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Thankfully the snow is gone and Spring has arrived...which means it's time to start thinking about what you're going to build in 2021!
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 If you've been thinking of cob, and especially Fast Cob!, here's a quick message to let you know our Summer is packed full of building with an East Coast Apprentice arriving soon, a Cottage coming along nicely on Denman, and 3 more Fast Cob! workshops scheduled for August and September.
Those workshops are getting full, too, so if you're interested in joining us this year, consider applying sooner than later to avoid disappointment. Here's the line-up: August 19-26 - All the Basics: Fast Cob! from the Ground Up *** 4 spots remain September 2-9 - All the Basics: Fast Cob! from the Ground Up *** 2 spots remain September 16-23 - Learning to Live Off-the-Grid with Fast Cob! *** 3 spots remain Simply visit our workshops webpage for all the details and then scroll down to the bottom to fill in our online application...I'll get back to you as soon as I wash the mud off my hands at the end of the building day. With the return of the sun today, I can hardly wait to get out and build that Cob Oven and Bench...enjoy the warmth!  (This post was inspired by an email asking me about Cob in Winter...thanks so much, Gwen!)
I can honestly say that I'm writing to you with warm feet from our cob home. The temperature right now is below zero and we've recently had -5ºC with no issues. Below zero temperatures can be destructive if you are trying to build with cob (think frost heave) but for living, there's no problem. A wooden house (well, really, plastic with a bit of wood) will warm up faster because it doesn't absorb any of the heat, but it will also get instantly cold once the heat source has stopped. Cob buildings will take longer to heat up if you're starting from the outside temperature, but if you're getting up in the morning and starting a wood stove (and had a warm house the day before), it takes a few minutes to heat up the house. The big bonus is that cob houses take much longer to cool down once the heat source has stopped. The air in my little house gets down to about 16ºC at this time of year. 30 minutes later and we're in the 20ºs. A wooden house would be close to 5ºC unless the fire was kept going all night or you're on the grid with a central heating system. Our bigger house will feature a rocket stove with in-floor and bench heating. These parts of the house will be warm for days after the fire goes out! When you heat furniture and floors, you don't need to heat airspace, which dramatically reduces the need for a heat source. Think about how all that warm air just goes out the window/door. Of course, all my descriptions are based on sealed houses. Drafty houses are even worse, cob or plastic, at retaining warmth. The problem with sealing plastic houses is that they then create toxic offgases which create sick building syndrome. Cob breathes even when fully sealed and we don't use any toxic materials. For much colder climates, I recommend thicker cob walls, 18" minimum. But I don't personally think adding materials to insulate cob walls are needed or outweigh the time/cost that they induce. Cob is a thermal mass/thermal battery and is radically different than conventional building materials. There is no mass in conventional buildings so they need to insulate to try to retain the heat. But with cob and any other type of thermal battery, there is no need. Cob absorbs the heat when the air is hotter than the walls, and it releases the heat when the walls are warmer than the air. That's what makes cob such a great natural air conditioner in the summer, too. Our cob buildings are always the coolest places in the heat of summer. Even when the daytime temperatures get over 30 degrees Celsius and there is no wind, I sleep like a baby all night long. Winter or Summer or anytime in between, I'll take a cob house over any other and save energy, effort, and live with much more ease...thanks for asking!  Humans have been building naturally for as long as we've existed; now Fast Cob! makes building even easier and faster than ever before.
Because of the simplicity, ease and speed of Fast Cob!, people are already getting excited about our workshops in 2017! And if you don't know yet, you can build your own workshop right now, for anytime that works for you and yours. We'll be publishing our full 2017 workshop schedule early in the New Year; we already have September 16-23 set for a Fast Cob! and Living Off-Grid Workshop with 4 spots remaining. If you know that 2017 is the year that you become a Fast Cobber/Natural Builder, you can lock in our 2016 rates by applying online and submitting the deposit before the end of the year. And with our Build-yer-own-Workshop option, now you can even set your workshop dates before the end of the year! If you'd like to give the gift of Natural Building Skills, 'tis the season for giving and we'll be more than willing to send you a gift certificate in whatever amount you'd like...by PDF so you get it immediately and it doesn't get stuck in the mail! Whether you're ready to join the ranks of Fast Cobbers or simply enjoy knowing that others are building a safer, saner world, we wish you and your family a safe and joyous holiday season! If you've ever dreamed of building your own home but don't want to spend the rest of your life paying it off, you may have already considered using Cob. If you're still stuck in the ratrace of trying to save up money to build by working full-time (or more) and haven't been able to schedule your work around available workshops, your life may just change for the better! Now, not only can you learn how to build beautifully, easily, sustainably, and affordably with Fast Cob!, you can now pick your own dates to create your very own workshop! Simply choose from our list of workshop options (or tweak them to customize your workshop even more) and create a life changing experience... You will learn everything you need to build yourself a gorgeous Home - Anywhere - without going into debt! I just built a split-level, open plan, 1000+sq ft home in 5 months. I had help (mostly by way of cooking for me:) but the bulk of this building was done by me alone. After one of our life-changing workshops, you'll be able to build a 200 sq ft starter in at most a few months. After that, the sky's the limit! Visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops for more information and to create your own life-changing workshop!   Thanks to Jess for inspiring our latest innovation: Build Yer Own Fast Cob! Natural Building Workshop!
Now you can choose the dates and content of our workshops to meet both your scheduling and learning needs. Simply visit cob.lasqueti.ca\workshops and pick from our available workshop offerings (Covering all the Basics, Focusing on Finishing, or Learning to Live Off-the-Grid). Then choose your preferred dates and fill in our online application form. It's that easy! Our workshops have a well-deserved reputation for empowering and inspiring folks. Now if our workshop schedule doesn't match your hectic one, you can create your own workshop! Let's make it happen, together!  I'm excited to announce our newest Workshop: Fast Cob! and Learning to Live Off the Grid, from Saturday afternoon, September 10th to Saturday morning, September 17th, 2016.
