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Work Exchange & Work Parties
Work Exchange: Offer labor for education and experience.
Work Party: Ask for help on your building project in exchange for sharing your knowledge.
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Work Exchange & Work Parties
Work Exchange: Offer labor for education and experience.
Work Party: Ask for help on your building project in exchange for sharing your knowledge.
From Sept 25th to October 5th – a group of us graduates from Cob Cottage will be building a small cob and strawbale cabin in a gorgeous canyon bordered on 3 sides by the Cibola National Forest in the hills above the small town of Magdalena in New Mexico. If anyone is interested in joining us – you’ll learn all you need to on site so a willingness to learn and work hard and a fun attitude is all you need – we’d love to have you join our merry band.
Well im setting up to build in upstate New York soon. And you would be more than welcome to join, and work out a landshare. But I dont know if it would be soon enough for you. email me at sandersallen@yahoo.com
Hi Camilla
Is the August project so you don’t have to move? Are you against building/living in the states?
Hello Allen,
Thanks for replying.The August project is a means of staying on in Normandy, where I live in a very old cob house, and trying to start building a smaller house on our land,so that I can eventually sell the main house(which has a mortgage on it). I can’t afford to stay here, so am looking for ways to live simply and support myself and my son through cobwork and connecting with like minded people. I would love to gain as much experience as possible- have worked on a few solo projects and am building experience in earthen plasters.My dream is to eventually set up my own business incorporating cob and elements of biodanza/heart centred therapy…Not against living anywhere really, though I have to take my son into account obviously.. He’s been in Steiner KG, homeschooled, and French schooled so far, sorather chequered! Any suggestions? All gratefully received!!! Many thanks , Camilla
Hi again,
Further to my request posted, I can also offer, if anyone is interested, camping and basic food in exchange for cob building throughout August in my orchard in Normandy, France. Do get in touch if interested!
Many thanks,
Camilla
Hi there, I’m a cob builder (currently living in France, but we have to find a new home as my husband has gone and we are struggling financially).. looking for more experience on projects, anywhere really..! I have a 10 year old son, who maybe needs to go to a nearby school , but we are looking for something with accomodation in exchange for work, and also the possibility to perhaps earn a little money for expenses either with you, or locally. I speak French, English, portuguese and german, if of any help! We are open to possibilities and opportunities… Thank you so much for helping us.. With Love, Camilla
Hello, I’m interested in learning about cob and natural home production, preferably through work-exchange: I have a lot of time and dedication, but not much money! If you know of any opportunities, please keep me in mind. I’m an artist and film producer, with lots of project coordination experience. I will be in Hawaii for 3-6 months, and then open to travel!
Carolinedevereaux [at] gmail [dot] com
hello my name Tashazahara and i have a bit of land contracted and would like to offer a bali expierence to all.Im doing cob everyday on the land and have little bamboo huts to stay in.Simple and charming like oldschool bali style.i sometimes have the school children come for free cob lessons as well.so anyone who is interested to discover bali and dance in the cob with me i would love to have you,all the best,tasha
Hi Tashazahara, this sounds like beautiful project.. I too am a cob builder, but currently without a home. I am looking to work and create a little life for my 10 year old son too.Any chance I could come and work with you, in exchange for accomodation?Might my son be able to go the school? He is english, and has been in french school for a year. Would I be able to find a little paid work too, do you think?
Sorry so many questions! I love working and dancing in the cob, and would love to visit Bali. Many thanks, Camilla
hello Tashazahara!Is this opportunity still open? Where can I find details about this project? How much is the rent for the bamboo huts? Kindly point me in the right direction for more details- if this is still available. Many thanks.
nantongo
nantongos@yahoo.co.uk
Hi
Looking to start building in Maine……Anybody in new england want to jump in the mud?
Hello from Missouri!
We are getting to the cobbing stage of a small milking barn- our first cob experience outside of random workshops. We may want help this summer from respectful, willing tent-campers of every experience level. I am posting here to get in touch with others who could feasibly travel to SW Missouri this July or August and would be willing to help for a week while tent camping on our property.
