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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.
Howdy! We’re currently building a cob oven and we are going to be building our first cob cottage this summer. We live near Silverton, OR not too far away from Salem or Portland. Just looking for people who are interested and want to come help. Also, we would love to come help out on YOUR project!! Let us know if you’d like to come help or if you’d like us to come help…cell reception is spotty but my number is Nine70 765 199one or just email me. Cob on!!!
Sean, we’re a couple of years away, but we plan to live in the Piedmont, garden our own food, live simply. We liked Asheboro when we visited. Is the area (if you know) friendly to solar, of off-grid, etc.
Sorry i meant this for someone in nc.
Does anyone know if cob building has been successful in New Hampshire?
Hi Cynthia,
I have successfully built a rocket mass heater in New Hampshire, I have been using it for 2 years and it works great!! I think that a cob house would not have the proper insulative properties for a New Hampshire winter, but I am planning to build a cordwood house with cob as my mortar. If you like, you could email me at Terry.Sackett@yahoo.com and I can send you a video of my rocket stove in action.
Cheers,
Terry
I am thinking about building a rocket stove mass heater i would like to check out what you did and if youhave any pointers
Terry,
We live in Southern NH and I was wandering if you know of anyone that we could hire to build a Cob Oven? Thanks, Jeff
Hi Jeff, did you end up finding anyone to build you a cob oven? I have built several and am living and working in southern NH. You can check out some of my ovens on my website, http://www.rootedinclay.com. Thanks
Hello All,
With the recession slashing budgets for parks and public spaces, has anyone proposed cob as a means of providing low-cost play-spaces or public facilities in cities?
I live in Baltimore, and would like to get a group together to approach the City government about building with cob (possibly financing it)– for projects even as simple as benches by bus stops or outdoor fireplaces in the parks.
As a business plan, I feel there might be something lucrative here…? Has anyone teamed up with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, or Affordable Housing advocacy groups? If so, please let me know about your experiences (email below).
I usually get the same messages through this forum–those looking to learn cob and *occasionally* those looking to involve folks for free/cheap in their cob projects. Mostly, these people and projects are in the Southern or Western US; sometimes Maine pops up.
Is the North East corridor is less cob-friendly for any reason? Does this have to do with zoning laws, building codes, property values, quality of materials… pace of life?
If there are any North-eastern city-slickers out there interested in teaming up to bring cob to Baltimore/MD/DC, I’d be game:
CAROLINEDEVEREAUX (AT) GMAIL (DOT) COM
Thanks!
Hi all,
I’m looking to gain some experience building a cob house and am happy to provide labor in order to get it! I live in central North Carolina and could go to South Carolina, Virginia, or Tennessee on weekends.
Thanks!
We have broken ground and leveled up our building site. Getting ready to start the rubble trench within the next two weeks. We live in Dawsonville Ga. and could use some help in the building of our dream house. We have a small creek on our land and a small broke that’s comes straight out of the ground. It is fresh cold clean water.
This is my first cob building round. So I could use all the help I can get. I am a wood house builder, electrician, plumber and general jack of all trades.
If anyone could help get me started or stay on durning the build it would greatly appericated.
Thanks Eugene and family
Hello hello! My girlfiend and I have been working with cob over here in Greenville,SC. We’d love to come help for a few hard days. Tell me when is best for you and we will take off work. Call me at 740-817-2719 or email tylerreedjohnson83@gmail.com
Sean, we’re a couple of years away, but we plan to live in the Piedmont, garden our own food, live simply. We liked Asheboro when we visited. Is the area (if you know) friendly to solar, of off-grid, etc.
Reply
Hi Eugene,
My boyfriend and I live in Vinings, Ga and would love to come up and help you out with anything you need. Please let me know what days work best for you. You can contact me through email at eugenialacey@gmail.com or by phone at 229-921-8143. We are looking foward to it.
Thanks,
Eugenia Lacey
HI, my name is Joon. I live in the atlanta area and am interested in coming out to lend a hand. I have experience with cob building and am also a general building contractor/ jack of all trades type. I am thinking of building a cob/ earthship style home near my existing house and would love for my wife to check out the process as well as get a little dirty. my phone number is 404 377 9954 or 404 375 1736 c. We look forward to meeting you.
Hey I didnt see when your post was made, asking for help, but if you still need help, I am interested. You mentioned being a builder, I would like to gain some experience in that arena. Hope to hear back from you. Maybe we can help eachother out.