This will be the 28th Workshop we've hosted...after living off-the-grid for 16 years, it's time to share what we've learned with you! This is a brand new workshop due to popular request! We'll split our workshop time each day between learning to build (with Fast Cob!) and learning to setup a comfortable, convenient and self-sustaining life off-the-grid. It's not only possible, you'll witness firsthand all the tricks and techniques I've learned over the years. This workshop will fast track anyone to a more sustainable and enjoyable life, anywhere. Fast Cob! will give you the tools to create shelter and much, much more, but we'll also look at many ways to collect rainwater, use greywater, create a garden site, forage wild foods and preserve our abundance. All the water-based systems that we will look at are created and maintained without fossil fuels and are powered by gravity (which means they always work). The electrical systems we'll look at and discuss in detail are solar and micro-hydro powered. By learning and using Fast Cob!, we will see firsthand how humans can build with what nature provides, without destroying the beauty that is offered. You’ll also have many opportunities to master making cob itself, modifying the "traditional west coast" method so that you can mix up to 10 times faster! Using “the brick” method, we'll get our walls up as much as 30x faster! Not only will you learn how to build naturally and affordably, you’ll learn how to do it efficiently enough to be empowered to build on your own or keep your community of builders interested and inspired to keep building with you. More and more people are realizing that the on-the-grid life doesn't work for them anymore. If you want a more fulfilling and enjoyable life, consider living how humans have lived for millions of years: off-the-grid! And when you're ready, we'll be here to help. And this year, we're ready for any weather! If the rains come early, we have lots of indoor space for you to pitch your tent or rent a bed. For all the workshop details, and to fill in our online application, please visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops PS. This workshop is filling up fast, so don't delay if you want to join us!  I've just designed the content of the next Covering All the Basics: Fast Cob! Natural Building Workshop and I'm so excited to announce:
We'll be building 2 walls from floor to roof and will be installing windows as we go! Rarely does a week-long workshop allow enough time on any project to teach the basics AND give the participants ALL the key experiences of building. But our walls-to=be are designed to support a shed roof as well as a gabled roof, so we'll definitely have enough time to get at least 1 roof rafter in...we may even get all the roof on, since we'll be using the fastest Natural Building technique available: Fast Cob! If you've been waiting for this kind of complete building experience, now's the time to jump at it. They truly are a rare opportunity in the Natural Building Workshop World. This workshop will be held on Lasqueti Island from July 30 until August 6, 2016, offering 6 full days of learning, in between 3 hot meals and 2 snack breaks! Please visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops for all the details and to fill in our online application form. Hope to see you at the end of the month!   The past two months have been stellar for natural building and with (our current apprentice) Jordan's energy and enthusiasm, we've been building up a storm.
The weather has been ideal, which is to say warm and varied. I like using material that is not bone dry (it saves on water and time to mix; if it's more than just a shower, it turns our "Ready-mix" into "Insta-mix":), so the intermittent rain has been a blessing. Contrary to what many believe, I think the rain helps further bond and strengthen recently built walls - if it's not torrential. So the light rain we've had has only required the covering of our strawbale scaffolding, and the warmth has firmed up the walls so we haven't had to slow down even a bit. We've gone so quickly, we're about to put the 2nd floor on: 12 floor joists (all unmilled 4" round timbers spanning up to 9') topped by 2x6 tongue and groove Douglas Fir. In the course of getting up to the 2nd floor, we've almost completed a bomb-proof cob staircase: a curving, sweeping set of 14 stairs (8" high, at least a foot wide). These were primarily built using our Super Fast Cob technique, which means we eliminate the brick making phase and simply mix in place. Lots of Cob Dancing, and this is where the weather really helps: the rain makes sure the material is moist right through, so we simply add some straw while we dance and get the material in place with our feet. No bending over required! We have finished the roughing-in of the stairs by using bricks for the ones that needed to be built out further and by using our trusty carving spade to define the stairs that were "buried" in the Super Fast Cob. Our first workshop of the year next week is completely sold out (and includes a baby!) and we will have a fresh 2nd floor to begin the hands-on learning process. The participants will see what it's like to build from the ground-up and place four 7 foot tall windows (from floor to ceiling) and four 6 foot wide windows in our new walls. And they will experience for themselves how quickly our Fast Cob! technique will build these walls! I'll be very surprised if we don't finish the 2nd floor in our 6 day workshop. With 5 learning sessions per day over our 6 day workshop, just our apprentice and I would get this done alone, fuelled by our cook's delicious 3 hot meals and 2 yummy snacks each day. I'm especially looking forward to the 8 month old baby being in the thick of things. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a Fast Cobber in the next decade or two, since it'll be difficult not to enjoy every moment of our workshop! How many building sites can safely welcome a beautiful bouncing baby into its environs? If you're wanting to join us this year, we still have a few spots available in our last 3 workshops of the year:
 Our first workshop of the year from June 25th to July 2nd is almost sold out, so we've just added a second Covering-all-the-Basics Fast Cob! Workshop from July 30 to August 6, 2016.
And we still have openings in our other 2016 Workshops:
Visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops for more information and to apply online. It's already a fabulous Fast Cobbing year and it looks to only get better! Here's hoping you can get out and get muddy soon, too! All your questions and supportive comments have kept me busy (and keep 'em coming!)...I really appreciate how you let me know what helps and inspires you! That's my #1 goal: create more cobbers; produce less climate changers! For those that haven't had the time to send me your thoughts and questions, here's an email that I hope resolves most of what you've been wondering. This is a compilation of what I've fielded so far, in hopes that it includes the questions on your list: Q: Why do you call it Fast Cob/what's so fast about your cob? A: Fast Cob! is noticeably and measurably faster than the cob technique I learned in 1996 and that is still widely used throughout North America. Some folks have mechanized cob (with mortar mixers, bobcats, etc), but I haven't got a sense of what they are capable of yet. I do know, through my own measurements and comparisons, that Fast Cob! is 10x faster to mix than regular cob and up to 30x faster to put on a wall...you can see for yourself here.  