We will have room for tents, firewood, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. We are a small organic farm(ette) with children. There will be some basic ground rules, Wwoofer style. Please get in contact with myself or with Karl via email if you think this adventure may be for you.
Again, this is our first time cobbing on a large scale. The post-and- beam, roof, loft, and foundation of the building are complete and cobbing, plus door frames and windows, is the name of the game. I hope we can meet some new people and have a ‘barn raising’ this summer!
Tabitha
OOPS! I guess my email was not made public with that message. Please reach Tabitha or Karl at omelay@gmail.com.
Hi! I’m looking to learn about cob this summer, preferably through work exchange. Does anyone need help in late May-early June, or mid-late August? I am very flexible with locations! Thanks
beckeroo2 (at) gmail (dot) com
HI
Anybody looking for help in any natural building projects in New England? Can stay as long as needed.
Hello form Argentina,
Looking for a change? Want to explore a new country and culture? We have a lot of work to do and are looking for interested individuals for a work exchange. Our projects include developing two five acre sites, one raw virgin land next to the river and the other already contains two houses with existing fruit trees, peach, fig, walnuts, pomegranate, and more. We are taking a permaculture approach to everything. The projects include; compost toilets, shower house, organic gardens, cob structures, taking care of horses, maintenance, art projects, housework… ect. We open to any ideas and knowledge anyone has. Our idea was a 4-5 hour workday in exchange for a place to stay and food. We see this as an opportunity to learn together with other people interested in learning the skills to live closer to the land, in the words of the times a more “sustainable” lifestyle. We are located in the town of San Marcos Sierra, in the province of Cordoba, Argentina and are joined by three cats and two horses. It is one of three G.M.O. free zones in the country. Almost all of our food comes from local sources, including our produce, cheese, fresh milk, yogurt, eggs, bread, honey, even the organic wheat and the small mill to grind it are close by… our soda water comes in old glass bottles delivered by a man riding a horse and cart. The weather is warn or hot most of the year, rainy season in the summer and there is one small river in the middle of town, and a large one 4 km away. The town is small, established in the early 1700,s it is a mix of gauchos, hippies, foreigners and indigenous descendants, quiet and relaxed all year except the summer and 3day weekends when people from the city take their vacations in paradise. Anyone interested in joining please send us an email, and we can give you more info, pics, local sights… In addition to the work exchange we offer normal accommodation for those interested in staying and not working; hostel style, private cottage, or tipi. This is a great little town and a great place to unwind from a busy life. We hope to see you all soon. Please pass this on to anyone who should have it. Love and Peace.
If you are interested please contact us @ shamballadesigns@gmail.com
Andrea & Nate
Anyone want to learn how to make a cob pizza oven and benches in return for your labor? I’m going to be building those in Napa, CA during May and all that’s required is an attitude of fun and a willingness to do the ‘cob dance’!!!! PS. I’ll feed you too!
There is a possibility I may have time to come and help in may… I have an awesome medium sized farm dog who would need to come along with me, she’s great with kids, cats, chickens, whatever…. Let me know what you think.
-Ryan
Hi Ryan, love the sound of your farm dog – I grew up with one of those. And really love the sound of your place in Chico with your teepee. If I was out in the country (I wish) I’d say bring him/her with by all means. Only this whole project is going to happen on the patio of our rather small townhouse and I’m hoping to have quite a few people join us so it’s all going to be rather cramped. Sorry about that Cari
Hi- I just bought 9 acres in southern Ohio, have studied cordwood, cob and strawbale and would like assistance in building a very small cob cottage (16 ft diameter).
In exchange, can offer assistance in organic garden planning, harp, fiddle or art lessons.
Am professional musician and artist, and have gardened organically for 20 years.
Contact me at jazztina@hotmail.com
want to get my hands in some cob! can offer solar pv design/install help in exchange. preferably in or around Boulder area, but can travel. thanks!
Hi Jason,
You would have to travel to get to us, but we are looking for volunteers this summer. If you are interested, send me an email at melissa@hiddenmoonfarm.com
Thanks!
