Watch a Time Lapse of the 2012 Natural Cottage Project Workshop!

Participants in our 2012 workshop built this strawbale, timber frame, cob, thatch hybrid cottage. See our schedule below to find out when you can join in on the next project!

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2013 Natural Building Workshops Calendar

New Natural Building Classes for 2013!

Natural Building Essentials: Building With Cob

May 11th – 16th, 2013

Woodbury, TN

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This workshop is a comprehensive introduction to all the basic skills involved in constructing any cob building. In this workshop we will build a stone foundation for a cob building, mix cob both by foot and with equipment, build cob walls, install window and door frames, learn about roofs for cob buildings and much more. This is an excellent course to take if you want to get started in natural building and it will prepare you to build your own basic cob projects. Many people have successfully built their own small cottages after taking this class. For a more in depth experience with all of these techniques and more, you can stay an additional 8 days for the complete owner builder training course (listed below).

To register online use the link below, or email us at info@naturalcottageproject.com or call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

Register:


“Thank you!   I was allowed to learn as I do; that is a sign of good teaching.”

– Kelly, Fort Wayne, IN

Building the Complete Cob and Timber Cottage

May 11th-24th, 2013

Woodbury, Tennessee

This fourteen-day building intensive will offer a complete introduction to all the skills you’ll need to complete a cob cottage from the foundation to the roof. This workshop offers a unique blend of construction experience in the fundamentals of building cob walls as well as equally important but frequently overlooked details such as plasters, floors, living roofs, and electrical.

You will also learn all the fundamentals of building load bearing cob walls, including designing and building a foundation, choosing materials, mixing cob by foot and with equipment, building walls, design and structural principals. The instructors will also guide us through the practical and theoretical aspects of building a round timber roof for our cob cottage. Timber will be harvested on site, peeled, cut and assembled into a roof during this workshop.

Roughly half of our time will be spent on new construction while the other half will focus on important (and often overlooked) finish work for natural buildings, including clay and lime plasters, earth floors, windows, earthen wall sculpture, artistic embellishments, and more. We will also include extended classroom sessions covering critical topics like building codes, electrical and plumbing installation, construction budget and schedule planning, etc. To register online use the link below 

or email us at info@naturalcottageproject.com or call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

Register:

 

“The instructors were awesome! They demonstrate skills, they share knowledge, and give ample opportunities for willing students to learn.”

– Bill, Yorktown, VA

Building the Straw Bale and Cob Hobbit Sauna                  

July 13 – 26, 2013

Oxford, Michigan

install bale

Learn the basic techniques of natural building as we construct a cabin-sized sauna building from the foundation to the roof.   We will integrate a stone foundation, cob construction, load-bearing straw bale walls, window and door framing, a living roof, and more.   We’ll also use traditional woodworking skills to cut and raise a timber-framed pavilion – which may go home with one of our participants!

To register online use the link below, or email us at info@naturalcottageproject.com or call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

Register:

“This workshop has been an incredible eye-opener to the power and beauty of nature’s perfection. I found the instructors to be world class in their trades, as well as being incredibly generous with their sharing and caring for each and EVERY participant. Thank you’s are not enough.”

– Bill, Zionsville, PA

Building the Complete Cob and Timber Cottage II

September 28 – October 11, 2013

Woodbury, Tennessee

TN cob cottage

Complete Cob Cottage Video

This fourteen-day building intensive will offer a complete introduction to all the skills you’ll need to complete a cob cottage from the foundation to the roof, and the carpentry skills needed for a wide range of natural building projects. We will mix cob by both feet-power and tractor, frame a round-pole roof, and cut a traditional timber frame from square timbers.    The workshop will also cover, both hands-on and in classroom sessions, foundation options, how to install windows and doors, and how to install plumbing and electrical wiring in the cob, all at this start-to-finish construction workshop.

To register online use the link below, or email us at info@naturalcottageproject.com or call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

Register:

Hands-on Sessions:
Cob – made by both feet-power and tractor
Traditional Timber Framing with square timber and wooden joinery
Round Pole Framing
Electrical Wiring in cob
Carpentry for natural buildings
Stone-Laying for foundations
Arches, Niches, and Sculpture in cob walls
Living Roof

Classroom presentations:
Working with Code Officials
Foundation options
Structural  Integrity basic principles:   how to make sure your house stands up
Site selection
Designing your home
Passive Solar heating
Selecting materials
Becoming an Owner-Builder
…and lots more!

How is “Complete Cob and Timber Cottage I”  Different from “Complete Cob II? Do I deed to take I before II?
The “Complete Cob I” workshop in April will cover a broad range of skills with a greater emphasis on finishing details. We will accomplish this by working on a variety of buildings already at various stages of completion. New construction will be on a very small building.

In the September course we will focus on completing the basic structure of a single larger cob cottage from foundation to roof. We will still cover details but more emphasis will be given to basic hands on construction of a full sized cottage.

Both workshops are complete on their own and there is no need to take one before the other. If you would like help choosing which workshop is best for you, please just give us a call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

All 2-Week Workshops, full price: $1,450
Early Bird Discounts:
$975  if paid in full by three months in advance – that’s 35% off!
$1,150 if paid in full by two months in advance – that’s 20% off
$1,230 if paid in full by one month in advance – that’s 15% off
Bring a friend and pay only $975 each if registered by two months in advance.
Alumni pay $870 if registered by two months in advance
Kids come for $20/day

Registration Options


To register and for more information, email us at info@naturalcottageproject.com or call 440-682-0502. We look forward to talking with you!

 

            

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