More importantly, Fast Cob! doesn't exhaust you. I can cob all day everyday. Even young, very fit people can't sustain the slower technique. Why build slower, when you could builder easier? Q: What can I build with Fast Cob! A: Virtually anything that has a roof and a foundation. If you don't care about longevity, then anything at all, that you don't want to move. Cob is not portable, so trailers or movable ovens aren't recommended, but homes, offices, studios, ovens, sheds, outbuildings, garages, storage boxes, fences, retaining walls, steps, stairs,..., you dream it and we can cob it. Q: How much does it cost to build a cob building? A: It depends on the size and complexity (as every building technique does), but generally speaking, it's half the price of conventional (timber-frame) building (roughly $200/sq.ft.). If you do everything yourself, it can cost in the hundreds. More realistic DIY cost would be $10-20/sq.ft. A detailed break-down of the costs of building a 400 sq.ft. home with Fast Cob! can be found here. Q: How fast can I build something? A: My first building is a 9' in diameter utility shed with a sleeping loft. With the old method, we guessed that it would be built in 6 days by 6 people. Wrong. Add another 2 days with 8 people and we still didn't finish. Add another 6 days with 10 people and we still didn't finish. Then, with Fast Cob!, I finished the loft by myself over two weekends. Now, I've enhanced our Fast Cob! technique to the point that I can build a 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom cabin in a month, including the foundation and metal roof, working 6-day weeks, 7 hours/day. I can easily build 5 cu.ft. of upper wall in an hour; with Super-Fast Cob! that doubles but is only possible at the base of walls. Our 400 sq.ft cabin example has 80 linear feet of 1 foot thick exterior wall that ranges from 7' to 12' high. That's 560 cu.ft for the lower 7' portion, plus another 100 cu.ft. of cob plus windows and doors. So 660 cu.ft of cob will be built in 660/5 = 132 hours or 19 7hr-person-days. Compare this to years - yes, years - with regular cob and any other natural building technique that I'm aware of. Obviously people new to Fast Cob! will initially take longer to build a structure, but I know younger, stronger folks will easily outpace my numbers.  Q: How many people can attend each workshop? A: I limit the number of participants to 6. Before I started instructing, we hosted groups of 10 and 8 and both times I felt like some people left with fewer skills than they would have with less people present. These workshops are designed to ensure you have the maximum exposure to everything you need to be able to walk away and start building on your own. If you have special needs or simply want to focus on a particular aspect of building, just let me know and I'll make sure you are matched with the workshop that will support those needs and focus best. Before the advent of Fast Cob!, I hosted workshops so I could build. Now that I can and do build on my own - thanks to Fast Cob! - I host workshops to spread the ease and joy of Natural Building. These workshops are geared first and foremost to give you the skills you need to start building on your own.  Q: Can children attend workshops? A: Absolutely, YES. Women and families are especially encouraged to apply. Fast Cob! is safe and fun for all ages, genders, and orientations. Last year, our ages ranged from 9 to 68, while previous years saw 4, 6, and 8 year olds having the time of their lives. No matter what your age, you're welcome at our workshops... Q: I have a special diet; can you accommodate me? A: Absolutely. We regularly host participants that range from gluten-free to allergic to specific foods. Just let us know when you apply so we can be sure to create a menu that is delicious and nutritious for you. Q: Do I need to bring a bike to the workshop? A: No, but bringing one makes it easier to get from the ferry to the workshop site, and it also enables you to come along for our evening Tour de Cob. If biking simply doesn't work for you, I can offer a ride on the back of our tandem and certainly carry your things in our bike trailer. Q: Are there many tools needed to get started? A: No. The entire kit can be found or purchased used (at garage sales, thrift stores and the like) and purchased new would cost a few hundred. We're talking about a wheelbarrow, garden hose, sprayer nozzle, 10-20 tarps (one larger can be cut into many smaller), shovel, level, used hand saw, garden spade, rubber boots and maybe some knee pads. I will send you a complete list of what to bring and expect after you apply and confirm your spot in one of our workshops. Q: When are your workshops? A: All of our workshops start on Saturday afternoon (with a Welcome Dinner) and end the following Saturday morning (with a Farewell Breakfast). The specific dates of this year's workshops are:
 Q: Is camping the only option for your workshops? A: Not anymore. Camping is included in the workshop fee, but we also offer a Guest (Cob) House and a Guest (Prospector) Tent for those wanting a real bed to sleep on during the workshop. Just let us know when you apply so we can reserve it just for you.  Q: When does the Early Bird rate end?
A: Midnight Tonight! After that our regular rate applies for any spots that haven't been filled. If you've been wanting to build your dream but don't want to go into debt or harm our planet any further, here's your chance to make that change! Simply go to cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops and fill in the form at the bottom. I'll be in touch soon to help you on your way... And really, don't delay. The workshops are filling up and I wouldn't want you to miss out. P.S. If you want to read how Fast Cob! prevents Climate Change, just click here. To compare Fast Cob! with conventional building in terms of pollution and waste creation, just click here. If you want read about the health benefits and how to sculpt beauty into your own home, just click here. If you want to join us at one of our 2016 workshops, just click here! A few days ago, I showed you how Cob, and Fast Cob! in particular, can be used to build a home without the need to go into debt. It's true: no loans or years of savings are needed to build naturally! For instance, a 400 sq. ft. one bedroom cottage would cost less than $4,000. You read that right - there are only 3 zeros in that pricetag. For the complete breakdown, just click here.... Climate Change is another reality and it isn't going to stop unless we change our civilized ways...and soon! Today, building is a huge source of carbon emissions, both in the manufacture of homes and offices as well as the heating and cooling of them. Fast Cob! compares to conventional building practices in terms of speed, but there's no comparison when it comes to carbon-emissions, toxics creation, after-life disposal, heating/cooling, and length of service life. Check it out: Fast Cob! (vs. conventional)
And this year, we have at least 3 different opportunities for you to learn our Fast Cob! technique:
Warning: these workshops are filling up fast! This year, we can offer real beds for those that don't want to camp in their own tent. For a modest extra fee (camping in your own tent is included in our workshop package), you can choose between:
Until midnight on March 31, 2016, you can enjoy any of our 6 day intensive Learn-to-Build-from-the-Ground-UP Fast Cob! workshops for only $675...that's 25% off our regular rate. Please also note that women and families are especially encouraged to apply. Fast Cob! is safe and fun for all ages, genders, and orientations. Last year, our ages ranged from 9 to 68, while previous years saw 4, 6, and 8 year olds having the time of their lives. Here is some more feedback from past workshop participants: "Wonderful, challenging, thought-provoking, exhausting, delicious, green, delightful in every way." "My experience at the workshop was empowering and a wonderful learning experience in natural building and collaboration." "Instruction was excellent. Dave knows and lives cob and this is evident in his responses to questions posed by workshop attendees." "You always had thoughtful and insightful answers to any of my questions...I liked how the pace was determined by the participants." “It was empowering! I really feel like in a short week like I can get going on building my own cob house!” “Learning what we needed to know as we put it to practical use rather than spending a lot of time on theory was a useful approach for me.” If you've been wanting to build your dream but don't want to go into debt or harm our planet any further, here's your chance to make that change! Simply go to cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops and fill in the form at the bottom. I'll be in touch soon to help you on your way... Together, we can survive Climate Change...but let's not delay any longer! You'll also find free online Fast Cob! training videos here...heck, you may not even need to take a workshop to get yourself building with ease and joy! Let's spread the word so this planet doesn't burn us all up... Many people have been contacting me about our upcoming workshops, and we are finally ready to shift our focus to these magical weeks. Fast Cob! makes it possible to build your dream (home, office, greenhouse, garage, castle, shed, you-name-it) without going into debt and without machines, special tools, or hordes of people.
