, leading workshops, teaching at schools, and building backyard earthen structures. His website is www.LivingEarthStructures.com.
Primitive tent camping sites are available including access to hot showers, plus 3 plant-based meals a day are included in your tuition! You will need to bring your own camping gear. (See FAQ section of naturalbuildingorg.com) Prospective attendees, please be advised that we are unable to accommodate guests, children or pets on site for the duration of the workshop; however, there are nearby lodging options available for them including Daingerfield State Park, as well as two boarding options within 30 minutes of Cob Hill.
$560 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. 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.

Advanced Cob Building Workshop: Build a Kitchen/Living Room (Foundation to Roof) at Quinta da Nossa Neta in Central Portugal!
2022-08-28 08:00 - 2022-10-02 17:00 (Europe/London) | Quinta da Nossa Neta, Rua da Nossa Senhora da Saude, 51, Casais, Portugal
THE PROJECT
The workshop participants will build a 10-15m2 attached kitchen/dining/living room space which will be used to expand the temporary 44m2 indoor living space while the main house is remodeled.. The Advanced Cob Building workshops always build a complete structure from foundation to roof and students will experience every phase.
Week 1: Foundation & Floor #1
Week 2 & 3: Wall (windows, door, electrical, plumbing, roof connection)
Week 4: Sculpting & Plaster
Week 5: Reciprocal Frame Roof

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Students will learn every step of building a Cob structure from foundation to roof.
location and design decisions (sun, water, wind)
soil analysis
soil testing
foundation building
preparing foundation for Cob wall
making Cob
building with Cob
inserting door, windows, electricity, plumbing, hooks, etc
inserting roof connection
earthen floor (one coat)
earthen plaster (1 coat)
building a reciprocal framed roof structure
building a green roof
building a “legal” Cob house
starting a Cob business
working with CCG
Lectures will be 2-3 times a week and will be aligned with the practical building. There will be a few slideshows by Instructor and students who want to share.

Students who complete the whole workshop will receive a Certificate of Completion which will include all they have done during the workshop, as well as the CruzinCobGlobal Handbook, which summarizes the workshop steps with graphics from the lectures. All the visual teaching materials as well as links, videos and other documents referred to in the lectures or slideshow night will be emailed to the students after the workshop.
For all the details please visit the website event page:
Advanced Cob Workshop (Foundation to Roof): An Indoor Kitchen/Living Room Space in Beautiful Central Portugal

VersaTerra 10-day Complete Cob & Natural Building Intensive
2022-09-07 12:00 - 2022-09-17 12:00 (America/Denver) | Long Ranch, Long Ranch, Surprise Valley, NV, United States
VersaTerra 10 @ Long Ranch
Surprise Valley, NV
Natural Building at an Off-Grid High Desert Oasis

Dates: Wednesday, 9/7/2022 – Saturday, 9/17/2022 (10 days)
Number of Students: up to 15
Cost: $1350