Eugene.. throw me an email and lets talk about your house… I live in cumming ga and interested in building a cob house… thanks.. ron
Just saw your call for help nearly three years late. Sorry. I am from Clarkesville and work in Gainesville.
How did your project go?
We (my wife and I) would like to build a cob house around Clarkesville.
Could we contact you for pointers from your experience?
John
Been looking for a nice work-trade situation for about a year now. Will work like a dog for you! Would love to be an addition to your crew. I am primarily interested in cob but wouldn’t say no to other natural building methods. I have read up on every apprenticeship out there it seems and i just don’t have the money they’re asking, nor the income to save. Anyways hit me up! Gardengwyn@gmail.com
-katie
Hello!
My name is Brooke Masterson, and my boyfriend (Ian Norton-Bryant) and I are looking to apprentice and work trade. I am 20, he is 21. We are currently staying in Oakland, California. We have been searching for long term work with building earthships, to learn them to the full extent, ie; heating/cooling design, grey water systems, etc; and building cob structures. We do have a bit of experience building earthen stoves and ovens. We are also hoping to build structures somewhere that utilizes permaculture practices. Although, an organic farm that is not building would still be great. We would love to learn the ways of organic farming. We are very dedicated and hard workers!
We are both musicians and artists, who love all forms of creativity and are looking to broaden our spectrum through working directly with the land to create our own sustenance.
We have a chevy suburban truck, which runs on diesel as well as vegetable oil, so we can provide our own transportation in that regard. We have been looking for a good permaculture farm through WWOOF, but its seems most of them don’t accept dogs. If we are to travel for work trade we would need to bring our dogs as there is nowhere we could leave them for an extended period of time, not to mention both parties would be heart broken.
If any one knows of any good farms that will teach us in trade for our labor or would be willing to host themselves please let me know! You can message me back on here or email me at bmasterson111@yahoo.com
Thank you!!
Brooke
Hi, I am looking for experience with cob building, preferably a start to finish project or at least extensive experience. I would prefer a place where I could camp on site and trade labor for knowledge and experience. I live in Illinois but have no problem traveling. I do have some experience in conventional construction.
We’re building a cob/strawbale/slip straw family house (for 4) in northern CA on the Lost Coast. We’re hosting a workshop the last week in June, but the first week in July we’d welcome anyone who wants to come help continue the earth work. We’ll be doing slip straw or cob or plastering or some combination depending on what we get done by then. You can check out the project and progress at http://www.muddyhands.typepad.com
We’re also open to people in late July and August.
Cheers,
Kristen
kristenregina “at” gmail.com
Hi Vanessa, a group of cobbers have been building a little cob cabin in New Mexico (in the canyon above the little town of Magdalena) – we have one more stage to go to complete it. Not sure when exactly we’re going to get to it, but if you watch this space we will let everyone know here. And of course you’d be more than welcome to join us. Cari
Hello, My husband and I are going to be be building a cob house on a great peace of land in Snowflake, Arizona. We have gotten books and have been studying but feel we should really get a hands on experience. Does anyone know where we could go in Arizona, that would be willing to do work trade, for some tips and techniques to cob building. Thanks in advance!
Hello, My husband and I are going to be be building a cob house on a great peace of land in Snowflake, Arizona. We have gotten books and have been studying but feel we should really get a hands on experience. Does anyone know where we could go in Arizona, that would be willing to do work trade, for some tips and techniques to cob building. Thanks in advance!
Vanessa-
Hi Annie, depending on the distance, I might be interested in helping you build a cob pizza oven if you get the materials together. I have built a couple and it’s a great fun weekend project.
Cari
Hi Cari,
That would be amazing! I’m in the Woodstock/Reed area. It won’t be a problem to get the materials together and a few friends to help out too. I’m thinking of building it sometime in July. Afterward we’ll cook up some pizzas and you can load up some veggies to take home with you!
Hello Friends!
I live in SE Portland OR…
I built a cob house with a few friends back in 2003. The friend that we were building for is still living in her little cob house and now has added a tiny cob yoga studio in the woods behind her house. I haven’t done too much building since then but really want to. I always dream about it and am thinking of building an oven somewhere into my garden space this summer. I garden about 4500 square feet packed with food so there will be lots of tasty pizza toppings! I’d be happy to help out on any natural building projects happening in and around the Portland area. It would be great to meet some fellow cobbers, get some more experience under my belt and to get my hands and feet back into the mud!