Fast Cob! is fun, easy, affordable, long-lasting (like, hundreds of years), fireproof, insect-proof, rodent-proof, and at the very least, earthquake resistant (who knows how big the Big One will be). Fast Cob! won't make a mountain of garbage: not in the building stage and not in the demolition stage. You build with the earth and any excess simply goes back to the earth. Fast Cob! is healthy - it breathes - so your buildings don't mould, mildew, or create toxic or even stale air. Fast Cob! is easy to maintain and live with: it naturally keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter. Fast Cob! is gorgeous...you literally hand-sculpt beauty into everything you create...it inspires creativity! But don't just take my word for it...here's what people who have taken our workshops say: "The best thing that happened is I really feel able to build my own cob house!!!!" "Overall a really amazing week. I didn't expect to learn so much in one week, I really think I would have the confidence to start my own cob building project...really beautiful camp site in the 'burbs'" “I enjoyed how you let us experiment and fail and learn on the fly.” “Transformative and empowering!” “You have no idea how excited I am that I now pretty much know how to build a house out of dirt.” Every one of our 21 workshops to date have been uniquely magical; the people that have graced us by their energy and enthusiasm have made us so eager to continue this tradition and spread the word. Each workshop has a limit of 6 participants and features hands-on, one-on-one instruction during each of our 30 learning sessions, ample time for every question to be answered, and an environment that is breath-takingly beautiful. Our camping sites are quiet, clean, and in a beautiful forest. All of our workshops include 3 hot, homemade vegetarian meals and 2 nutritious snacks every day, made from fresh, local and organic ingredients wherever possible. Because there are no machines or motors on site, it is a safe and quiet place for anyone, younger or older, and interesting conversation and laughter is common and encouraged. You can read all of the details about our workshops here: cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops. But now I'd like to announce our 2015 line-up of Workshops:
Until midnight on March 31, 2016, you can enjoy any of our 6 day intensive Learn-to-Build-from-the-Ground-UP Fast Cob! workshops for only $675...that's 25% off our regular workshop rate! Please also note that women and families are especially encouraged to apply. Fast Cob! is safe and fun for all ages, genders, and orientations. Last year, our ages ranged from 9 to 68, while previous years saw 4, 6, and 8 year olds having the time of their lives. If you've been wanting to build your dream but don't want to go into debt or harm our planet any further, here's your chance to make that change! Simply go to cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops and fill in the form at the bottom. I'll be in touch soon to help you on your way... P.S. If you missed any of my previous messages about the benefits of Fast Cob! and how you can use it yourself to live the life you've always wanted, please just scroll on down... I've been honoured to show you with real numbers how it is possible to build your dream home and NOT go into debt, NOT harm the planet AND create lasting Beauty and Health in your very own home. If you missed these messages, feel free to check them out below. Now I want to talk about how I can help you achieve your dreams. Of course, if you are ready and able to just get out there and start on your own, go for it and let me know about it so I can support and help you as much as I can. But if you need some inspiration and guidance, I know I can help. I've been hosting workshops since 2007 and since 2009 have developed a hands-on intensive week of workshoping that will give you all you need to build your own dream. And if you sit tight for a bit, you'll be the first to know about this year's special offers. But first, let's talk about someone (you? A friend? Your child?) between 9 and 99. You're already dreaming of building your own healthy, affordable, gorgeous home and of living joyfully in every moment. Sound unrealistic? Well, let me share with you the words of the mother of one Apprentice who came for a month last year: "We want to thank you for all that you've done for Jackson. He came to you to learn how to build with cob and he came back with so much more than any of us anticipated. He learned about himself in a way he never could have here at home. You challenged him to examine his thoughts, beliefs, heart, and life path.
Living and Building Naturally inspires us to be who we really are, passionate people who want to be happy and find peace in our worlds. I've been given so many gifts in my life, I couldn't begin to list them, but I do want to share them. I know from growing up in our civilized world that health and happiness are not givens, that they are often difficult to achieve, even on a small scale. It simply doesn't have to be that way; in fact, for millions of years, it wasn't. We don't do anything "new" here. We simply recreate the healthy, sustainable ways that our ancestors lived before our modern world took us off that path. Sure, we take advantage of some of the fancy gadgets and what-nots, but we only choose what is best for us, after consciously thinking it through. Living on a remote island helps ensure the conscious part! I'm constantly inspired by the innate desires of younger folks. Sure some have been led down the electronic garden path, but deep inside everyone is that spark that wants to live healthy and happy. And some know that their current life is not what they want but have been frustrated so far in finding that fulfilling alternative. Fast Cob! might be that fulfilling alternative. To kick off our 2016 season of Apprenticeships, I'm both opening up applications and setting a special price for the next week only. If you, or someone you know, is interested in our Apprenticeship Programme, I urge you to act quickly, because... This year, we have openings for at most 6 people. These Apprenticeships run for 1 month, with a 2nd month available if we mutually agree to continue after the first month. During this time, you'll stay in our Guest (Prospector's) tent and live and breathe cob everyday. We'll share meals 3 times a day and mutually plan our days together to maximize your learning. Our weekly schedule consists of 5 full days of learning and sharing together, from breakfast to dinnertime. Our April/May apprenticeship will have first dibs on building a Cob Chicken Coop, from scratch to finish. In June/July, our apprentices will have the opportunity to finish the walls of a 800 sq. ft. split-level home. This includes electrical and plumbing as well as a taste of rock wall foundations. Floor joists from raw logs and tongue-n-groove wood flooring will also be installed. July/August will see the roof go on: rafters from raw logs, sheathing milled on island, natural fibre for insulation, and metal roofing will all protect this home for decades to come. Mid- August will move us into the realm of finishing: natural plasters, paints and cob floors. By the end of the month, we'll have hardened the cob floors to the point of hosting world championship tap dancing competitions, so bring your tap shoes! September will see us finishing the outside cob walls...and using a gorgeous natural plaster to cover it all. Not to mention celebrating with a housewarming party! Of course, Natural Building will be the main focus, as you absorb the way our cob buildings are designed - to work with Nature rather than against her. You'll have as many hands-on opportunities as you'll want to learn and perfect your own version of Fast Cob! And depending on your time here, you may be part of a Fast Cob! workshop, when a special and magical week bonds a small group of keen Cobbers. You'll also be immersed in our way of Natural Living, using the Sun to cook, gravity to feed our water, and our natural inclinations to have fun and enjoy whatever we choose to learn and do. Our happy hens provide crazy-delicious organic, free-range eggs, and our garden can also be abundant at times. Wild foods will also be foraged if our timing is right. Again, I'm opening up our Apprenticeship Programme for the next week. If you'd like to apply, please do so during this week so you'll have the best chance of being one of those 6 people that transform their lives into the joyful, natural state that all humans once enjoyed. If you apply this week, you'll also have access to our early bird discount. It includes all meals, snacks, accommodation and instruction/inspiration for an entire month (and a bike if you don't bring your own). To apply, simply visit cob.lasqueti.ca/apprenticeships, read through all the details, and fill in the form at the bottom. I truly hope each of us achieve our dreams...sooner than later! PS. Remember, the sooner you apply to our Apprenticeship Programme, the greater your chance of getting in and getting your preferred timeslot...there are only 6 available for 2016 and they will fill up quickly...
