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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250919
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250922
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20250712T171557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250712T171557Z
UID:9864-1758240000-1758499199@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Clay Plasters\, Paints\, and Sculpting
DESCRIPTION:Clay Plasters\, Paints and Sculpting\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNumber of Students: 10 \nCost: $400 (includes all meals and camping) \n​Overview of the Three-Day Weekend  \nThis is a hands-on class designed to get you comfortable with basic clay plasters so you can take on projects in your conventional home\, a natural building\, or for art projects. You’ll learn how to source\, mix\, make\, and properly apply base and finish coat plasters from local/native sources as well as purchased materials including fine clays and pigments. We’ll also make and use clay paints and lime/clay plasters and use special mixes to make sculptural and decorative elements on the recently completed sauna. \nAbout the Site \nRosewater Ranch sits on 130 acres of high desert steppe and coniferous forest 30 minutes north of Reno\, NV. It features permacultured grounds\, organic gardens\, dairy goats\, a mushroom business\, a small community of residents\, Prema Farm\, a new earthen sauna we built in July\, and a cob cabin from our 2021 workshop. The property borders expansive national forest with miles of trails and offers stunning vistas and sunsets. \nLodging and Food \nCampsites\, van and RV sites are available at the site and are included with the workshop. Guests are welcome to arrive during the afternoon of Thursday\, September 18th. Class ends the afternoon of Sunday\, September 21st. Hot showers are on-site. \nDelicious home-cooked meals\, coffee and tea are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options. \nThe Daily Schedule \nWe are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop like this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect long days with lots of building and learning. On some evenings we will show slides and films featuring our previous projects and that of other people and cultures. Believe it or not\, we also still like to make time for a campfire and some music. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable\, memorable and fun experience. \nWe start Friday Morning\, September 19th with breakfast at 7:30\, and end with lunch on Sunday\, September 21st. \n7:30 breakfast \n8:30 plaster session 1 \n1:00 lunch \n2:30-6:00 plaster session two\, lectures\, discussion \n7:00 Dinner \n8:00 lectures/slideshows/campfire/free time \nInstructors \nLead 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. \nKaty Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and worked with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener\, certified permaculture designer with over 12 years of hands-on implementation\, urban garlic farmer\, and math teacher.  She loves to dance\, laugh\, and pore over seed catalogs while cozied up to the wood stove on long winter nights. Kyle and Katy also have two teenage sons. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $150 payment to reserve your spot. Once a payment is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to pay with Venmo or send a check for $150 made out to “Cobitat” and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. \nPayment is refundable until 2 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than two weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a full refund. If it can’t be filled\, we’ll issue a partial refund or put your payment towards a future workshop.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/clay-plasters-paints-and-sculpting/
LOCATION:Rosewater Ranch\, 30 minutes north of Reno\, Nevada\, Reno\, CA\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20240619_193301189-1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250629T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250704T170000
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20241114T205841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241119T201636Z
UID:9554-1751184000-1751648400@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:4D Quick Cabin Build
DESCRIPTION:We’ll build a 120 square foot bath house/sauna over six action-packed days. The foundation will be completed ahead of time but we’ll build the walls\, put in a door and windows\, and build an insulated roof on top. \nThe structure will be post and beam using wood harvested from the property. The walls will be stacked straw bales that we’ll cover with a thick base coat of plaster. We’ll use cob for sculpting and relief work and slipstraw to fill the wood framing above and below the windows. \nWhat you will learn \n\n\nDesign considerations for a cabin/house \n\n\nStrawbale wall systems \n\n\nHow to mix\, choose\, and use the right materials for each step of the building process \n\n\nMaking and building with cob\, adobe\, cordwood-cob\, bale-cob\, slipstraw (aka Light Straw Clay) \n\n\nHow to make and use basic plasters \n\n\nNiches\, carving\, and