In natural building we take mostly locally available natural materials and use them to give shape to our house. In doing so we can provide houses for people that are beautiful, very affordable and healthy. At the same time, our building practices have a minimal negative effect on the environment.
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What materials do most people use?

The most commonly used materials are earth, sand, straw, stone, and wood. Earth, sand and straw mixed together makes cob, a very strong clay-like building material, which enables you to sculpt your walls. It is also used for making built-in furniture, fireplaces, big bread ovens and adobe bricks. Straw bales are used like bricks to create super-insulated walls and are then plastered with earthen or lime plasters. Stone is used for foundations and rock walls. Wood, mostly in the form of poles, is used to support roof structures, rafters and to facilitate the placement of windows and doors.
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I have never built before, and I am not very strong. Can I do Natural Building?

Yes! Natural building aims to be inclusive and low-tech. We emphasize cleverly designed smaller buildings and easy to learn techniques. The building process is fun and health-giving. A few simple hand tools are all we use on the building site.
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What do you mean by "affordable"?

You can build a snug cottage for a small family for as little as $2000. I know people living in $500 beautiful natural homes. Things that greatly influence the affordability of your home are clever design, the amount of labor you can give to it yourself and the amount of second-hand (free) building materials you can gather before you start.
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I already own a house. Can I use natural building to fix it up?

You don't have to build a house from scratch to make natural building part of your life. Many people have built saunas, tool sheds, play houses, gazebos, etc. nearby their existing home. Earthen ovens, fireplaces and garden walls are very popular. All natural building techniques can be used to renovate your home through the use of earthen plasters and floors, natural insulation materials, internal walls and built-in furniture, etc. This can transform your home into a beautiful, non-toxic dwelling without spending a lot of money.
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What do you mean by Appropriate Technology?

Building a home that makes sense is one thing. But then there are the systems integrated in the home that enable you to live very comfortably. I am talking about lights, cooking, heating and cooling, washing, etc. In conventional homes these systems are very expensive as well as dependent on huge amounts of energy input. And even then they often don't work very well. "Appropriate technology" means to look for systems that are easily built and maintained, cost very little, use local resources whenever possible, require little energy input and give us a high level of satisfaction. An added benefit is the lack of high energy bills: My total energy bill is about $6 per month.
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Can I really learn how to build a home in one workshop?

Yes, you can and many have done so. Often people need some help with carpentry, electrical and plumbing. These are skills you can easily learn, or, if you are not interested in doing so, can be contracted out to people in the community. Taking additional workshops always helps and will make you more secure. The best training you can get in addition to a workshop, is by first helping someone else build their house.
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How do you deal with building codes?

Many people ignore them as they make you do things that don't make sense. Others work with building officials and try to educate them. This can be a difficult road to take, depending on what you want to build and the spirit of your local building department. Building on land that already has a code approved home on it makes it easier for you to stay below the radar. So is living out in the sticks. If you go the "outlaw" route, keep it small, quiet and invisible from the road. These are good things to do anyway. Issues around code are constantly evolving as more people desire natural homes and as building officials get better educated. If you want a code approved natural house, don’t be a purist; think “hybrid buildings”, using different techniques that help you get what you want and at the same time satisfy the building department.
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How do I find land to build something?

If you need to live close to a population base, the cost of land can be high. Try to save and buy within your means. Many landowners who are selling will carry a loan. Avoid banks if you can. Rather, try to borrow money from friends. If you figure the building of your home to cost $5000, your total monthly payments can end up being very reasonable. Even better, don't buy land and see if you can build on somebody else's land. Many people have too much land to take care of themselves and wouldn't mind sharing it. With today’s real estate prices this is becoming a more and more sensible solution.
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How long do Natural buildings tend to last?

A well-built cob house can last 1000+ years. Straw bale is a newer technique; the oldest straw bale buildings are almost 100 years old. Generally speaking, with a good foundation and a good roof, natural buildings can last a long, long time. Geological materials such as stone, earth and sand tend to last longer than biological materials, such as straw and wood. In contrast, most conventional buildings built today last about 50 years and will cost you $100.000+.
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Will cob work in very cold climates?

Yes it can, with good passive solar design and winters with regular sunshine. In places with regular freezing temperatures we often recommend to build a thinner cob wall and then wrap the whole building in straw bales. This can make for a very cozy, efficient and warm house.
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Will cob work in humid climates?

Yes it will. If it is very humid it will affect the rate at which it dries during the building process. Fans (wind) can often speed thing up significantly. Once dry, cob will provide for a much cooler and more pleasant experience in the summer heat under humid circumstances as the clay can absorb a lot of the humidity.
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Can I bring my children to the workshop?