Cheers!
Hey there! We’re on a farm near Silverton. We are very new to cobbing and currently building an oven. You should come help!! My number is 970765199one or you can email seanjordan221 at gmail.
Love to hear from you 🙂
Hi Earth Lovers! 🙂
We are new to the Portland area. We bought a fixer-upper in the SE and our yard is fairly good-sized for creating a mini community for our teen and some friends to live in. She was raised a free spirit and we always told her she shouldn’t have to live inside the box…doing what she doesn’t want to do just so she can survive. We really believe that as a community we can all live in small groups within walking distance of other groups, each sharing and bartering for each groups’ needs without the necessity of money and outside rules/controls to keep us “civilized,” etc.
Anyway, our yard is a pretty good size (better than no yard, anyway) and somewhat private. So, we’ve offered it to our daughter and have encouraged her to build a small community, learning to live outside the box and doing without the need for money as much as possible while living here in this wonderful city of Portland.
She LOVES working with the earth and has been doing things with mud/clay since she was very young. So, she naturally is drawn to working with cob and will build structures, an oven, garden walls, etc., with cob.
If you’re interested in possibly helping us build with cob, offering advice of how to best utilize our space if you’re an experienced cobber and/or landscaper, let me know. We’re new to using cob, creating a small community, landscaping, and also trying to live without the flow of cash as much as possible…so it’s going to be a learning experience all around for us. I’m convinced that nothing is impossible if we can dream it up. 🙂
Love,
Wendi
XOXOXO
I’d like to learn how to build cob buildings.
I live in West Tennessee (Zip Code 38040). I’d be willing to drive in a 50 mile radius.
I should add that I don’t know the first thing about cob building, but I’m interested in learning. Basically I’m looking for someone who needs an extra hand in building a cob structure.
Sorry, I forgot to mention we live in Northeast Texas.
Stacey
My husband and I are planning to build our 1st home this summer, we’re building it out of cob. We are looking for some people that want to do a workshare with us, or just join the fun, or someone that wants to give us advice and support durring our journey. I have some ideas that I would love to talk to someone with experience about them, to see if they are even worth the extra effort, i can’t find anything on the web about them. you can contact me at sassytafoya@gmail.com.
thank you,
Stacey
Hi Stacey –
I’m brand new to natural building, but looking to learn and get some hands on experience. What dates are you looking to do this? If you can give me some details, I might be interested in helping out! 🙂
hi Trever,
We broke ground yesterday! I’m not sure how long its going to take but we will be working all summer, possibly much longer. I’ve been working on an outdoor shower while my uncle does the dozer work. email me at the above address and we can arange a time and place to meet.
thank you so much for your offer,
Stacey
We are a joyful, simple, hard working family (two adults, one one year old)
looking to go deeper into sustainability by working/apprenticing on a large project with others in exchange for rent.
We are currently in northern california, completing a caretaking position where we have been cooking, caring for the land, gardens & more.
We are open to relocating.
I teach expressive arts & embodied transformative language arts programs to children and adults
but also, we are working hard to transition more fully to a sustainble paradigm. We are so so close…we want to learn to build
and be in community with others.
We are fun, healthy healthy and creative, responsible, good people.
Please write if you have or know of interesting work/trade opportunities!
Thank you for reading!
Best,
Stasha
Hi Stasha,
I am on the east coast, New Hampshire, email me if you are interested in corresponding. Terry.Sackett@yahoo.com
dear stasha
i’m also in northern california at emerald earth above boonville
i’m interested in talking with you
doug
707-972-3096 (call and leave message)
I just finished reading The Hand Sculpted House, and am in love with cob! I live in Portland, Oregon. Anyone in the Portland Metro area that wants help on their project in exchange for giving me a little hands on experience, shoot me an email!
Check out the Village Building Convergence event that provides free training in Portland from the end of May to beginning of June.
Good stuff
Hello,
Please tell me more info about this opportunity in Portland, my email is gleaminyoureye@gmail.com
The VBC is put on by a group called City Repair out of Portland. The website is: http://vbc.cityrepair.org/
It’s an event that goes on for 2-3 weeks, with projects to volunteer for all over the city, speakers, dinners, group sessions/meetings, etc.
