Here is our complete 2025 Fast Cob Workshop Schedule:
- May 15-19 - Focus on Finishing; Thursday to Monday over May Long Weekend (7)
- June 19-23 - All the Basics of Building from Thursday to Monday (4)
- August 7-11 - Roofing for Cobbers from Thursday to Monday (7)
Bonus: Receive discounts for each workshop if you register for more than one at the same time.
2024 created more highly skilled and very creative Fast Cobbers for our planet...thanks to all who participated and contributed your amazing energy and ideas in our Natural Building Workshops!
To sign up for a workshop, simply fill in the application form at the bottom of this page...
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Fast Cob is a Revolution in Building
All of our Natural Building Workshops are led and facilitated by the builder of a 900 sq.ft. split level Cob Home. This home was built in 5 months during 2016. About 80% of it was built by one person - your workshop instructor - on his own. He had help putting up the floor and roofing beams as well as the giant windows and skylights, but 90% of the cobbing was done alone and most of it was concentrated into 2 months. That's the power of this technique that we call Fast Cob! Compare that to his first building, built with the traditional West Coast Cob technique: a 64 sq.ft. utility shed that needed 28 people and 2 building seasons to complete. 900 sq.ft built in 550 person-hours with Fast Cob. 64 sq.ft. built in 648 person-hours with the traditional method. The roots of Fast Cob sprouted in that first building when a man born and raised in Korea (Soban) came to a workshop in 2007 but didn't like the mixing technique. He spent a few days incorporating his noodle-making technique and revolutionized our building life! For the past 18 years, that noodle-making technique has been enhanced and tweaked to make Fast Cob at least 30x faster to mix and up to 30x faster to build with. Two different professional carpenters trained to build entire structures are convinced that Fast Cob is at least as fast as building with wood with power tools! Only cob will last at least 5x longer, creates zero garbage, is 1/3 or less of the cost, has almost no maintenance, and insects and vermin can't get in. And you can build it all on your own without power or machines! Fast Cob is a serious revolution in Natural Building. And we want to share this gift with you and the world! (Natural) Building has never been so easy... and as of 2021, it got even easier and faster! Come and Learn for Yourself! |
Our Natural Building Workshop Offerings...
Beginning on a Thursday evening for dinner, and ending on Monday with breakfast, we continue our 19 year tradition of hosting Natural Building and Living Workshops...
Every All-the-Basics-of-Building Fast Cob Workshop includes:
Natural Building Design: working with nature to make long lasting, beautiful structures;
Fast Cob: how to mix it and build with it, including windows and doors;
Foundations: how we stack rocks to keep our buildings solid and safe;
Roofs: we'll show you various options and simple, elegant designs;
Plumbing and Electrical: you'll see how easy it is with Fast Cob!
Healthy, Hearty Food: we serve you hot, homemade organic fare.
Every All-the-Basics-of-Building Fast Cob Workshop includes:
Natural Building Design: working with nature to make long lasting, beautiful structures;
Fast Cob: how to mix it and build with it, including windows and doors;
Foundations: how we stack rocks to keep our buildings solid and safe;
Roofs: we'll show you various options and simple, elegant designs;
Plumbing and Electrical: you'll see how easy it is with Fast Cob!
Healthy, Hearty Food: we serve you hot, homemade organic fare.
Depending upon the workshop you choose, you'll take away a different set of skills, but everyone will be encouraged to enjoy every single moment! The pace is always relaxed...
Focusing on FinishingTogether, we'll learn...
We've made finishing not only gorgeous, but very easy. That breakthrough also came in the summer of 2021. Our lime plaster is perfect for areas subjected to water spray (like showers and sinks). The sand plaster is limit-less in its applications and making. Our natural paints are completely non-toxic at every stage and as vibrant as any other pigment, ranging from bright white, to yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blue, purple and black. All from our Mother Earth. Note: we do not do any mixing or building using our revolutionary Fast Cob techniques during the Finishing Workshop. |
All the Basics of Building You'll get a full sense of our Fast Cob technique and if you're keen, develop the muscle memory that will stay with you forever. Everything we use is completely natural and everything you learn can be done anywhere on the planet, with no need for electricity or machines. Of course, this short course is not enough to go off and start building a large-scale home on your own without prior experience, but it is more than enough to start with an oven, shed or other smaller project.
Our building technique has been significantly faster than traditional West Coast Cob for over a decade, and now we've tweaked our mixing speed to go from 10x to at least 30x faster! Anyone can use our technique and build all day, alone or with a group. And it won't take long for you to gain the skills to be able to build faster than any other method known to humans! In between each hands-on Fast Cob session, we'll look at foundations, electrical and plumbing, roofs, and general design. You get everything you need to go off and start building on your own because we design every workshop around you and your specific needs. Whether you're just curious about Fast Cob or ready to start building naturally, this course is definitely for you! Note: we don't do any finishing in this workshop; we gradually build up your mixing and building speed throughout the 9 workshop sessions. |
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Our Workshops begin on a Thursday evening with a welcoming dinner and end with a Farewell breakfast on Monday before you depart on the 11 am ferry.
Food, Food, and more Food! Every workshop day, we start with a hot, hearty breakfast (with a Q&A), after which we start cobbing. Two morning, hands-on learning sessions sandwich a hearty snack break, A hot, hearty lunch (with another Q&A session) precede two afternoon sessions to make sure we have the strength and stamina to absorb all the learning we can. After an hour break to clean-up, a hot dinner accompanies a daily recap on lessons learned and sets the stage for an evening discussion among ourselves or with an invited guest from the Community. |
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Remember, human-powered building is still hard work, no matter how efficient the building technique. But since 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. This building site, and the materials for this building, were selected to make it as easy as possible to build an earthen structure.