sculpting \n\n\nHow to build\, insulate\, and finish a roof system \n\n\nHow to make an earthen ceiling \n\n\nHow to make and use clay paints \n\n\nWe’ll hold several talks and slideshows that might include an Intro to natural building\, all about codes and permitting\, cabins from start to finish…etc. We’ll also take time to tour the other natural buildings on site which feature rubble trench foundation systems and earthen floors. \nDuring every workshop we make time for specific issues related to individual situations. This usually includes a 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. \nConrad’s book\, “House of Earth” and my cob oven book\, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” are both included with the class. \nThere has been a lot of interest in 3D printed houses using concrete with claims to be super-fast to build as well as green. It’s great if people want to spend time pursuing faster ways to build small houses out of concrete using giant machines but these buildings are certainly not complete in a day nor is concrete a natural or green building material. Our 4D build will show that it’s possible to build a small house quickly\, and better\, using almost entirely natural materials. \nThe 4th “D” or dimension in our approach\, is time. We’re honoring the vernacular methods and communal nature of building from the past while at the same time projecting these techniques and knowledge forward to create a brighter and more sustainable future. The basic techniques we teach are timeless and use clay-rich soils\, straw\, sand\, stone\, and wood. They also require a group of people – lots of hands and minds and hearts learning\, laughing\, and creating a beautiful\, comfortable\, and green structure together. These factors are\, we believe\, even more important than putting up something super fast. \nThis structure will have a straw-bale walls but it will be covered\, protected\, and enhanced with earth. Earth is the mother of all building materials and for millennia people have used it 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. When we combine earth with straw (which used to be considered little more than an agricultural waste product) we can speed up construction\, increase insulation\, and provide the fiber for cob\, floors\, plasters and other infill techniques.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/4d-quick-cabin-build/
LOCATION:Rosewater Ranch\, 30 minutes north of Reno\, Nevada\, Reno\, CA\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20230831_133847322-1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250607T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250607T200000
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20241114T202813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241114T202813Z
UID:9551-1749285000-1749326400@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:One Day Intro to Natural Building
DESCRIPTION:If you’re curious about natural building\, this is the class for you. \nWe’ll start early with a tour of our permaculture homestead nestled in the heart of Reno. We have several cabins\, a couple ovens\, earthen and straw bale garden walls\, and appropriate technologies-a-plenty to show off. \nWe’ll spend the rest of morning getting familiar with clay soil\, sand\, and straw and how we process and mix them to make cob and adobe as we build a section of wall. We’ll demonstrate the use of earth bags and how we incorporate straw bales and cordwood into a wall. \nIn the afternoon we’ll focus on different types of plasters from base coats through finish coats using finer materials and pigments. We’ll also take time to do some sculpting and carving and make and use clay paint. \nAt the end of the day\, we’ll fire up our cob oven\, turn on some music\, and make and cook our own pizzas.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/one-day-intro-to-natural-building-2/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20240627_183509229-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240615T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240615T200000
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20231023T050155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231023T050155Z
UID:9053-1718440200-1718481600@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:One Day Intro to Natural Building
DESCRIPTION:Overview of the Day  \nWe’ll start early with a tour of our permaculture homestead nestled in the heart of Reno. We have several cabins\, a couple ovens\, garden walls\, and appropriate technologies a plenty to show off. \nWe’ll spend the rest of morning getting familiar with clay soil\, sand\, and straw and how we process and mix them to make cob and adobe as we build a section of wall. We’ll demonstrate the use of earth bags and how we incorporate straw bales and cordwood into a wall. \nIn the afternoon we’ll focus on different types of plasters from base coats through finish coats using finer materials and pigments. We’ll also take time to do some sculpting and carving. \nAt the end of the day we’ll fire up our cob oven\, turn on some music\, and make and cook our own pizzas. \nAbout the Site \nThe Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit\, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes\, tours\, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013. \nReno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with cooler nights. It can get hot\, and rain is unlikely. \nAlong with earthen cabins\, landscape walls\, ovens\, and different plaster types on site\, we’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town about which we’ll share during the day. \n\n\nSolar cooking and wall heaters \n\n\nSmall scale solar PV \n\n\nWood stove and solar thermosiphon water heating \n\n\nComposting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles \n\n\nAlternative septic system – the Watson Wick \n\n\nBasic principles and practices of Permaculture \n\n\nOrganic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses\, root cellaring and solar dehydrating \n\n\nScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream \n\n\nLiving with little electricity or fossil fuels \n\n\nWood-fired hot tub \n\n\nLodging \nThere is no lodging available for this one day event. \nThe Schedule \n8:30 Introductions and tour \n9:30 Investigating Materials \n10:00 Making cob and adobe \n10:30 Building with cob and adobe \n11:30 Earth bags\, straw bales\, and cordwood cob \n1:00 Lunch \n2:00 Plasters – base coats through finish \n4:00 Sculpting\, carving\, and niches \n6:00 Pizza Dinner (included) \nInstructors \nKyle 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. \nKaty Chandler is the co-founder of the Be the Change Project and has lived in and worked with natural building materials for many years. She is a prolific gardener\, certified permaculture designer\, 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. \nPayment & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $100 payment to reserve your spot. Once a payment is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $100 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. \nPayment is refundable until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a full refund. If it can’t be filled\, we’ll refund $50.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/one-day-intro-to-natural-building/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20230606_162251626-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240607
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20231017T221515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231017T221515Z
UID:9043-1717200000-1717718399@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Artistry with Clay & Lime taught by Athena Steen
DESCRIPTION:Number of Students: up to 15 \nCost: $900 \nThe Project \nDuring this six day workshop we will cover the essentials of natural and earthen plasters and dive deeper into the more specific finishes for your home. Each participant will have their own practice panel to learn these methods with ease and repetition. \nThis workshop will cover a large range of natural wall finishes including: \n\n\nSimple clay & lime basecoats \n\n\nSmoothed and polished clay finishes \n\n\nClay paint \n\n\nLime finishes & fresco \n\n\nStabilized exterior plasters \n\n\nThis course is suitable for both beginners and experts. You will learn everything from the basics\, such as finding soil\, how to compose a mix\, and applying that mix. You will leave with a confidence and understanding of how to coat walls in your own home with beautiful\, creative earth finishes. \nDuring 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. \nKyle’s book\, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” and Conrad’s\, “House of Earth” are both included with the workshop and will be mailed before we begin. \nAbout Athena \nAthena Steen grew up building with clay and adobe. She loves creating sculpted spaces that connect form with function\, and walls rich with pattern\, texture and color. Through the Canelo Project\, a small non-profit organization\, Athena and Bill\, her husband\, have been teaching workshops for over thirty years\, in strawbale construction and earthen building. Focused on simple\, low-skill\, low-cost methods that build community between people\, culture and nature. Co-authors of “The Straw Bale House\,” “Small Strawbale\,” and “Built by Hand\,” Their influence in the natural building world has been widespread. When Athena does not have her hands in the mud\, she also enjoys publishing and designing books. \nOso\, her son and co-teacher for this workshop\, has been immersed in natural building\, including working with clay. He has built several clay-plastered strawbale\, adobe\, and timber frame structures from start to finish. He is an excellent hands-on teacher. \nAbout the Site \nRosewater Ranch is a 130-acre property and community 30 minutes northwest of Reno with gardens\, orchards\, goats and chickens\, a mushroom growing business\, developed permaculture aspects\, an earthen cabin and pizza oven. It is set on a verdant north slope against public lands offering a gateway to mountains\, forest and trails. \nThe area is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot and rain is unlikely. \nLodging \nOptions include tent sites and parking for camper vans\, trucks\, or trailers. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $400 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $400 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted. \nDeposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled\, your deposit will not be refunded. \nFull payment is requested by two weeks before the start of the class. \nThe Daily Schedule \nWe 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. \nNOTE: This workshop starts with lunch at 12:00 on Saturday\, June 1st and ends after lunch on Thursday\, June 6th. \n7:30am-Breakfast \n8:30am-Talk/discussion \n9am – Hands-on \n10:30 or 11am- Snack break \n1pm – Lunch \n2pm – Hands-on \n4:30pm – Clean -up \n5pm -Class ends \n7pm – Dinner \n8pm -Optional slideshow \nDelicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options. \nPickup and Dropoff \nAirport pickup and drop off is available from the Reno Airport on Friday or Saturday morning before the start of the workshop and the Thursday at the end of the workshop. \nSupport Staff \nKyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive\, Be the Change Project\, and now Cobitat. 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. \nKaty 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 have two teenage sons.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/artistry-with-clay-lime-taught-by-athena-steen/
LOCATION:Rosewater Ranch\, 30 minutes north of Reno\, Nevada\, Reno\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/170551-_JC29992.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230722
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230724
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20221016T045045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221016T045045Z
UID:8742-1689984000-1690156799@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Cob Oven Build
DESCRIPTION:Build it with Earth: The Cob Pizza Oven\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nComplete Oven Build & Pizza Party\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBe the Change Project Urban Homestead\nReno\, NV July 22 & 23 (Saturday and Sunday) \n\n\n\n\n\n\nNumber of Students: up to 10 \nCost: $320 \nThe Building Project \nA two-day complete oven build from the foundation all the way to the finish plaster. We’ll build a new oven at our neighbor’s place and re-plaster our existing oven at the Be the Change Project. \nAfter this weekend\, participants will have the knowledge and skills to build an earthen oven on their own. Oven builds are great for learning so many of the basic natural building techniques that are transferable to other projects: cob\, light straw clay\, fix-all plaster\, brown coat\, and finish plasters and sculpting. \nWhile at our homestead\, participants will get to experience the other examples of natural building and appropriate technologies on site including earthen cabins\, garden walls\, solar wall heaters\, a root cellar with a green roof\, a solar PV system\, and more. \nEach participant will receive Kyle’s book\, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” in the mail prior to the course. \nThe course concludes with a pizza party on Sunday night. \nAbout the Site \nThe Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit\, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes\, tours\, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013. \nReno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot\, and rain is unlikely. \nWe’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop: \n\n\nSolar cooking and wall heaters \n\n\nSmall scale solar PV \n\n\nWood stove  and solar thermosiphon water heating \n\n\nComposting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles \n\n\nAlternative septic system – the Watson Wick \n\n\nBasic principles and practices of Permaculture \n\n\nOrganic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses\,  root cellaring and solar dehydrating \n\n\nScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream \n\n\nLiving with little electricity and fossil fuels \n\n\nWood-fired hot tub \n\n\nLodging \nWe have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins\, rooms\, tent sites\, and parking for camper vans. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $100 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $100 made out to “Cobitat” and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted. \nDeposit is refundable (minus $20 for books and mailing cost if it’s already been shipped to you) until six weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled\, your deposit will not be refunded. \nFull payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class. \nThe Daily Schedule \nWe 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 two full days with lots of building and learning. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable\, memorable and fun experience. \n7:30 breakfast \n8:30 building session one \n1:00 lunch \n3:00-6:00 building session two: other techniques\, lectures\, and oven building \n7:00 Dinner \nDelicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options. \nInstructors \nLead 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. \nKaty 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.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/cob-oven-build/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/KyleWoodFireOven_Bednarski_06.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230715T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230716T210000