Hi Casey,
We are new to the Portland area. We bought a fixer-upper home in the SE and are slowly working on it. Our yard is a bit larger than normal, so we’ve told our teen that we will help her create a community space for her and her friends to live. We’re going to be building some cob structures (one “home” that is within code/permitting in PDX), as well as an outdoor cob oven for cooking, some garden walls, some benches, etc. Right now it’s an open slate and we’re making plans. A tent was ordered so she can live out there with her friends this summer, as they build the cob structures.
You can contact me if you’d like to talk about possibly coming by to help once the cob work begins (or even before if you just want to meet and see the space we’ll be developing). My email is GypsyArdor at yahoo dot com.
We have no training with cob, so we’ll all be learning as we go. 🙂
Love,
Wendi
My boyfriend and I are getting ready to purchase land in north Georgia and are considering a cob house. I would like to visit one if possible. We live around Atlanta and are willing to take a drive to view a home. I have found that there are a few around the Athens area. If anyone would be available, please let me know. Thanks
just email me at eugenialacey@gmail.com
Hello, I live in riverside county southern California. I’ve been researching about alternative construction for several years. Haybale homes is what got me started down this path, which I think is pretty neat, but the eathbag method really got my wheels spinning. I know they have the workshop up in hesperia ca. but it’s a little pricey for me. So what I’m hoping to find is an eathbag project going on that I can offer my help on in exchange for knowledge and know how. I’m a licensed B contractor so im pretty familiar with conventional construction (which ive always thought was a wasteful and short sighted way of doing things) and I’d like to build my own dirt bag place someday. Please let me know. Thank you.
Jake
Realpieceofwork@gmail.com
Hey Jake, I live in Riverside. I have been to Hesperia many times and even got many of their videos. I have always wanted to build one myself. If your still around let me know if you want to talk more about this and also rocket stoves.
Hi my name is Azad, and I live in the Temecula area. I am verry interested in building a cob home on my property! And I could use all the local help and resources there are! Maybe even make some new friends in the process. Please feel free to contact
swiffsmusic@gmail.com
I can’t even seem to find out 100% if you’re allowed to in Riverside County.
I live in riverside as well and very interested in all alternative methods…I would like to correspond with you.
I am planning on building a cob home part straw bales in the Spokane area this year. I call the County to ask about the permits tomorrow. What I have found on the websites and through the RCW’s Is that really it is all about paying the cost and having the inspections throughout the process. Foundation, frame, electricity, plumbing and roof are all regulated by wacs for the different agencies.keep you posted
any word back on restrictions ?,, can you build these in spokane county, city of spokane?
Hi Tina,
Please get in touch with me via my website if you need help with this project. I live in Oregon and build in a wide variety of natural styles.
Cheers!
My hubbie and I will be traveling through western Montana, central and northern Idaho, and eastern Washington and Oregon this May-August for a number of wwoofing and permaculture experiences and would like to add cob ans sustainable construction to our list of experiences. We would like to trade labor for learning. We are both fit, healthy, energetic and hard working. We have a camper van that we will be traveling in so would not need housing. Please email me directly if you have a situation we can plug into for a couple of weeks.
Blessings,
Mary
I am starting a house this year in New Hampshire. Anyone with design experience would be a big help right now. I am working on getting power to the site and a driveway installed and I hope to break ground as soon as the ground is breakable. If the opportunity to host a workshop arises, I would be open to that, however, I am looking to do something less formal, plenty of room to camp and endless amounts of firewood. Self-motivated individuals to help from clearing land, digging foundations, hauling rocks, peeling trees, chopping wood, improving the ecology of the site, growing food, hauling rocks, mixing mortar, mixing cob, digging dirt, hauling rocks, lugging logs, plastering and building a house. I have quite a few tools, but would welcome tools to be brought onsite for a “house growing”. My thought is a cobwood home, cordwood masonry with cob as the mortar infill. Come stay all summer or longer if the heating situation permits. I have successfully built a rocket mass heater out of cob on the property that I have been using for two years. email me directly if interested. Terry.Sackett@yahoo.com
Its party time in Dawsonville, Ga.!!!!! We will start breaking ground on march 5 for our two story cob house. We could use all the help possible in making our dream come true. I have plenty of room and food for anyone who wants to come down and help us out. Also on the land were we are building there is a creek and a spring head. If you rather stay on site in tent or camper. Thanks in advance Eugene
Hi Eugene,
How is the project coming? My boyfriend and I are very interested in the cob homes and would love to come visit and even help you work on your project. Were not to far from Dawsonville. Let us know if you would be willing for us to come look around and help in anyway we can. Look forward to it. Thanks Eugenia –
you have an awesome name 🙂
feel free to email me at eugenialacey@gmail.com
Hello Eugene,
Need any help now or anytime soon? My girlfriend and I are on a mission to learn as much about cob as we can. We live in Greenville, SC and could come down down to help you out easily. We would love to help you out and learn a few things about building with cob. Call me any time 740-817-2719
or email tylerreedjohnson83@gmail.com
thank you
Eugene,
My wife and I are in Brevard, NC near Asheville. I’m not too far out of college as a sculpture major and I’ve built a few cob ovens. If you still need some help we would love to come camp out for a couple days and slap some mud around with you. Give me a shout at home 828-862-6477 or cell 828-230-5085
Josh and Mallory
Hi Eugene,
Did you finish building your cob house? We live near Dawsonville and are thinking about building our own once we get some land? We’d love to see and hear about what you did?