Yes you can and we encourage you to do so. In past workshops, children have brought a richness to the event that was enjoyed by all. Please see the “bringing children” heading on the workshop page for more information.
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Can you do a workshop on my land?

We can do workshops all over the world. To find out how that works, please visit the “hosting a workshop” heading on the workshop page.
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Cob seems a little slow; how about using machines?

Many people have used tractors, mortar mixers and bobcats to mix cob. It can speed up the process up to 5 fold and the walls of a modest house can be up in a matter of a few weeks. However, it comes at a cost. It will be far less enjoyable and healthy and the end product will most likely be less pristine. As you are mixing so much cob and the walls are going up so fast, you have less time and awareness to sculpt your house slowly and deliberately. The speed you gain can quickly be lost by a back injury or other incidents caused by the speed of building; back injuries can last a lifetime and are very costly. It will also make it harder to have children and old people on the job site, the building site becomes filled with noise and fumes, and you will find yourself resisting the building process. Having said that, if you are thinking about being a “cob contractor,” I think using some form of mechanization would be essential.
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Do you build as a contractor for others?

No we don’t. However, we often consult on job sites for one or more days in order to help people on their way and to be a guide at critical junctions in the building process.
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Do you consult?

Yes we do. We prefer to consult on projects that are aligned with the spirit of our work and our website. We also can assist in master planning, site planning, design, energy systems and more. We also have a long list of friends and colleagues that we can recommend in case we don’t have the expertise or time to help you. We also do phone consultation to help you answer some basic questions on natural building. For more information, please see “consultations” on our contact page.
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What is light straw clay?

Light straw clay is when you mix straw with a clay slurry (slip) and then tamp that into a form, usually made out of dimensional wood, making walls anywhere from 4 to 8 inches thick. It’s a wonderful material, insulates reasonably well (better than cob!) and provides some thermal mass as well. It is easy and inexpensive and ideal for natural renovations. We always do a hands-on demonstration of this technique in our workshops.
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Does cob work in Hawaii?

Cob can work anywhere you can find the ingredients for cob: clay, sand, and fiber. We have heard that there is clay in Hawaii, but have never worked there. Read about cob in humid climates for more information.
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Can you tell me about earthen floors?

We get a lot of questions about earthen floors. They are great. We have lived with one now for 5 years. They are warm in the winter but cool in the summer. They are durable and hard, yet soft and easy on your knees and back (unlike concrete). They are very affordable, easy to repair and not too hard to install. We cover earthen floors during our workshops and there is an article that we wrote on the topic in the “newsletter archive" page. <back>

I want to get out of the rat race and live simpler. Where do I start?

The simple answer is: With the first step. But even that first step is not that simple. A very helpful book to read in this context would be “Your Money Or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The book will help you reconsider the financial choices you make and can assist you in “getting your life back”, so to speak. Other than that, connect with others. A workshop is only one way of doing so; there are many other places to go, where you can find a community of people that would all like to start doing things differently, live simpler, more sustainable, healthier, etc. Everything becomes easier if you have the ability to connect to those communities.<back>

Do you do a work-exchange in leu of workshop payment?

Occasionally we do a partial work-exchange for people who live outside the cash economy. Please contact us if you are in that category and you wish us to consider a different kind of trade.

How do I find out about workshops in the mid-west, south or east?

Please visit www.cobworkshops.org, or www.naturalBuildingNetwork.org to find out about other workshops throughout North America. You may also want to check my link page.
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I can’t find clay on my site. Can I still do cob?

Occasionally a site does not not have any clay. In most cases however you can find it nearby and truck it over. That is usually still preferable to cutting down the forest somewhere far away for a stud frame house. With no sand or clay nearby, you may want to consider another natural building technique, based on your available resources, your skills, your climate and your creativity. Let us know if we can help evaluate your options.

What books do you recommend to find out more about cob/natural building?

We find “The Handsculpted House” by Ianto Evans, Michael Smith and Linda Smiley by far the most useful and well written book on cob and natural building. For other recommendations please go to “newsletter archive" and find “resources for natural builders” .
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How can I make a living as a natural builder?

Where do I start? Take a workshop or apprenticeship and then build or help build a house from start to finish. Get a business card and a small pick-up truck and start! begin with small projects or work alongside a more experienced professional. Consider a specialty, like cob, strawbale or natural plasters. The demand for skilled professionals is there. If you are willing to learn and work hard, it is all possible (everything is possible, after all!).
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