In my first message to you, I showed you with real numbers how it is possible to build your dream home and NOT go into debt, costing out a 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom cabin for less than $4,000, or about a few short months of rent. In my last message, I explained how building with Fast Cob! doesn't harm the planet and even helps to heal it. If you missed one or both, feel free to check them out by scrolling on down.... This time I want to get personal with you and talk about Health and Beauty. Not yours or mine, but our buildings. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but health is either there or not. One of the things that makes Fast Cob! buildings so healthy to live in is that they breath. Air and moisture can flow through the walls, although you'd never notice or even guess that it could. This prevents mold and mildew and stale air from taking over your home and making it - and you - sick. Vapour barriers trap air and moisture, and without expensive ventilation systems, make your home sick with stale air. Until Sick Home Syndrome was "discovered", many humans got sick and didn't know why. I won't speculate about what hasn't been discovered yet, but I do know that I feel much more alive and well in my cob home than in other folk's non-natural homes. Another aspect of well-being comes from sound, or rather the lack of it when we're in our cob home. Constant background noise exhausts our nervous system, even if we unconsciously block it out. Fast Cob! buildings are well suited as sound studios because they naturally dampen sound inside and prevent most sounds outside from getting in. And there is a natural quality to being surrounded by the earth. It likely reduces our exposure to unnatural energy fields (wi-fi, radio, tv, cell, etc), but I don't know since I live in an area where these fields don't readily exist. Do add FIREPROOF to our growing list of health benefits, and note the capital letters! Being insect-proof and rodent-proof are even more health benefits. Shall we add the fact that multiple generations can live comfortably in the same home without the stress of building or even renovation? By simply keeping the roof from leaking, your cob home will serve from 4 to 14 generations of descendants of yours.  But what about Beauty? With cob, you can sculpt beauty into any surface. And the natural curves in this man's eye are simply gorgeous. There's nothing stopping you from spending the rest of your life adding reliefs and ornate decorations in every nook and cranny of your home. You won't need to work from 9-5 to pay a mortgage or rent any more, so why not? Or just let the kids carve and plaster their walls over and over again. It's perfectly safe! The possibilities are simply endless. I truly hope that you now see Natural Building and Fast Cob! in a very different light. And I hope you've become inspired to take that next step and create your own Dream Home. The planet needs you!! Really. If you've made it this far in these messages, you're clearly dreaming of building your own home. When will you take that next step and turn your dream into reality? Next year? In 10 years? Why not now! I hemmed and hawed before I finally committed to my first and only cob workshop back in 1996. It was so far (Bella Coola) to get to but my partner at the time said the workshop fee was nothing compared to what I would gain from doing it. And she was right! Instead of putting it off, get outside and start building. Anything. Just start and you'll be amazed at where it leads. I've tried hard to give you as much as I can in this message format to start you on your way. Of course, some folks will want more guidance and inspiration than these messages can offer, so I want you to also know that I host week-long intensive Workshops and month-long immersive Apprenticeships at our home on Lasqueti for deeper experiences of Natural Building and Living. Our Apprenticeship Programme has blossomed over the past two years, with younger people coming and finding the inspiration that seemed to be lacking in their lives before. It's a fun, fulfilling time for all involved, even the parents! Our Workshops are always magical weeks, when a small group (max. 6) starts to transform their dreams into a reality that will last centuries! Next time, I'll send you more information about the Apprenticeship programmes, including the words of gratitude and hope that were sent to me after these wonderful young people left with enhanced life-affirming skills that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. For those that prefer a week-long intensive workshop...just hang tight because I'm putting together an irresistible offer just for you! Spring is in the air here, so it's time to get out and Fast Cob! Type to you soon...
In my last message to you, I showed you with real numbers how it is possible to build your dream home and NOT go into debt, costing out a 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom cabin for less than $4,000. If you missed it, feel free to check it out here... This time, I want to show you how building naturally truly is in harmony with how humans have lived for most of our existence. First, let's take a quick peek inside the typical North American (NA) home's outside walls today, starting with the innermost layer:
Now let's look at Fast Cob!, starting with the innermost layer:
So how does building naturally help the planet? For the building phase, it would be more accurate to say it doesn't harm the planet, unless you consider displacing harmful practices helpful. But since very few trees are killed to build a Fast Cob! home, it could also be argued that more trees live and therefore help the planet by continuing to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fast Cob! doesn't need electricity or fossil fuels, making it ideal for any location. Of course fossil fuels make it easier and faster (like everything else) to get the material you need (sand/clay/straw for the walls, rock/cement for foundations, wood/beams/metal for roof), but when the oil runs dry, we'll still be Fast Cobbing! But what makes Fast Cob! really stand out and help the planet is the heating/cooling aspect of it and the inherent recyclability of it. About half of the very significant amount of energy used in each NA home is for heating and/or cooling. Cob homes naturally absorb and release heat. They are a thermal mass more than an insulating mass, although you won't feel a draft through a cob wall. So when there's heat in the air, the walls suck it up and when the walls are warmer than the surrounding air, they release the heat, warming up the inside of the building. This is most noticeable in the hot summers here. It is always cooler in cob buildings than being outside (unless you're in the forest;). In the winter, cob buildings allow for less wood burning since they release the heat they store when the fire goes out (assuming you are using a wood stove to heat). Waking up in a reasonably warm home is possible without oil, gas. or electricity! I wake up to 16º C all winter long without having a fire through the night. And even in the hottest part of summer, I never need air conditioning and rarely a fan (which is solar-powered). Add a greenhouse to the south side of your building and you can take a month off of your heating needs in both the Spring and Fall! I've already had a no fire day and night and it's not even March yet...unfortunately, Global Warming has to take some of that credit. But with a smart, south/SE-facing design, passive solar will heat your home for free whenever the suns shines. Helping the planet can really help you, too! Recycle? Who doesn't love to recycle? We've become experts at it and most households recycle much more than the garbage they produce. Well if you're a recycler, you're gonna love Fast Cob! There literally is ZERO waste with Fast Cob! Sure, you're going to spill some sand and clay here and there, but all of it can simply be put on another tarp for the next round of Fast Cob! brick making. Or left on the ground to build the cob subfloor...cob floors are gorgeous and if done right, you can tap dance to your heart's content with nary a mark left. What if we zoom ahead 400 or 500 years from now? What do we do with the cob buildings that have just started to crumble? Use the material to rebuild, of course! Can't say that for any of the material that goes into a typical NA home today, unfortunately. The easiest wall I ever built was from the wall that fell over. As embarrassing as that sounds, I was so grateful because not only did I learn (the hard way) to take tarping more seriously, I rebuilt that wall stronger and faster than ever before. All the material I needed was right there! Even the waste from trimming or the bits that fall off the wall when you're putting on bricks can be recycled or simply left to meld back into the earth. If the human species is wiped off the earth by Climate Change (likely because not enough people switched to Fast Cob!):, all our cob building will gently become one with with earth again, back where it came from. Conventional building practices produce garbage from 10-15% of the materials brought onto site. That includes nails, insulation, plastic, rebar, milled wood. These have and sometimes still do contain lead, asbestos and other hazardous substances. Not so with Fast Cob! Not only can you build your dream home without going into debt, you can build with a clean conscience and without the hassle and expense of throwing a large portion of your expensive building materials into the dump. Any "waste" on a Fast Cob! building site gently melds into the earth without costing you an arm or a leg. Next time, we'll look at health and beauty...it's not just for humans anymore! As you can read from the list of materials above, Fast Cob! buildings are truly healthy buildings, now and for hundreds of years to come. And this health and beauty is hand sculpted from the ground up...I can hardly wait to share more you!