The Building Project
During this ten day workshop we will build a beautiful garden wall, an earthen bread/pizza oven and a wood-fired hot tub. Within the garden wall, we will incorporate all the features of a wall in an earthen house: windows, doors, electricity, plumbing, arches, niches, and artwork.
(We don’t start a whole building in a shorter workshop, as attractive as that may sound; it will have people do too much of one thing [mixing cob and wall building] while not being able to learn the other important aspects of natural building in a meaningful way, such as roof variations, natural plasters, earthen floors and design.)
About the Site
Long Ranch is an oasis in the desert. Fed by a productive warm-water spring, the ranch is home to magnificent cottonwoods, fruit trees, an extensive garden, pastures, and grass! There are several charming buildings, some of them historic, sprinkled across the ranch as well as a large, spring-fed swimming pool kept naturally comfy at 80° year-round. It’s both a working ranch and a small community.
Situated 17 miles by road across the playa from quaint Cedarville, CA, Long Ranch is a lush patch amidst the iconic high desert steppe of northwestern Nevada. Its human denizens share the area with wild horses, free-range cattle, deer, coyote, mountain lion, and an abundance of birds. The vistas during the day are dramatic with the rugged Warner Mountains spanning the western edge of the valley and the Hays Canyon Range starting just behind the ranch. At night the big skies are filled with stars and a horizon-stretching Milky Way (the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of only a handful in the US, is a short drive north).
The small town of Cedarville offers restaurants, eclectic shops, and a cafe along its historic main street. Hiking and biking opportunities abound including within several designated wilderness areas. In the middle of the playa is the Surprise Valley Hot Springs Resort where some of you may want to relax and rejuvenate with a soak after a few days of cobbing.
Long Ranch has solar and micro-hydro energy systems, radiant floor heating in most buildings, solar cookers, a hydronically-heated earthen floor in a conventional home, and other appropriate technologies that we’ll investigate during our time there.
Wifi is available on site.
Lodging
Tent sites and car/camper/van parking are available across the ranch
Overview
This is one of the most comprehensive natural building workshops you can find. Together, VersaTerra instructors have decades of experience on four different continents. This has helped us design rich learning experiences giving students the tools they need to become confident earthen builders.
Earth is the mother of all building materials. For millennia, and all over the world, people have used earth to build beautiful, simple, efficient and inexpensive homes. It’s plentiful, ecological, and non-toxic. Plus, it can’t burn, won’t rot and is much simpler to build with than conventional construction.
We will teach you how to use clay-soil to build just about everything: from strong structural walls (cob and adobe) to beautiful floors, plasters and light-straw-clay walls. Because the materials are fireproof, they are ideally suited to sculpt ovens, fireplaces and cook stoves.
The essence of your learning experience will revolve around developing a deep understanding of how to process and combine a few simple materials: clay-soil, sand, and straw. How you apply that in your building adventures is then up to you, but you will find the possibilities endless and exciting. ​
What you will learn
After this workshop, you will feel confident that you can

Design and build yourself a cob cottage
Remodel or renovate an existing home, using natural materials
Build and use an earthen oven
Use cob to create garden walls and hot tubs
Teach a one-day natural building event yourself!

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

Foundation systems, rubble trench, stem walls, earthbag construction (as a stem wall)
Identifying the right materials, screening, processing, testing, costs, amount calculations
Mixing cob efficiently
Making adobe bricks and using straw bales (“balecob”) and cordwood cob
Building with cob: strong sculptural walls, arches, windows and doors, niches, and sculptural artwork
Electricity and plumbing, how to install wires and pipes in the walls
Roof attachment and roof design
Light-straw-clay: this is an infill technique perfect for code-approved buildings and natural renovations of existing homes. You will learn how to make the right materials and how to install them
Natural plasters, tools, making your own plasters and paints, colors, applications, how to apply it on earthen walls, drywall, wood, concrete
Tamped floors, finish earthen floors in natural buildings, earthen floors in existing homes on plywood, oriented strand board, and concrete
Earthen ovens: from start to finish and how to use them (pizza party!)
Different design strategies, natural design essentials, passive solar, using cob to make models
Building codes, how they work, how to work with and around them

During every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a careful look at different climates and regions, living with families or in communities, dealing with the building code, physical and financial challenges, appropriate technologies and more.
Our book “House of Earth” will be used as a textbook for the workshop.
​The Daily Schedule
We are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop such as this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect long days with lots of building and learning. On some evenings we will show slides and films featuring our previous projects and that of other people and cultures. Believe it or not, we also still like to make time for a campfire and some music. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable, memorable and fun experience.

8:00 breakfast
9:00 building with cob
1:00 lunch
3:00 other techniques, lectures, and oven building
7:00 Dinner
8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time

Delicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options.
VersaTerra* Certification
After full participation, every student will receive a VersaTerra certificate. We believe that after taking this workshop, participants are qualified to teach a one-day event in their community. By providing a certificate, we want to empower our students to become facilitators of community revitalization through building with earth!
*VersaTerra is a holistic design, building, and living philosophy, celebrating clay-soil as its primary building material. Clay-soil is:

Plentiful, inexpensive or free, durable, easy to maintain and modify, and endlessly reusable
Non-toxic, breathable, soft, beautiful, and displays superior performance in a wide variety of climates
Sculptural by nature, inviting to work with needing only simple tools and methods, and easily combinable with other natural and human made materials.