Cob and Alli
Hello All,
I am in love with the qualities of cob. I am seeking an opportunity to work and live on-site with a cob project.
I just want to pour some good into this world of ours, and I believe that learning and working alongside others who share my passions is one way to do this. I have a desire to make the world take shape through my hands and I guess that is why we’re all here. I have a lot of passion; I also live with chronic illness that takes special management on my part. This will need to be discussed with anyone who’s interested in letting me join the work. If anyone is interested in my talents, I am available and looking forward to our collaboration. Cheers–Kim
Hello,
My husband and I wish to build a cob house in Pennsylvania, but we still have to get some land before we can start. I would love to have some help when we do get started, meanwhile I can get to know you…
Ona
Hi,
My husband and I are looking for cob work trade not too far from home. We live in Kingston Ontario.
Michelle
I’m truly excited about playing in the mud! If you have plans to build something on the West Coast (Canada or the US) I would truly love to spend part of my summer working on your project in exchange for some experience, and your knowledge!
I’ll be at Cal-Earth this February,2012 for a week long working scholarship and a four day workshop. Looking forward to opportunities as a work-exchanger with you when I return from California. I live on the Washington coast and am looking forward to building my retirement home and helping other do the same. Looking to introducing these concepts to our community too. Peace, Mike
Hey! If anybody needs any work-exchangers I’ll be willing to lend a hand! I live in California and would be willing to travel anywhere in the country : )
Wondering if there are any workshops anywhere in New England, Ontario, or Quebec? Dates and locations. Thanks
Greetings natural builders…We are in the very beginning steps of planning our earthbag/cob built home in Whatcom County Washington…I have recently gotten on several natural building blogs for ideas for direction as we have little knowledge in this area…My newest idea was using our property as designation for a workshop given by an experienced builder..We would offer homemade food/cider, shelter, education & community! In exchange our base home would be built and everyone is happy in the end…
There is a local school Bellingham Folk School that teaches all sorts of alternative/natural topics and would like to bring this idea through them. Any thoughts on getting a venture like this in the next 2 years? Namaste…Shannon
Hey Shannon, that sounds like a beautiful idea! I’m sorry I can’t give you suggestions on getting this up and running, but I’ll be more than happy to volunteer 🙂
My email is psychedelics.love.art.qe@gmail.com
Hi Shannon,
I am an experienced builder who teaches many workshops around the world and every summer I am in the NW. Please get in touch with me via my website http://www.EarthenHand.com to begin the conversation about how to do this.
Thank you!
Greetings fellow aspiring cob home builder! We too are in Whatcom County dreaming of building an earthbag/cob home. Any luck on finding support. Lets get together and see how we can help each other live the dream.
email: nicolestylesevergreen@gmail.com
If anyone knows of any seminars, or cob building taking place in Ontario Canada, I would love to be informed. 🙂
Hey Spiros,
We’re building a hybrid natural building – cob, straw bale, slip straw, and some cordwood interior walls – in Northern CA on the Lost Coast. (you can check out our blog about it at http://www.muddyhands.typepad.com). This year will be our 2nd full season with the earth work. We’ll be hosting another natural building workshop with Michael G. Smith in late June too (not yet posted, details to come). We hosted ~30 worktraders last year from March-November and are looking forward to doing it again this year. We welcome anyone who wants to come and help us build our house. We’re working on the house now through the end of the year though the earth work will start in May through September. We’ll be doing a layer of the earthen floor early in the season, start more wall building in June, and keep going with that and plastering as long as we can. We also have 2 young kids, a small kitchen garden, small apple orchard, kitty, and are getting ducks this spring. If you are interested, contact me and we can talk more: kristenregina@gmail.com.