If you have a craving to build your own cozy home, but have felt frustrated trying to make it happen, you are far from alone. You don't need me to tell you that the typical recipe of work, work, work (and then work some more) to save up for a down payment and then try to pay off the mortgage for the rest of your life, does not often bring joy and happiness, and can even end up with the hard worker poor and destitute and even homeless. And then there's the housing chicken and egg: when you have some time to consider building, you don't have the money. And when you are able to earn enough money, you don't have the time! I'm writing to you to say, YES, there is way to build your dream home without working yourself into a grave!!! I'm sure there are MANY other ways, but I know one and I want to share it with you. It not only brings me constant joy and happiness, but it has allowed me to build my dreams and do it without going into debt - at all! The path I chose started in 1996 when I took my first Cob Workshop. I was thrilled to learn how to build my own house...all in a week! My next challenge took longer: finding a place to build. But when I finally landed here on Lasqueti, I knew this was it. What I didn't know was that the method I learned to build with would exhaust me and not even get an outhouse completed. It was beyond slow. It required a sizable community to effectively build. And luckily for me, there was a burgeoning cob community right here on Lasqueti! So the Mudgirls and I organized the first workshop at our home. We agreed that the 9ft/3m-diameter utility shed would be completed in 1 workshop. So 4 hard-working women, an instructor, and I started. 6 full days later, we barely reached the top of the door frames; there was still another foot+ and a loft to go! So we organized a fall workshop, and it got us up to the first floor. Oh well, the first of the winter tarps was laid and the following summer, 10 people wanted to learn and help build! How could it not be done after those 6 days? Well, it wasn't. But I'll never complain because that workshop provided the birth of the revolutionary method that we now call Fast Cob! At the time, we coined the phrase: "4 corner Korean noodle take out" to describe the method that Soban literally invented in a couple of days of tinkering. Suddenly, I could mix much faster, and with practice and more tinkering, I estimate that I now mix 10x faster and use MUCH less of my own energy doing so. It's not as easy as lying on a couch, but I can do this all day, everyday and not be exhausted (which I can't say is true when I lay on a couch:). That workshop ended and I finished the utility shed in two weekends all by myself. Well, actually I had the help of a beautiful Arbutus tree who offered her body to allow me to pulley up buckets of Fast Cob! to the 2nd floor. In gratitude, I built the cedar shake roof around her generous self and she still seems as vibrant and alive as ever. Since then, I've been teaching others how to build with ease and joy. And now I want to share it with you. Fast Cob! is at least 10x faster to mix than "traditional" West Coast Cob, and it is up to 30x faster to put on a wall. But more importantly, it now compares to the speed of conventional building with wood. Fast Cob! can build a 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom cabin in a month. That's 1 person, working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. And it includes the foundation and roof and a finished coat of plaster. But how do you do all this and stay out of debt? There's no doubt that land costs will make this tricky. If you want to build in a populated area and own the land outright, it will cost a lot of money just to get started. But there are options here, too. Land co-ops are more common than you'd think. Often they are disguised as Stratas. Some require a commitment to the community but offer a almost free fee to join and maintain your membership. Bottom-line: it is possible to find land that is affordable for you to start building on. And once you do find a place to build... No debt is required to get your dream house on the ground! Cob is literally dirt-cheap! This is what I know: Fast Cob! needs material that is mostly sand and has enough clay to make it all stick together. We add straw for tensile strength, which basically keeps that sandcastle from melting in the waves. Water allows us to mix it all and activate the clay that will keep it stuck together for centuries. That's it. Dirt cheap. Sand and clay can literally be dug out of the ground. If you're lucky, your building site will provide all the material you need for free (if you dig by hand) or cheap (if you use a machine or hire someone to use a machine). I've hired people to bring it near our building sites with dump trucks. It would be a challenge to exceed a few thousand dollars here; the 400 sq ft 1 bedroom cabin would cost about $400. Straw can be grown or bought. But if you have another hollow grass/reed that is plentiful and nearby, use that, especially if it's free. This cost is at most hundreds of dollars; that cabin would cost at most $100. Doors and windows can be expensive. But they can also be free. Let's compromise and budget $500. Water can be the biggest delay to building, if you're starting on raw land without public water service. Always choose gravity feed over pumps. Don't go the easy route and buy pumps if you have any chance at all of using gravity to do the water collecting/transporting. Gravity always works; pumps will break, guaranteed. Starting from scratch to provide your own water for living and building can cost as little as a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Now your tools. Timber frame houses will cost you tens of thousands of dollars in tools. Fast Cob! will cost you about a hundred if you buy new and don't need a wheelbarrow. Let's be extravagant here and buy everything new, including a wheelbarrow: $300. Yes, you read that right, which includes a waterhose, spray nozzle with valve, tarps to mix on, level, shovel, and an (old) handsaw. Are you beginning to believe that building your dream home can be done without going into debt? I hope so because our budget for that 1 bedroom cabin just got up to $1,300. But we haven't factored in a foundation or a roof yet.... I prefer to build foundations out of real (free) rock. If you have access to free urbanite (broken concrete that is banned from most landfills), that would likely be easier but less lovely. If you really prefer concrete, you can do that, too. I'm not sure how much that would cost because it depends if cement trucks can get to you and if you do it yourself, the tool cost just went up. So I'm going to add together the cost of all of the foundations for the 6 buildings I've built and add that to our running total: $0. The roof, however, is far from free in my experience. Thatchers would likely disagree, but I don't have those skills (yet). I have built cedar shake roofs with shakes I've split myself, but believe it or not, that was much more expensive than the metal roofs I've purchased. And metal roofs are fireproof and SO much easier to put up. So I'll put a metal roof on our 1 bedroom cabin: $640 The rafters and purlins to support the roof can be free as well if you build near a forest. If not, then there's a significant cost, which I'll assume for you since there ain't much forest left on our planet (I'll get to more of that next email;). So for our cabin, let's add $400. The strapping for the roof is another $500. The ceiling is optional but would cost about $300 for tongue and groove pine. Screws are not cheap but won't break your budget either. Let's add $400 to be safe. Now there are other details to add, like kitchen counters, appliances and even a wood stove. All of these can be obtained for free or for a lot of money. I'll let you decide. Ignoring those details, our 400 sq ft, 1 bedroom cabin is $1,000 plus tools and the roof, which I've estimated to cost $2,240. Maybe you are a thatcher or have a friend that can do it for less. But if not, our dream cabin costs a total of $3,540!!! And it can be built by 1 person in 1 month with Fast Cob! That's right, less than $4,000. There are no missing zeros. The last new home price I rode by in Parksville said $419,000 plus GST. The GST alone is more than 5x the cost of our hand-crafted home. Yes, it IS possible to build your dream home and NOT go into debt. And in my next email I'll show you how it's possible to build your dream home and NOT destroy the planet...actually, we'll even help the planet...imagine that!
 I'm surprised that a person who is made up of 90% water would take so long to realize that water is truly the key to survival, but with this incredible drought on the "Wet" Coast, I now fully understand how critical water is to all life.
I was just sent some information that states that the average household uses 130,000 gallons of water per year. I still can't wrap my head around that number. We've setup a water system here - from scratch - that uses at most 4,000 gallons of water in 8 months. With the winter rains, we splurge and probably use 1 or 2,000 gallons the other 4 months. Of course, that doesn't include the garden, which uses about 3 or 4,000 gallons more. So for a year, we use at most 10,000 gallons of water each year. That's 8% of the average household! If I were interested in helping to sustain the unsustainable way of life in cities, I'd suggest that with our systems, you could have 13x more people using the same amount of water. But I'm not. I can't believe that any city will survive the mega-droughts to come. We may not be able to here, either. But I can say that our Natural Building and Living Apprenticeships and Workshops will give you all of this information and a lot more, firsthand, in person, so you can actually understand it and use it in your life. We don't require specialized courses as prerequisites, require irrelevant courses to increase your tuition bill, or make you sit in a classroom and talk at you so that 95% of the information is lost. We give you 30 hands-on sessions to learn everything YOU want to learn about Natural Building with Fast Cob! in a setting that is a bit more enjoyable than a classroom. Okay, that's a vast understatement. It's spectacular and gorgeous and life enhancing. And we practice water conservation with systems that are easy to use. In fact, they are more effective than if we didn't use them! And you gain all of this hands-on knowledge for the rest of your life: experiential learning has been proven over and over again to stay with the learner for life; that classroom setting may get 5% of the information into your brain, but your brain will then retain only 5% of that! If you're interested in learning what we have to offer, then please visit cob.lasqueti.ca\workshops and fill in an application form. We have 2 more workshops available this August. In the meantime, stay cool, stay hydrated, and enjoy the water while it lasts!  The first workshop of 2015 was held in the balmy month of May; our earliest workshop ever! And the weather was picture perfect, not too hot, not too cool, with just a splattering of rain. Day 1, as you can see below, proved to be the most productive day of all, with the wall of the Doggie Room growing almost 18" over a 10' long stretch! Try that with any other natural building method! You can see the workshop's progress Day-by-Day below, starting with Day 0 or the pre-workshop setting. The crowning achievement of this workshop was 3 window installations, including two giant double-paned ones that measure greater than 7' long. Of course, the true measure of success is the joy that each participant took away with her. To that, this seemed to be the ultimate success as they all left on the ferry together and continued the vibe for a few hours after. No doubt our fabulous cook Anne had a big part in putting that recipe together! Thanks to all for another magical week in Fast Cob! land!  Humans are builders. We love it. Put a child in a sandbox and watch her/him create amazing things, even if they are mostly in our minds. That's what I love about Fast Cob! I can build anything, all year 'round. From the home we live in, to the home our chickens will live in, a swimming pool, an oven, dog house, covered eating and storage area...the list just goes on and on... But why build with Fast Cob? I do because it's dirt cheap, fun to sculpt, incredibly durable and strong, and...fast! I still make the odd thing out of wood when I have it and cob wouldn't do the trick (movable cupboards, trailers, you get the idea), but it truly is easier and faster to just take from our pile of clay-y sand and start making stuff. For the first time ever, and possibly the last time, we are hosting workshops in May and June because we've got a giant tarp acting as our Fast Cob! big top. This circus won't be riding elephants or horses, but there likely will be some clowning around. Fast Cob! inspires the joy in all of us, as we literally create from the ground up, with enough speed to astound us but not so much to exhaust us. I can Fast Cob! all day, every day and still be coming back for more, it's that fun and sustainable. With just less than 2 weeks before our May 9-16 workshop begins, I'm putting out the call for at least two more Fast Cobbers-to-be. And to make it irresistible, I'm also announcing... A 2-for-1 May Workshop Last Minute Special!!! Click here to fill in our online application. We've only got room for 4 more folks, so you'd best act fast. We've got everything ready for you, and Anne has a great menu planed for us to enjoy 3 hot meals each day, with 2 tasty snacks in between. Each day is designed to lead you through the basic concepts (how to design, build foundations, find the best cob materials, integrate electrical and plumbing into your structure, naturally plaster, and top it all off with a long-lasting roof) as well as give you many opportunities to deepen your knowledge of Fast Cob! We want you to be able to start building anything you desire at the end of this week. We provide the tools and materials, as well as the instruction, nourishment, and campground (or you can upgrade to our very comfy queen sized bed in a Prospector's Tent). Every one of our 20+ workshops have turned into a magical week, and this year will be no exception. For more information and to access our on-line application, please visit our workshop page. The power of Fast Cob! is truly unique and formidable. I truly hope you'll experience it for yourself and see how you can build almost anything without bankrupting yourself, or destroying the planet! PS. We also have workshops throughout the summer:
But don't delay: our 2-for-1 Last Minute Special is only valid for our May 9-16, 2015 workshop and only until it is sold out...click here for more info and to apply now!   If you've been thinking about changing your life this year by taking a Natural Building Workshop, today is the last day to get your application in and take advantage of our Early Bird Discount. You'll save almost 20% off our regular workshop rate.