By focusing on these specific qualities of clay-soil, we can make the design, building, and living process a conduit for community revitalization and personal transformation, while creating housing with dignity for the people of this world.
Pickup and Dropoff
Airport pickup and dropoff is available from the Reno Airport, Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Contact Kyle to arrange a lift.
Instructors
Lead instructor Kyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive and the Be the Change Project. Kyle has a background in construction, teaching, and simple living. He’s worked as a framer, carpenter, and commercial roofer and recently finished building a “green” conventional house in his neighborhood in Reno. He was a science teacher for 7 years, is a frequent speaker on sustainable living, and is a contributing writer for Mother Earth News magazine and blog. Kyle enjoys basketball, hiking, reading, and martial arts.
Kathleen O’Brien started natural building with two VersaTerra workshops several years ago and has gone on to teach with us in India, Mexico, Oregon and Reno. She has extensive carpentry experience, is a certified permaculture designer and talented grower, and has over 20 years of public school teaching experience. She is an avid reader and writer and is currently building her own off-grid home at Long Ranch in Surprise Valley, Nevada.
Jonathan Vocke started natural building three years ago and has since built and taught with us in India, Mexico, and Reno. When not slinging mud he’s a professional musician and music teacher in Baltimore. He brings his love of music and his skill as a teacher to every workshop. He is a talented builder and is particularly passionate about dry-stack stone work.
Katy Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and played with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener, certified permaculture designer, urban garlic farmer, and former math teacher and school designer. She loves to dance, laugh, and pore over seed catalogs while cozied up to the wood stove on long winter nights. Kyle and Katy also have two teenage sons.
Registration
Go here​ to register

Earthen Plasters and Floors
2022-09-12 - 2022-09-16 | Abuela Gardens, 4649 Bear Canyon Rd., Willits, CA, 95490, United States
A great opportunity to develop your skills and understanding of earthen finishes, including:

straw-clay base coat plasters for sculpting and protection,
endless variations of clay finish plasters for durability and beauty,
durable, water-resistant earthen floors.

These techniques are suitable for natural buildings including straw bale and cob, as well for “eco-renovation” of conventional homes, where they can add natural beauty, thermal mass for increased energy efficiency, and health-enhancing moisture modulation. Plus, they are fun, artistic, and inexpensive!
Each day includes many hours of hands-on skill building, with an emphasis on proper tool use, recipe development and testing, and site organization for efficiency and flow. Learn to find, test, and ecologically harvest your own clay; how to choose the most appropriate finish option for your building project; how to prepare various wall surfaces to improve adhesion; and how to design your home to make the plasters last.
Instructors include Michael G. Smith and Sasha Rabin. See web site for details, instructor bios, and discounts.

5-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2022-09-20 - 2022-09-24 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide an understanding of some common natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, and slip-straw. The course emphasizes hands-on learning, and will focus most heavily on cob wall-building, balanced with the construction of some simple strawbale and slip-straw walls. Working with multiple wall systems will provide you with insight into which will fit your potential projects best.
To supplement our hands-on work sessions, we will also visit some local, natural homes, and speak with the owner/builders. Additionally, we’ll tour many of the demonstration buildings on our campus to share a variety of options regarding roofing, foundations, and finishing work. For key topics not covered in hands-on work, we will have discussions/Q+A sessions (see topics below).
Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project!

HANDS-ON:
* mixing cob by foot, and by machine
* building with cob
* installing straw bales and slip-straw within a structural wood frame
* preparing a strawbale wall for plaster
* mixing and applying clay plaster
* installing windows/doors
DISCUSSION:
* “Rubble Trench Foundations”
* “Simple Roofing Options”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll get to tour campus buildings while discussing building methods, plus general Q+A
* LOCAL HOME TOUR! we will visit 2 strawbale homes – the homeowners will discuss: “the owner/builder experience”, “timber framing”, and “off-grid technologies”

DAILY SCHEDULE
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-12:45 Morning work session
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-5:30 Afternoon work session
5:30-6:30 Unscheduled (Shower, relax)
6:30 Dinner! (no dinner on Day 5)