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20230131T202049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230131T202049Z
UID:8845-1689408000-1689541200@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Versaterra Weekend Intro to Earthen Building
DESCRIPTION:Be the Change Project\nReno\, NV \nJuly 15-16\, 2023 (Saturday & Sunday) \n\n\n\n\n\n\nNumber of Students: up to 12 \nCost: $320 ($280 for locals) \nClass Description \nOur two-day introductory workshop will get you started on natural building. We give you a taste of all the steps involved with making a cabin or garden wall. Your learning will be enhanced by all of the natural and alternative features at our urban homestead including four earthy cabins\, a cob oven\, cob walls and appropriate technologies in use from greenhouses to solar wall heaters solar showers. If you’re curious about natural and earthen building and want to test the waters before taking a longer course\, this is the opportunity for you. \nWe’ll start early on Saturday with the basics of a rubble trench and earth bag stem wall and move on to cobbing and adobe brick making. From there we’ll do some infill techniques like cordwood cob\, light straw clay (slip straw)\, and bale cob. We’ll demonstrate how to put in windows and doors and take time for basic plastering\, carving\, and art. \nOn Sunday night we’ll have a pizza party that will showcase our cob oven. \nEach participant will receive Conrad’s book\, “House of Earth” in the mail prior to the course. \nAbout the Site \nThe Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit\, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes\, tours\, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013. \nReno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot\, and rain is unlikely. \nAlong with earthen cabins\, landscape walls\, ovens\, and plasters on site\, we’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop: \n\n\nSolar cooking and wall heaters \n\n\nSmall scale solar PV \n\n\nWood stove  and solar thermosiphon water heating \n\n\nComposting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles \n\n\nAlternative septic system – the Watson Wick \n\n\nBasic principles and practices of Permaculture \n\n\nOrganic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses\,  root cellaring and solar dehydrating \n\n\nScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream \n\n\nLiving with little electricity and fossil fuels \n\n\nWood-fired hot tub \n\n\nLodging \nWe have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins\, rooms\, and tent sites\, and parking for camper vans. \nParticipants are welcome to arrive on Friday evening to get settled for the next morning. \nFood \nParticipants are responsible for their own meals except for the the pizza party on Sunday evening for which we’ll provide all of the food. Please bring your own mess kits. \nWe will make coffee to share in the mornings. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $100 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $100 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted. \nDeposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled\, your deposit will not be refunded. \nFull payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class. \nThe Daily Schedule \nWe are aware that students make a big investment in a workshop like this. We honor your time and do the best we can to share our knowledge and experience. Expect two full days with lots of building and learning. We always strive to make the workshop itself a comfortable\, memorable and fun experience. \n7:30 breakfast \n8:30 site tour on day 1\, building session one \n1:00 lunch \n2:30-6:00 building session two: other techniques\, lecture\, appropriate technologies… \n7:00 Dinner \nInstructors \nLead 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. \nKaty 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.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/versaterra-weekend-intro-to-earthen-building/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/IMG_20220917_104254548_HDR.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230605
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230611
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20221014T135936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230504T173506Z
UID:8727-1685923200-1686441599@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:Artistry with Clay and Lime