Best, Kristen
Hello !I’m from Greece and i finish my studies in UK since June. I would love to trade labor for more education and experience. Previous experience includes building with cob construction, straw bale construction, straw bale plastering, earthbag, earthen plasters, lime plasters and earthen floors. I have done a year in architecture course and 3 years in spatial & landscape architecture :I’m intrested in any workshop or project anywhere.If you know something it would be great. Thanks for your time! Spiros
Hello everyone
I live in Central Florida, and I wonder if you guys know of any workshops here that I can attend to please . Love the website ! keep out the good work! 🙂
Kind Regards, Judith 🙂
Thanks Guys and Gals for all the comments and help. Please keep them coming. I would like to visit a cob house. If there is a house close around to Georgia please let me know. I would love to take the family to visit. If there is anyone who wants to help build and design a cob house. Please let me know. Is there a way to put a mass heater is the middle of the house with three open sides? It is possible to use this design and place heater tubes in the wall (from the mass heater) to help heat house. Thanks Eugene my email is huishpupie@yahoo.com if you would like to email me directly.
Hey Eugene and Family,
If it helps at all, you can see what we’re doing in Northern CA – http://www.muddyhands.typepad.com – we’ve been blogging about building our house and also have taken some short videos with Michael G. Smith demonstrating testing cob batches, mixing cob, etc.
Best of luck!
Kristen & Jim
Hello I am looking to build a cob house in Georgia. I need help with everything from start to finish. I have the knowledge of the electrical, plumbing and construction of a wooden house. I have never been to a cob workshop. Nor do I think I will be able to attend one due to the distant or travel. Could or would someone be willing to help me to get started? Or could someone point me in the direction of where I could find some help. I am open to any ideals. I have read a couple of books from cob cottages and what i could find on the internet. Thanks Eugene & Family
Hey Eugene,
I have experimented with a few ideas from the books and have never attended a workshop either, for the same reasons. I have built a wonderful rocket mass heater and I built a landing into my hut and I also sealed around a door with cob, and it works!!! As far as the cob itself goes, here is my experience and recommendation. I was looking everywhere to buy clay and was not having much luck finding it cheap, eventually while excavating my site and hand digging a water well, I realized that my soil was rich in clay. I dug below the topsoil and a little bit of subsoil, to about two or three feet and below that the soil is already the perfect ratio of sand and clay, all I had to do was screen it through a 1/4″ mesh, add water and straw and build. My recommendation to start with is to use what you already have on your property. Dig below the topsoil and a little ways further so there is no organic material or silt and your subsoil may be perfect or you may have to add clay or sand to it. Some of my soil was so heavy with clay that I had to buy a load of sand to obtain the right mix, and the books do a good job of describing the consistency, but when you actually do it, it is very intuitive, you will just know. When you add the water and mix, it will tenaciously cling to your hoe (I mix mine in a wheel barrow with a hoe). Then you add the straw and when you are worn out from hoeing, it is ready, you take a ball of the stuff and you throw it at the side of the wheel barrow and it sticks there, and once dry it is like rock. Besides using what you have and amending if needed, my only other recommendation is to just do it, do it today, even a small batch, once you try it, you will be addicted and you will actually build something….if the house is too daunting, build something smaller, a small rocket stove or a garden bench or something, but if you take action and just do it you will realize that you don’t need a course it is very natural from the consistency of the mix to the cadence of the work, it flows very naturally. Best of luck and happy building.
Message for Kristen in Petrolia
Hi Kristen this comming tuesday the 2nd Nov I’m going to be passing through Petrolia on my way to Fortuna. I’m really hoping to be able to stop in and meet you and see what you’ve been building. Please call me if you get this message 707 246 0346.
thanks Cari
Hello!
I would love to trade labor for more education and experience.
Previous experience includes building with earthbag, earthen plasters, lime plasters, earthen floors, straw bale construction, straw bale plastering, and cob construction.
I’m an architecture student with a free winter break: any workshop or help needed between December 9th, 2011 and January 2nd, 2012, anywhere, I am interested.
I’m small but mighty, and very enthusiastic!
Thanks for your time!
Aliza
If you want to gain some overall project experience and think you can offer a hand to our earthbag house project in Sequim, WA between now and Nov 3rd, please get in touch. Straight across trade 5-8hrs working each day for warm accommodation and meals. Interview required. A few worktraders have come through already and had great experiences.