Artistic & Finish Earthen Plaster Workshop in the Azores Islands (Portugal), Session #1
2022-09-25 08:30 - 2022-10-02 17:30 (Europe/London) | Quinta da Vida Beleza, Lagoa, Azores, 9560-418, Portugal
HOST & LOCATION
Our Host Claudine Désirée founded CruzinCobGlobal in 2015 when she began a 5-year GlobalBikeCobTrotter Tour through Europe, Africa, South America and the US. CruzinCobGlobal is the international version of CruzinCob, which was born in Santa Cruz in 2004.
This workshop will be held at Quinta da Vida Beleza in the Atalhada neighborhood of Lagoa. The Quinta or Farm was born in January 2020 when Claudine, our Host, acquired this 2-acre piece of land nestled in a quiet, agricultural zone just a 7-minute walk to the natural swimming pools and snorkeling waters of the Calhau, and a short bike ride to Lagoa and Ponta Delgada along the coast.
The land is brimming with bananas, guavas, kumquats, and granadilhas, vegetable gardens, a chicken family of 30 and 3 guardian cats: Viva, Joia and Xica. Over the last 2 years there have been 6 cob workshops that have built a sauna, 2 cottages, a 2-story house, an oven & benches and, most recently, a beautiful elegant rocket mass heater family-size couch. The land is now a unique Ecovillage and Education Center for all kinds of Workshops with camping areas, 3 compost toilets, 3 outdoor showers with hot water, 3 outdoor fire-heated bathtubs, an outdoor kitchen & eating area and a huge yoga/dance/meditation deck overlooking the property.
The weather in this zone of Lagoa is warmer & drier than the other parts of the island. This and its proximity to the capital, the airport, the surfing beaches of the South & North Coast, the Hot Springs, and the nicest black sand beaches on the island make Lagoa a very coveted spot.
During the longer workshops, weekends are free for students to visit the island by bus, bike, rental car, hitchhiking or by foot. While São Miguel is large enough to keep you busy with a variety of hiking, hot springs, water sports and cultural adventures, students can also choose to fly or take a boat to the other islands for something different.
This home away from home will welcome you with comfort and conviviality as you live in community for the duration of the workshop, an integral transformative part of your experience.

THE PROJECT
During the 7 days, the Fine & Artistic Earthen Plaster Workshop Session #1 will apply the finish coat to either the sauna (7m2) or the small bungalow (10m2) (depending on number of registered students) as well as experiment with sgraffito and other artistic techniques on the inside & outside walls. Below are the structures that will be plastered.

INSTRUCTOR

Marla Azoulaï
Born and raised in France with Egyptian/Jewish roots and a Nomad at Heart, Marla discovered and fell in love with natural building in 2017 in India and in 2018 with CruzinCobGlobal in the Azores. She has since then been continuously learning and practicing, while developing her specialty in artistic designs with cob and fine plasters. She has attended and assisted CCG workshops and built many houses, ovens & benches in South America, the US and Europe, using a variety of earthen building modalities. Her educational background is in the Fine Arts , and for this reason she finds that plastering is the most creative and satisfying part of natural building, and has recently decided to dive deeper into that practice.
Greatly inspired by the talented Athena Steen and Jonathan Martens in France, she started to experiment with sgraffito and play with textures and colors in order to turn earthen walls into beautiful pieces of art! You can see some of her masterpieces on this page and in the Gallery below.
Additionally, Marla finds that working with clay and especially plastering have a very soothing, meditative effect and hopes to transmit the love and passion that she has for it to others! This will be her first workshop as CCG Instructor and we are grateful to have her on board!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
This workshop will give the students the opportunity to discover the arts of earthen renders by creating beautiful finished plasters made out of locally sourced and natural materials, namely clay, sand, and natural fibers.
Throughout the week the students will have the chance to :
–learn about the different components and proportions of an earthen plaster mix
-experiment with different plaster tests and learn how to analyze them
-prepare lots of different plasters
-learn and practice how to prepare an earthen wall before plastering
-learn and practice how to apply an earthen plaster using different techniques and tools
-learn about the properties of clay and basic principles of granulometry through theoretical classes, in order to understand the structural properties of all the components
-learn and experiment with creative techniques such as sgraffito, to make colorful patterns out of earthen plasters.
Providing plenty of time for hands on practice, this workshop is suitable both for beginners and experienced people. It doesn’t matter whether you have never used a trowel in your life or if you want to deepen your practice and knowledge.