DESCRIPTION:The Project \nDuring this six day workshop we will cover the essentials of natural and earthen plasters and dive deeper into the more specific finishes for your home. Each participant will have their own practice panel to learn these methods with ease and repetition. \nThis workshop will cover a large range of natural wall finishes including: \n\n\nSimple clay & lime basecoats \n\n\nSmoothed and polished clay finishes \n\n\nClay paint \n\n\nLime finishes & fresco \n\n\nStabilized exterior plasters \n\n\nThis course is suitable for both beginners and experts. You will learn everything from the basics\, such as finding soil\, how to compose a mix\, and applying that mix\, and then the more advanced practices\, such as water-resistant lime tadelakt. You will leave with a confidence and understanding of how to coat walls in your own home with beautiful\, creative earth finishes. \nDuring 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. \nKyle’s book\, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” and Conrad’s\, “House of Earth” are both included with the workshop and will be mailed before we begin. \nAbout Athena \nAthena Steen grew up building with clay and adobe. She loves creating sculpted spaces that connect form with function\, and walls rich with pattern\, texture and color. Through the Canelo Project\, a small non-profit organization\, Athena and Bill\, her husband\, have been teaching workshops for over thirty years\, in strawbale construction and earthen building. Focused on simple\, low-skill\, low-cost methods that build community between people\, culture and nature. Co-authors of “The Straw Bale House\,” “Small Strawbale\,” and “Built by Hand\,” Their influence in the natural building world has been widespread. When Athena does not have her hands in the mud\, she also enjoys publishing and designing books. \nOso\, her son and co-teacher for this workshop\, has been immersed in natural building\, including working with clay. He has built several clay-plastered strawbale\, adobe\, and timber frame structures from start to finish. He is an excellent hands-on teacher. \nAbout the Site \nThe Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit\, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes\, tours\, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013. \nReno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot\, and rain is unlikely. \nAlong with earthen cabins\, landscape walls\, ovens\, and plasters on site\, we’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop: \n\n\nSolar cooking and wall heaters \n\n\nSmall scale solar PV \n\n\nWood stove  and solar thermosiphon water heating \n\n\nComposting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles \n\n\nAlternative septic system – the Watson Wick \n\n\nBasic principles and practices of Permaculture \n\n\nOrganic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses\,  root cellaring and solar dehydrating \n\n\nScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream \n\n\nLiving with little electricity and fossil fuels \n\n\nWood-fired hot tub \n\n\nLodging \nWe have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins\, rooms\, tent sites\, and parking for camper vans. Couples get priority for the cabins. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $400 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $400 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted. \nDeposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled\, your deposit will not be refunded. \nFull payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister by Making a $400 Deposit\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Daily Schedule \nWe 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. \n7:30am-Breakfast \n8:30am-Talk/discussion \n9am – Hands-on \n10:30 or 11am- Snack break \n1pm – Lunch \n2pm – Hands-on \n4:30pm – Clean -up \n5pm -Class ends \n7pm – Dinner \n8pm -Optional slideshow7:30 breakfast \nDelicious home-cooked meals are provided and will be vegetarian with occasional meat options. \nPickup and Dropoff \nAirport pickup and drop off is available from the Reno Airport on only the Sunday or Monday morning before the start of the workshop and the Saturday at the end of the workshop. \nSupport Staff \nKyle Isacksen has been building with earth since 2010 and teaching natural building since 2011 with House Alive\, Be the Change Project\, and now Cobitat. 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. \nKaty 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.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/artistry-with-clay-and-lime/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/2d68cc92f78e763225624d54c76ec1d5-cob-building-building-ideas.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20230524T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20230603T170000
DTSTAMP:20260923T023548
CREATED:20221014T140855Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230216T142500Z
UID:8732-1684915200-1685811600@cobworkshops.org
SUMMARY:VersaTerra 10-day Complete Cob & Natural Building Intensive