If you missed how you can build your own home and live debt-free - from the start! - please click here. If you want to help the planet AND build your own home, then check out how by clicking here. To find ALL the details about our workshops for 2015, please visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops. Our 2015 Fast Cob! Workshop Dates are:
Fast Cob! will allow you to build a modest sized home/shed/whatever in a short season...no other Natural Building technique can offer that without a battalion of friends and helpers. Fast Cob! will truly give you the skills and ability to build without worry of exhaustion or running out of inspiration and time. And Fast Cob! uses NO electricity, NO fossil fuels and creates NO noise. It's a joy to do and peaceful for everyone, even your neighbours! To send in your application form before midnight tonight, simply visit cob.lasqueti.ca/workshops, scroll to the bottom and fill in the form. I'll be in touch soon after to help you make 2015 the year you become a builder of healthy homes that don't harm our planet! PS. Your last chance to take advantage of our early bird discount of $150 is today, April 1st...and no, I'm not joking! Click here to get your application in now... Our Natural Building and Living Apprenticeship Early Bird Discount will disappear at midnight this evening.
Even if you aren't 100% sure whether this is your year, I encourage you to get your application in before midnight. You then have a week to make your final decision, and if it's a YES, you'll save $500! You simply won't find another programme like this anywhere else. You'll become fully capable of building your dream (and any other structure) AND you'll start to shed the childhood trauma that has become standard in our civilized upbringings. It's a long road but if you don't start, you simply can't reach the end. The best part of this programme for me is that Natural Building and Natural Living complement each other beautifully. Joy and ease naturally flow with the skills of Fast Cob! and working with the earth is naturally grounding and healing. Our last two apprentices have shared how this programme has changed their lives forever. You can read how here: cob.lasqueti.ca/blog. The worst part of this programme is that there are only 6 spots available for 2015. So I encourage you to act now by simply visiting cob.lasqueti.ca/apprenticeships and fill in the form at the bottom. If you think 2015 could be your year, then get your application in before midnight so you can transform you life AND save $500. I'd love to see you build and grow like you've never done before! All the best, Dave P.S. The Early Bird discount will end at midnight tonight but you can still qualify ONLY if you get your application in before midnight. I've had such powerful feedback about our programmes here, I have start by appreciating all the wonderful comments and support. It's a pleasure to help others realize that their dreams are possible, which our real numbers show beyond a doubt. Why go into debt, add to climate change and create a mountain of garbage when you don't need to. Even more importantly, why NOT create long-lasting health and beauty in your very own home! If you missed these messages, feel free to scroll down below. Now, I'd like to share more feedback about our Apprenticeship Programme from another past participant. Alex chose to stay for 2 months, which began with blazing hot weather and ended with cold and rain. He got to see firsthand how Fast Cob! is not just possible but effective in almost all weather. Here's what he first wrote specifically about his experience, soon after leaving: "Every day I appreciate what you taught me and continue to use my body in the city where it is constantly non-useful. I am "working" more on living from feeling." Our Natural Building and Living Apprenticeship makes daily space for those that are keen to live a life more to what resonates with their own heart. After disconnecting from ourselves to survive most childhoods, it's an understatement to say its challenging to re-find ourselves and restart our ability to feel. Alex has been in regular contact by email since his departure, which I'm very grateful for. To read of his continuing "work" in a journey so desired but so difficult is an honour and a joy. Here's another taste of how our Apprenticeship Programme has changed one Apprentice's life: "After the arch fell (when we were almost done) and you yelled "#@&!" and then started working again, I want to thank you for that experience because it works pretty well for me for now too, to express anger then move on." And the inspiration to build is as strong as ever: "As for cob, I finally may have a chance to do some serious test digs. The soil seems awesome to my knowledge from the digging I have done for other stuff." My greatest gift, however, is hearing how life is becoming more wonderful for Alex: "I think of you every single day when I imagine the possibilities for happiness in my self, for sur-thrive-al through climate change, and for wholeness in community. In myself "outside of" the apprenticeship, I am healing deeply through childhood, growing through stages of the continuum that I had never even known were possible, and generally accepting myself wholly and passing that to others, as you taught me to do!" " In short, thanks for all of your wisdom and inspiration, I am working in a whole new way in which I don't get lethargic and exhausted! Phew, thanks for listening to that about me, I have had this email on my mind for some time, and can't thank you enough for your role in my life." And although my daughter (Anicca) has no formal role in any of our Programmes, her presence, like any child's, provides other opportunities for insights that simply wouldn't otherwise exist: "Anicca has really taught me so much too. I end up talking about you two a lot in conversation about what humans are evolutionarily adapted to do, and paths to reconnect with ourselves that were roadblocked for us in childhood, and are continuously roadblocked by us in the present moment." As you can read, I'm blessed to have the opportunity to host this Apprenticeship Programme. And to read how past participants are continuing to grow and thrive is yet another blessing that I'm continually thankful for: "Every day feels so whole these days, and I appreciate your kindness in hosting me for those months, and remaining in contact with me today. Please let Anicca know I appreciate her too!" Again, this is an opportunity that you literally won't find anywhere else. And for 2015, we have only 6 spots available, period. If you, or someone you know, is interested in our Apprenticeship Programme, I urge you to act quickly. Not only will those 6 spots fill up fast, our Early Bird offer expires on Monday, March 23rd, 2015. If you'd like to apply, please do so asap so you'll have the best chance of being one of those 6 people that transform their lives into the joyful, natural state that all humans once enjoyed. To apply, simply visit cob.lasqueti.ca/apprenticeships, read through all the details, and fill in the form at the bottom. I truly hope each of us achieve our dreams...sooner than later! PS. Remember, the sooner you apply to our Apprenticeship Programme, the greater your chance of getting in and getting your preferred month!
That's what we are calling Super-Fast Cob! Works wonders to start off walls of any size, as well as cob staircases (behind Willy is an all Super-Fast Cob! staircase).
Let's hope we don't discover something even faster...Super-Duper Fast Cob?!     The sun was shining, the air full of Spring. What better than to Cob!
And a Fridge was born. Naturally cooling, reusing an insulated door, this fridge will simply be cobbed into the north-facing wall of the kitchen. No electricity needed, no drafts created. It still needs a paint job and a screen but all the cobbin's done! In the cooler parts of the year, food will keep for many days, even weeks. The Winter of 2014/5 had at most a few hours of zero and below temperatures, so freezing is likely not a concern even in the deep of winter. In the warmer parts of the year, food will keep for a few days only. I'll post how long when I get a chance to thoroughly test. I'm blessed with an efficient chest-style refrigerator that runs on 12V DC power generated by the sun, so critical items keep for as long as needed even in the hot times. But I'll be curious to know just how long non-critical items will keep in this zero-energy creation.... |
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