Natural Building Basics – Part I: Wall Systems

Have you ever wondered how our ancestors created their homes? Or, how to build an environmentally-friendly home or structure, with your own hands? Light Clay and Cob are not only sustainable, long-lasting, breathable, and non-toxic; these natural building materials also provide you with insulation. They can also be made with entirely local materials and are virtually waste-free. With the toxic materials conventional buildings are being built with today, many people are looking towards natural building materials. Light Clay is a mixture of clay and straw or wood chips, which is then packed into a wall. It can be covered in many different natural finishes (see Natural Building Basics Part II: Natural Finishes) and works well in the renovation of existing buildings. Cob is a mixture of clay, sand, and straw (similar to Adobe), but instead of making bricks, you sculpt the walls. Bryce Ehrecke leads this video-based workshop through step-by-step visual instruction. Bryce has been building naturally for over 10 years and is an instructor at the School of Permaculture Design at Pacific Rim College. These videos will guide students through a comprehensive creation of natural building materials and applications. Once you build your first structure, you will most certainly want to put a natural finish on it! We highly recommend joining part II of this series: Natural Building Basics – Part II:Natural Finishes You will learn about:

• Wall preparation
• Site safety, flow, and preparation
• Mixing of light clay and cob
• The application of light clay with straw and wood chips
• Common natural building materials
• Creating arches and niches