I am a natural finishes contractor from NH looking to stay busy this winter. I have experience with clay and lime plasters over strawbales, wallboard, and cob. I regularly work with American Clay plasters, Shikkui Japanese lime plasters, zero voc paints, and gypsum too. Let me know how I can help you with your natural building project.
Errol Towers 603-745-9442
hello everyone:
maureen and i are looking for a work trade in the natural building/sustainable community area – we’ve built and baked in an earth oven and have worked on a biodynamic farm in the sierra nevada
we can travel anywhere in the usa
thanks
I’m living in Portland, OR and I’m looking to learn how to build with cob via work exchange. Please send any information my way. Thank You!
There is a large work party coming out this Saturday, September 24th, to work on the two cob buildings in progress. This would be a great opportunity for folks to get a taste of Natural Building with Cob! Please feel free to pass this invitation on to anyone who might be interested. We will be starting around 9:30, lunch will be provided, and here’s a taste of what we’ll be doing.
~ Trimming both buildings plumb with “cob” saws.
~ Cutting a drip lip for both buildings, inside and out.
~ Putting the final touches on some rough cut niches.
~ Setting some foundation rocks to create split level floor.
~ Building benches from salvaged and pallet wood.
~ Building a VERY SIMPLE composting toilet.
Directions to 2398 Disputanta Rd.:
With Boone Tavern on your left in Berea, KY, as you approach the stop sign on Main St., go straight to take Main St./Scaffold Cane Rd. just under 5 miles to 1787. (very windy road) Veer left, down the hill, onto 1787 for 2.3 miles. (another windy road). 2398 is on the mail- box on the right.
Diane Jennings
Disputanta Cob
http://www.DisputantaCob.com/
(606) 256-8954 home
(859) 221-6138 cell
Natural Building in France
Hello/Bonjour,
If you are building a natural home in France (particularly earthbag and cob), my partner and I are interested in helping you build in exchange for knowledge!
Anne and Damien
am willing to travel to intern on natural building site. Have had a few workshops but loooking for long term constructing expierence.
how far are you willing to travel????
we are looking for natural builders….
Hola Tim
Chances are that we will start a earthbag-cob project in a couple of weeks (hopefully). We are in Chiapas, southern Mexico. Check our web site to see what we are about.
Cato
Hi All,
My name’s Beck and I’ve recently completed a 2-month natural building work exchange, during which I participated in an intensive cob workshop. I am currently looking for opportunities to gain more experience with natural building. I have experience with cob, straw bale, light straw clay, some carpentry, gardening, and permaculture design. If you have building projects, preferably in the US, please get in touch with me!
Be well,
Beck
Hello Beck,
I too am interested in building a cob house, but I need info about laws and rules and zoning. Can anyone help me with this? Also I would love help once we get going.
Ona
Namaste
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. This is a new permaculture project, just started; we have a well and a lot of raw untouched land. Our current projects are building an adobe house, grey water systems, ponds, sleeping quarters, organic gardens, food forest, chicken house, temazcal… All buildings are to be built using natural materials where possible, adobe, thatch, bamboo, cob, wood, and stone. We are located next to seasonal river and enjoy a warm climate all year around. We are looking to open our hearts and home to motivated individuals who want to help us in return and create a new way of sustainable living close to nature. We are open-minded people and we like to have fun and enjoy life… Right now we offer accomodations in tents or tipis when are available, outdoor kitchen, compost bathrooms and showers with hot water 24 hours. Our meals will be prepared and eaten together, mostly vegetarian. We are a couple from California and Argentina, recently moved here looking for a more relaxed and self-sufficient life. We are both artists, and spent many years exploring the world before deciding on settling down and buying land in Argentina. We receive friends and people from around the world and we enjoy celebrating and dancing under the full moon when possible. We are open all year around, please come and visit, we ask that you plan to stay with us for at least four weeks. We like to get to know those who are helping us. We are open to meet people that want to stay with us long term and be part of the project… creating a beautiful environment. 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 eleven cats. two dogs 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 warm 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 or supporting our project, please send us an email, and we can give you more info, pics, local sights or info on what your donation would make possible… In addition to work exchange and volunteering, we offer normal accommodation for those interested in staying and not working; in a tent 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
Nate and Andrea
participate@shamballapermaculture.com