DAILY SCHEDULE
6:30-7:30 Yoga/Movement Practice/Meditation (optional)
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:45-1:00 Morning Session
1:00-2:30 Lunch & Rest
2:30-5:30 Afternoon Session
6:30-7:30 Dinner

WHAT TO BRING
Students will need to come to workshop prepared by bringing the following items:
1 or more trowels (details will be sent to registered students)
work clothes
work gloves
hat/sunglasses/sunscreen
good moisturizer
water bottle
notebook/pen/camera
personal music playlist for working
We also recommend that you you read the book “Earth render: the art of clay plaster, render and paints”, by James Henderson and/or any other relevant natural plaster books.

MEALS & ACCOMODATIONS

Students will receive three delicious vegetarian/vegan meals a day prepared by a local chef, beginning with Dinner on Sunday, April 10 and ending with Lunch on Sunday, April 17th.
There will be room for 7 campers at 7€/day. Tents can be rented for 2€ and 5€/day (see below). People who prefer to rent a private or shared room in a house will need to contact Claudine as soon as possible, so she can secure the house. There is a two-bedroom 2-story house a short walk from the Quinta that has one room with a queen-sized bed and one room with two double beds. These two rooms share a beautiful oceanview balcony on the second floor. There is wifi, a full kitchen, and a patio. Another person can choose to sleep in a walled off section of the living room on a bed as well. Rates depend on how many students will share the house.
There is also a wonderful local hotel called “Arcanjo Hotel” with oceanfront rooms also very close to the Quinta. And there are several Airbnb accommodations.
Students staying off property will share meals on the Land, an important community time for the group.

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

Students need to fly into the PDL airport from Lisbon, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Boston or New York. SATA/Azores Airlines, TAP, RyanAir and Delta fly into PDL. You will need to have a Covid test done wihin 48 (Antigen) or 72 (PCR) hours before flying and fill out a SafeAzores questionnaire online with a QR code.
Once you arrive, there are cabs for 15€ (daytime) or 18€ (nighttime) that will take you to the Quinta. If several students arrive on the same flight or around the same time, I am happy to coordinate you so you can share a cab. And if I happen to be nearby I am happy to come get you. If you are adventurous and with a pack, you can also walk the spectacular 12 km (7.5 miles) to the land through Ponta Delgada along the coast.
Directions will be sent in Welcome Letter.

PAYMENT & REGISTRATION

Tuition & Meals for the 7-Day workshop is 650€. Camping is an additional 7€/day if you bring your own tent. I have 2 smaller 1-2 person tents for 2€/day and 2 family-size 2-room tents that can sleep 4 people for 5€/day. They come with inflatable mattresses and, if needed, a pillow, sheets and a blanket.
Locals can choose to just come for the day and lunch/snacks (10€/day). Please inquire with Claudine.
There are 2 work trade positions which will give the student 10€ off/day for working 75 minutes a day helping with breakfast or site preparations.
To guarantee your spot, either pay in full or make a 50% deposit. Payments will be non-refundable after March 1, 2022. Any cancellations between March 1-13 may be approved to be used as a credit for another workshop within 2 years, depending on the circumstances of the need to cancel (with proof). After March 13 there is no refund or credit possible.
Payments can be made in USD at the current conversion rate with Venmo, Zelle or Paypal to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Payments in Euros can be made using Transferwise or as regular European inter-bank transfers.
Students will be sent a Welcome Letter 2 weeks before the workshop with any additional information, especially concerning the recommended trowels.

LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU HERE!!!!

3-Day Cob + Straw Immersion
2022-10-07 - 2022-10-09 | Mud Dauber School of Natural Building, 8813 Lindley Mill Road, Snow Camp, NC, NC, 27349, United States
Our Immersion is our most popular course, and is designed to provide an understanding of some common natural wall systems: cob, strawbale, and slip-straw. The course emphasizes hands-on learning, and working with multiple wall systems will provide you with insight into which will fit your potential projects best.
To supplement our hands-on work sessions, we’ll tour many of the demonstration buildings on our campus to share a variety of options regarding roofing, foundations, and finishing work. For key topics not covered in hands-on work, we will have discussions/Q+A sessions (see topics below).

HANDS-ON:
* mixing cob by foot, and by machine
* building with cob
* installing a small strawbale wall and preparing it for plaster
* mixing and installing slip-straw within a stud framework
* mixing and applying clay plasters
* installing windows
DISCUSSION:
* “Rubble Trench Foundations”
* “Cob vs. Strawbale: the thermal spectrum + hybrid designs”
* CAMPUS TOUR! – We’ll get to tour all the campus buildings while discussing building methods, plus general Q+A

Expect to leave the workshop with the confidence and knowledge to take on your own natural building project!

DAILY SCHEDULE

8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-12:45 Morning work session
12:45-1:45 Lunch
1:45-5:30 Afternoon work session
5:30-6:30 Unscheduled (shower, relax)
6:30 Dinner! (no dinner on final day)
____
Other schedule items:

Day 1: 9:00 AM Orientation

Day 2: 4:30-5:30 Q+A

Day 2: 6:30 PM Pizza Party Dinner!

Day 3: 4:30 PM Closing Circle

Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop
2022-10-10 09:00 - 2022-10-14 16:30 (America/New_York) | NV
Dates: October 10 – October 14, 2022 (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 a straw-clay house. A perfect project for beginners and experts alike! You will get the knowledge to build cob and straw-clay projects scaling from smaller things, such as cob ovens and benches, up to large projects like homes and buildings.
This workshop is a great experience to learn how to build with cob and straw, and to get a broad learning overview of natural building techniques. You will get a solid foundation in cob and straw building fundamentals. We will be constructing the walls on a new straw-clay building, mixing and applying lime plaster, building with cob, and studying Natural Building together each day. After this workshop, you will have the basic experience and confidence to design and build your own simple cob and straw constructions or buildings.

Hands-On Work Topics:
– How to make cob (learn how to make cob with a the tarp method)
– How to make straw-clay (learn how to easily make straw-clay for wall packing)
– Selecting and testing soils for cob and straw-clay (learn several ways to test your soil composition)
– Building straw-clay walls and cob walls
– Lime Plaster (learn how to mix and apply lime plaster)
– Creating window and door frames (how to install frames into cob and straw-clay walls)
– Rammed Earth Demonstration (building rammed earth forms and compaction process)

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)
– Drainage principles (Important: water can be cob’s worst enemy)
– Basic Electrical and Plumbing integration for cob and straw homes
– Installing windows and doors
– Roofing and Bond Beams
– Natural plasters and finishes (Vapor Permeable / “Breathable” finishes)
– Overview of Natural Building materials

This workshop is a unique experience for people to learn about building cob homes and 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 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 and straw 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!

The workshop will be taught by Alex Sumerall, an east coast Earth Building Mason who has a focus on creating earthen structures that are healthy, aesthetically pleasing, and functional for modern life. He is the owner of This Cob House, LLC, which is dedicated to teaching people about cob and earthen building techniques. Alex has a background in business and advertising, and has been practicing earthen building since 2011. He graduated from the Aprovecho School of Natural Building in 2013 in Cottage Grove, Oregon, and continues to teach, present, consult, and construct.
Free Bonus!
Everyone who signs up for the workshop will receive a printed copy of Alex’s book, “Build a Cob House: A Step-By-Step Guide”, and the downloadable PDF version, FREE! We only make printed copies for workshop students, so this is your chance to get one. We will be using the book as a lesson guide throughout the workshop too so you can follow along with your book in hand.

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

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

“The Cob Building Workshop was a great investment of my time! It was well organized, extremely inspiring, and FUN! Alex was able to explain construction basics to neophytes like me, yet he could also answer the complex questions asked by the more experienced workshop attendees. I can’t wait until the next workshop!”
Marybeth Babos, Tennessee
Lodging
There are two options for lodging: free camping on site, or making reservations at one of the local hotels or AirBnBs. Hotels are available in the neighboring towns of Greeneville, Newport, Parrottsville, and Hot Springs.
Nearby are the Meadow Creek Moundation Lodge in Parrottsville, TN, and the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Caolina.
Campers will have access to a private compost toilet and a private outdoor shower.
The workshop location has running water available, but no electricity yet. Please bring your own solar generator if needed.

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. 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 & Groups
Ask about discounts. We encourage group & family activities because it enhances learning among your support group. Email me at alex@thiscobhouse.com for custom group/family invoice.
Children/young people of any age are welcome to join in and learn. Please be aware that some areas are under construction, as is the purpose of this workshop, but it is generally child-safe.
Prices
Price: $499

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

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

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