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, 5/24/2023 – Saturday\, 6/3/2023 (10 days) \nNumber of Students: up to 12 \nCost: $1550 \nThe Building Project \nDuring this ten day workshop we will build a beautiful garden wall and an earthen bread/pizza oven. 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. \n(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.) \nOverview \nThis 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. \nEarth 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. \nWe 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. \nThe 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.  \nWhat you will learn \nAfter this workshop\, you will feel confident that you can \n\n\nDesign and build yourself a cob cottage \n\n\nRemodel or renovate an existing home\, using natural materials \n\n\nBuild and use an earthen oven \n\n\nUse cob to create garden walls and hot tubs \n\n\nTeach a one-day natural building event yourself! \n\n\nSpecifically\, you will get hands-on experience and skill development in the following areas: \n\n\nFoundation systems\, rubble trench\, stem walls\, earthbag construction (as a stem wall) \n\n\nIdentifying the right materials\, screening\, processing\, testing\, costs\, amount calculations \n\n\nMixing cob efficiently \n\n\nMaking adobe bricks and using straw bales (“balecob”) and cordwood cob \n\n\nBuilding with cob: strong sculptural walls\, arches\, windows and doors\, niches\, and sculptural artwork \n\n\nElectricity and plumbing\, how to install wires and pipes in the walls \n\n\nRoof attachment and roof design \n\n\nLight-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 \n\n\nNatural plasters\, tools\, making your own plasters and paints\, colors\, applications\, how to apply it on earthen walls\, drywall\, wood\, concrete \n\n\nTamped floors\, finish earthen floors in natural buildings\, earthen floors in existing homes on plywood\, oriented strand board\, and concrete \n\n\nEarthen ovens: from start to finish and how to use them (pizza party!) \n\n\nDifferent design strategies\, natural design essentials\, passive solar\, using cob to make models \n\n\nBuilding codes\, how they work\, how to work with and around them \n\n\nDuring 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. \nKyle’s book\, “Build it with Earth: the Cob Pizza Oven” and Conrad’s\, “House of Earth” are both included with the workshop and will be mailed before we being. They will serve as guidebooks for the workshop. \nAbout the Site \nThe Be the Change Project is a Reno-based nonprofit\, centered on our half-acre urban homestead where we have offered classes\, tours\, and workshops since 2011. That year we were able to buy what was a run down and neglected house on a half-acre through fundraising and crowdfunding. Since then we have enjoyed living an alternative and off-the-grid lifestyle while transforming the property into a verdant oasis. It has become a center for neighborhood uplift as well as a model for simpler living in the urban/suburban context. We were a Mother Earth News Magazine Homestead of the Year in 2013. \nReno is in the high desert on the western edge of the Great Basin. The weather in May and June is usually warm\, clear\, and sunny during the days with much cooler nights. It can get hot\, and rain is unlikely. \nAlong with earthen cabins\, landscape walls\, ovens\, and plasters on site\, we’ve developed and use many systems for living more sustainably in town which you’ll get to know and use during the workshop: \n\n\nSolar cooking and wall heaters \n\n\nSmall scale solar PV \n\n\nWood stove  and solar thermosiphon water heating \n\n\nComposting – vermicomposting and conventional aerobic piles \n\n\nAlternative septic system – the Watson Wick \n\n\nBasic principles and practices of Permaculture \n\n\nOrganic small plot intensive gardening including season extenders like hoop houses\,  root cellaring and solar dehydrating \n\n\nScAvenging! – upcycling and salvaging materials from the urban waste stream \n\n\nLiving with little electricity and fossil fuels \n\n\nWood-fired hot tub \n\n\nLodging \nWe have a variety of lodging options including cob cabins\, rooms\, and tent sites\, and parking for camper vans. \nRegistration\, Payment\, & Refunds  \nThis workshop requires a $500 deposit to hold your space. When a deposit is made\, Kyle will reach out to you\, welcome you to the course\, and get you in the email loop with all the details. \nGo here to make a Venmo deposit or send a check for $500 made out to Cobitat and mailed to 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV 89512. Full payments are also gladly accepted. \nDeposit is refundable (minus $50 for books and mailing cost if they’ve already been shipped to you) until 6 weeks before the start of the class. If you cancel with less than six weeks before the start of the class and your spot can be filled\, we will issue a refund minus book costs. If it can’t be filled\, your deposit will not be refunded. \nFull payment is requested by two weeks before the start of each class. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister by Making a $500 Deposit\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPickup and Dropoff \nAirport pickup and dropoff is available from the Reno Airport\, Amtrak and Greyhound stations. Contact Kyle to arrange a lift. \nInstructors \nLead 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. \nKathleen 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. \nKaty 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.
URL:https://cobworkshops.org/event/versaterra-10-day-complete-cob-natural-building-intensive-4/
LOCATION:Be the Change Project\, 2055 McCloud Avenue\, Reno\, NV\, 89512\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://cobworkshops.org/wp-content/uploads/image1-1.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Cobitat":MAILTO:cobitat@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR