2008 Workshops
May 8-11: Intro to Natural Building
In this weekend workshop you will have the opportunity to get your hands (and feet) dirty mixing and building with cob, stacking straw bales, and making and applying earthen plasters. Lectures and discussions will also cover: light-straw-clay building, design basics, foundations, roofs, and more. We will have the opportunity to tour a hybrid pole frame-straw bale-cob home, a straw bale-cob sauna, and a cob oven. Participants will walk away from this weekend with the techniques and principles needed to begin building with natural materials.
Working with natural materials for four days allows learning to take hold in your body. During this workshop you will learn how to test soil for building, mix cob, build cob walls, and learn the basics of earthen plastering, light-straw-clay, and straw bale building.
$320 (Workshop begins on the 8th at 9 a.m., feel free to check-in any time after 5 p.m. on the 7th. Workshops ends at 4 p.m. on the 11th) sign up>
June 28-July 5: Comprehensive Cottage Construction
In this workshop you will learn how to build a hybrid cob-strawbale structure. These eight days include all of the Basics of Cob Building workshop material plus the following . . . In addition to cob basics and practice, construct a straw bale wall, discuss passive solar energy design principles, and tour a number of finished naturally built homes. Participants will also receive detailed instruction on small cottage construction from laying the foundation to application of a living roof. This extended workshop allows for a deeper sense of community, and the opportunity to sink into the beautiful Williams Valley (an afternoon off is scheduled mid week).
$640 (Workshop begins on the 28th at 9 a.m., feel free to check-in any time after 5 p.m. on the 27th. Workshops ends at 4 p.m. on the 5th) sign up>
Sept 5th-Sept 7th: Earthen Plasters, Paints & Floors Workshop
In this weekend workshop you will have the opportunity to work with base and finish interior and exterior plasters, mix and apply natural paints, and pour an earthen floor. We will also discuss other natural finishes such as lime plasters, explore the use of earth in incorporating art into your building project, and view a wide range of beautiful natural finishes from around the world. We will also tour a finished natural home that includes earthen paints and plasters, as well as an earthen floor. Participants will receive detailed instructions and recipes for duplicating the weekend’s mixes at home.
$280 (Workshop begins at 9AM the morning of Friday September 5th. Out of town participants are welcome to arrive Thursday evening between 5pm and 10pm. The workshop ends at 4pm on Sunday, September 7th.) sign up>
For a listing of more cob (and cob related) workshops by other organizations, please visit www.cobworkshops.org
Discounts & Payment Info
- To reserve a space in a workshop please go to the sign up page.
- Children are welcome at all workshops, however childcare is not provided.
- Children ages 4-9 years old pay 25% of workshop cost.
- Children ages 10-16 years old pay 50% of workshop cost.
Stay Informed!
Sign-up to receive a yearly email newsletter with information of future workshops including: Teens COB Together, Parent-Child Team Cob Camp, Paper Crete Construction, Retrofitting with Cob and Strawbale, and Building With Small Diameter Poles. Let us know which ones you are interested in to help us design and schedule them. Our links page can also connect you to other organizations that teach natural building workshops.