Hi I am 26 and live in massachusetts. I am extremely interested in all forms of natural building especially cob and strawbale. I dont have any natural building experience but have gained knowledge of most basic trades. Very mechanically inclined and a fast dedicated learner. A free work trade on the east coast would be ideal but not completely necessary. I hope to gain as much hands on experience as possible due my dream of opening a school of natural building and self development with a animal rescue infused. I have done ALL the reading and gained the philosiphy now its time for the experience! Please be rest assured that even though I might not be the ideal canidate I am more the compatent and confident to accomplish and task presented. I can stay on as long as needed! My big downfall horrible spelling and grammer!!
Hi Everyone,
My name is Carol and I am interested in finding work exchange in cob building in the Utah area,SE Idaho area. I know of a company in Moab but would like to find something more north.I am not a spring chicken as they say but I have plenty of energy and a passion for natural building. Please contact me with any kind of educational offers. I have the month of June off so I’m free as a bird to do whatever I want. I have lived on a small farm and have experience with some farm related building and farmhouse projects but no cob experience. I did apprentice as a potter years ago and love to get my hands dirty.
Thanks,
Carol
I live in SC near Greenville and would love to learn more about cob building in a hands on way. If anyone knows about workshops, work parties, or cob houses being built in the area I would love to hear about it! I am in school for building and construction to get my builder’s license and this is what I would like to do with it.
Thanks, Kelly
Hi Kelly,
You should send me your email so we can talk directly.
melissa @ hiddenmoonfarm.com
Hi! We’re looking for someone to come & teach us how to build houses with cob. We’ve taken a big step as a family, deciding to get off the grid by creating an Eco-Village and training facility here in Lusaka Zambia, where we can stay organic, live closer as a family, and join the greater community, helping them to attain self sustainability and at the same time have fun. Please get in touch if you’re interested!
Motivated aspiring natural builder looking to gain experience in cob, light straw clay, roundpole timberframe, bale cob, plasters, masonry or rocket stoves, earthen floors, etc. Have taken workshops covering these topics and want to put the new skills to work. Work trade would be fantastic.
Located in Portland but can potentially travel. Right now scheduling for all 2010! solbuilder @ gmail.com
Oops! my e-mail is reddingryan @ hotmail.com
thanks!
Hey there folks… I live near Chico, CA on a very young, small, farm emphasizing in permaculture forest gardening. I currently live in a tee-pee, have a barn and small workshop space. The land resembled a landfill when I arrived five years ago and has transformed amazingly. I now have around 100 young fruit and nut trees of all different varieties. Surrounded by huge, majestic valley and live oaks… the land is situated very close to the Sacramento River and on top of an old creek bed… lots of round river rocks to build with! I live quite minimally only using electricity for a small freezer. I really need someone who knows about cob, masonry, earthbags, or wood milling to help teach me how to create some pertinent infrastructure. I’d like to start small – a rocket stove for cooking, baking, heating water and staying warm would be a great start. I have no desire or ability to pay anyone $ for knowledge or help but I am definitely willing to work trade or work something out. I have a few ideas about the stove plans and a few ideas about a small structure… nothing set in stone. Anyway… if you can help in any way let me know. I am willing to travel and am quite flexible. Cheers!
I live in Shropshire and would like to know if anybody in the area requires a hand with cob construction. I’m an architect student and have an interest in this sustainable way of building and would like to get stuck in and learn how to do it myself.
Thanks, Hannah
07946467779
Hi, I live in Central Florida and have been interested in assisting on a cob project to begin learning about it and to get some basic experience. Now that I have a family I’m interested in finding out whether we would be able to build a cob home on the lot attached to my mother’s property. I don’t have experience but I am eager to learn and to get my hands dirty!
Hi Christy,
My husband and I are building a cob cottage in VA and are looking for people to come and help us during the summer. It would be a good learning experience for you and you do not have to commit a lot of time, though the more time you commit the more you will learn. You can email me at melissa @ hiddenmoonfarm.com if you want to learn more.
Did you find any central Florida workshops? I need to learn too.
I am interested in helping with a cob or earthbag home building project, I have some building trade skills also interested in sharing in land purchase to bring cost and get on with building my own cottage. I am in central NY but will consider all options, want to be off grid
Have some cobbing experience and am planning to build my own. Would love to contribute my free labor to your cob building around San Francisco / N. California. I’ve also facilitated many personal growth workshops and would be happy to throw in spritually uplifting and growth-promoting group work using the building process as a metaphor to help people explore their lives.
Hi all,
I’m desperately looking for a natural building work-exchange opportunity in BC (ideally Van. Island area) any time from January 2010 onward.
If you know of any, please get in touch!
Thank you.
awp87 (at) hotmail.co.uk
I love and support the idea of cob houses and am willing to work with anyone in the area free of charge with their cob projects.
I live in Portland, Oregon and am not willing to travel far unless its somewhere on the Oregon Coast.
Thank you
Looking to exchange work (or pay tuition) to get hands on experience with Cob building.
North America please, no funds for long distance travel.
Hello all. This winter in Wimberley Texas I am going to be having multiple little weekend workshops on building basic garden additions with cob. The projects include a bench, a oven or two, a kiva fireplace built into a wall with a rocket stove bench, and many more. We are even going to construct a little cob cold box for a winter time “off-grid” fridge. All meals will be included as will camping. I will have more info for everyone later. Let me know if your interested. Email me at EarthenAdditions @ yahoo.com
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
– Thoreau
Looking for work exchange in the Pacific Northwest (anywhere from BC to Bay Area, CA). I am very interested in natural building and would like to get some experience. I will be travelling through the region starting in January 2010 and would be happy to help on any project.
Hi
I’m looking for cob work exchange during the week ends in Ireland. I’m based in Dublin but the island aint big and I like to travel š
cheers
Roby
Looking for expert to host natural plastering workparty ~ Seattle area.
We have an already-built 2-story strawbale barn/workshop/upstairs living quarters that we’d be looking to plaster and do natural paints – the interior only. Exterior already plastered with concrete (ick).
We live on a 20 acre land trust with a small intentional community, Walker Creek Community.
We’d love to host a plastering workshop in 2010; Mt Vernon is an easy 1 hour drive north of Seattle – good for B.C. folks too… We’d be thrilled to host, work on our project, learn natural plastering, connect to our larger community…
Look forward to hearing from you!
Sarah,
Lucy and I are 2 architects that have been living on Lopez Island for the past 4 months working on a strawbale, net-zero energy, affordable housing neighborhood that has been developed by the Lopez Community Land Trust (lopezclt.org). During our time there we have worked along side very experienced craftspeople and accumulated extensive experience with natural construction techniques: earth and lime plasters, cob and straw bale construction. We plan on installing an earthen floor in the near future and are continuously seeking out similar projects (both design and construction). We would like to be in touch with you regarding what you had in mind for your project and to see what’s going on in Mt. Vernon.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Nitsan + Lucy
Sarah,
My husband and I have 5 acres in Gold Bar and are just getting started with our Cob learning and ideas but we would be interested in helping if you need hands.
Cobity workparty, Free bring food;
http://cobworkshops.org/cobity-workparty/
We are in western Connecticut and are interested in any local experts in cob building. We will be building a cob house on land we plan to purchase in the next few months. We want to be completely self-sustainable and off the grid. Is there anyone out there that can help us? We are willing to pay reasonable fees for true experts and for additional hands once we get moving forward. The final location will likely not be in Connecticut, so you may need to travel.
I’ve been fascinated with cob/bale and other alternative building materials for several years now, but am dismayed in that there don’t seem to be any workshops in my area. Would love to hear from anyone in the southern central Pennsylvania area who has a work party or workshop information to share. Interested in home, ovens, garden walls, fences, or any other project you may have. Please email me at lizzietish726 @ gmail.com . Thanks!
Free workshop with Carole Crews: Plastering and Alis. July 27, 29, 31, 2009
Lama Foundation, San Cristobal, NM
http://carolecrews.com/contact/
Would love to participate in a work exchange with cob building! I’m currently interning on a medicinal herb farm in southern Oregon, the program ends late August and I’ll be looking for an opportunity at that time. Please email me at sylvielevy @ gmail.com. Hawaii is my main place of interest, but if there’s a great opportunity, I’ll be willing to go anywhere!
I am from Edmonton Alberta and would like to gain some experience with cob. I have no building experience with cob or otherwise. If someone is willing to teach me or just needs some assistance with a project, please contact me.
Only recently have i caught onto cob construction. I have no previous experience, but am eager to help out on any cob builds in the greater Sacramento, CA area.
-Thanks š
Looking to learn cob or straw bale. Maybe build a workshop (mini house) as a trail run in my back yard.
I live in Mocksville, North Carolina and could use help getting building codes approved and anyone who might want to work and learn together.
I live in Spartanburg, SC and am very interested in some hands on experience. I just discovered cob building and I am thinking about learning it as a trade. Please email me and let me know if I can help with some labor.
Recently a friend’s house burned to the ground. She is a widow with one son who just returned from Iraq a few days after the fire, and a 14 year old son. She is disabled with all sorts of joint and muscle problems. I have always been interested in alternative building techniques, having lived in two adobe houses years ago in New Mexico. This lady owns about 5 acres here in rural Arkansas and needs a new house. I have talked with her some about cob and she is interested. We could probably round up a pretty good labor pool but I’m a little nervous about taking on this project without someone who’s done it already. Is there anyone out there anywhere near North Central Arkansas who would tackle this?
i can help just liet me know where it is bryan36b @ msn.com and if anyone want to go i have a ride we can meet some where and carpool
bryan
I live in Tucson and am interested in learning how to make an oven. work parties? workshops? Thanks
For lack of a better website, that is what I must provide http://myspace.com/mejinak. I want to learn to make cob houses and would love to help you with your project if I can reach it! I’m currently without a vehicle but have access to Orangevale, Folsom, Citrus Heights, and many surrounding areas including Sacramento. I’d love to help! Please contact me. š
Hello,
My name is Dana and I am traveling with my friend Carole. We met at a Cob Workshop in Julian, CA and have been friends ever since. We are currently in Sedona…….and planning our next move.
We would like to help you with your project.
We are traveling in an RV. Plan to make
our way around the country working on
Cob.
Please give us a call @ 951-897-9448
or by email @ danamarker @ hotmail.com
Hope to hear from you soon.
Tired of paying tuition fees to build someone else’s home? If you’re moderately fit, want to learn how to build with cob, cob-wood, and bale-cob, and don’t want to spend money doing it, let us know. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers. We eat organic food (no GMOs)-much of it produced in our large garden. We live in a scenic location 45 minutes north of Williams Lake, BC, Canada along the Fraser River.
Drop us a line for more information about our project or the area: mikedavidbird @ gmail.com
We would like help with workparties scheduled for the week-ends in May. We have built a cob home and are getting ready to lay the earthen floor as well as building a passive solar greenhouse. Anyone interested in helping would be graciously hosted. We are in Northern Arizona. Best Wishes!
Maybe I managed to miss it when I went searching through the different workshops listed but any planned in Montana? South-central would be perfect! I’d like to eventually construct a cob house on my land but need to gain experience and see if it is really what I want to do…would like the opportunity to volunteer at a nearby site or participate at a local workshop. Thanks. Cat
Hi,
I’ve been messing with cob some and I’m south of Butte. Where are you located?
Has anyone contacted you with cob workshops? I would like to participate in one myself.
Tom Elpel in Silver Star, Mt has workshops on building with stone and
maybe other stuff, but not cob.
LeRoy
I would like to add a room onto my home made of cob. Don’t Know how to start.
Here’s where I would start to get help here: Where is your house located? When do you want to do the addition? How many square feet are you planning to add? Do you have experience yourself or do you need someone to help you plan? Do you have materials stockpiled already?
Any free workshops or work parties out there?
Volunteering at Abrazo House, in Spain
Seeking work exchanger for natural building, gardening, and vineyard work
im looking for work exchange if there is any out there let me know ….. bryan36b @ msn.com