The pace is casual and you set your own; the more effort you give, the more learning you will naturally take away. Natural Building is at least 95% experiential learning and you will be expected to self-motivate throughout the 4 daily scheduled sessions. But remember that these are NOT work camps, they are workshops where the primary focus is on your learning of a technique that never existed in all of human history before we developed it. |
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The cost of these 5 day workshops is $1259 which covers all meals (3 hot organic meals prepared for you for each of the 3 full workshop days, plus a welcoming dinner and a good-bye breakfast on the final day), on-site camping with running, potable water, hot or cool showers, and 6 hours of hands-on instruction every workshop day. We use locally-grown, organic ingredients whenever possible.
We also offer accommodations on a reservation basis only in two cob cottages (one has a single bed, the other a queen) and a guest (prospector) tent with a queen bed. If you're interested, please include this in your application below. Note that there is an extra charge for the cottages or guest tent, and it includes an organic towel set, pillows, fresh sheets, blankets, and a comforter/duvet.
Any two people who apply and register together receive a $200 discount (i.e., $100 each). Any one person who registers for two workshops at the same time receives a $200 discount per workshop. And any one person who registers for three workshops at the same time receives a $300 discount per workshop! We are determined to create more Fast Cobbers in this world! (Please note that discounts can not be combined.)
A person is considered registered and a spot in your choice of workshop is held for you ONLY after an application is submitted and a non-refundable deposit of $400 is made.
Although extremely rare, sometimes powers greater than our own prevent us from doing what we planned. If you find yourself unable to attend the workshop you've registered for, here is our cancellation policy: more than a month's notice, 100% refund minus the non-refundable deposit; 1 month to 2 weeks notice, 50% refund; 2 weeks or less notice, no refund.
Obviously, please let us know if you have to cancel, and we'll do everything we can to help you recover the non-refundable costs of the workshop. We run these workshops on a very tight shoestring, so we simply can't give full refunds at the last minute and continue to offer the workshops. We hope you will understand.
Please also note that women and families are especially encouraged to apply. Barters or trades are always considered.
PLUS...Our Newest Workshops!
Advanced CobThis is the 2nd year that we offer this workshop; it was such a success in 2023 that we are doing it again.
This workshop will take your skills to the next level! During this 3 day intensive, we'll immerse you in the intimidating step of attaching rafters to cob walls. This involves cobbing the rafters into place after determining the height and pitch of the roof...easily the most complicated task of building any building, regardless of material. But as we do it, you'll notice an increase in speed and ease of making cob since you've already got All-the-Basics. During this workshop, you will alternate mixing for others and building with what others mix for you. Our discussions will tease out these speed enhancements so you can take them home and make your next build noticeably easier and faster. |
Roofing for CobbersAfter building almost 20 roofs of 5 different materials, including Lasqueti's Arts Centre, it's time to share these skills with you. I've delayed this offering because being off the ground is inherently dangerous, but this year we'll have a roof design that uses two different "shed" styles that will be easily accessible from low, stable scaffolding. Of course, safety will be foremost in our minds at all times.
The roof itself will be made of metal, the longest-lasting (other than slate) and lowest cost (over its lifespan) material currently available. We'll see and examine liquid membrane roofs, hand-split cedar shake roofs, and many other metal roof examples in between our workshop sessions. Every roof has multiple layers, and we'll experience installing all the standard ones: the main decking, tar paper, and then the metal itself. We'll also install a glass skylight that is far from standard but has proven to work like a charm without the exorbitant cost of building in and buying commercial skylights. |
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What else makes these courses special?
- You 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, squatting, kneeling, sitting or using a table, so that you can mix at least 20 times faster than the traditional west coast method (and twice as fast as a machine!) and with much less effort, too!
- Using our "brick” method, you'll learn how we get walls up as much as 30x faster than ever before! Building 4 foot high walls in one day is now possible!
- 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 and/or keep your community of builders interested and inspired to keep building with you.
- You can join a growing network of Fast Cobbers to help or get help with existing and future projects around North America, Europe, and Asia!
Here's some feedback that we've received from previous workshop participants:
"Delightful, i enjoyed the holistic approach, willingness to be flexible and allow for the experience to be fluid! Wabi Sabi! To be honest i expected to work harder!" – Lars from Missouri...10/10
"The best thing that happened is I really feel able to build my own cob house!!!!" – Christine
"Wonderful, challenging, thought-provoking, exhausting, delicious, green, delightful in every way." – Dani
"Really appreciated your patience and inclusion with the kids. Still talking about the sand train. And great to have them feel comfortable working on your home - they weren't worried about doing something wrong or messing something up. Made for much more relaxed parents! Also appreciate your laid back approach, as it makes it so much easier with young ones." – Jenna and Jamie
"Overall, my experience at the workshop was empowering and a wonderful learning experience in natural building and collaboration. The workshop is unique in being tailored to individuals, encouraging them to envision their own projects, as well as providing an exercise in cooperation through various cob techniques. It was incredibly inspiring to see the cob walls growing up around us throughout the week, a physical manifestation of our joint efforts and collaboration. The workshop was really interactive, and was not only limited to building with cob, but was also an exercise in healthy lifestyle, from great food to open spaces for questions and discussion and learning about sustainable living in multiple areas of your life. It is unbelievably empowering to think that I can design and build my own house the way I want, and actively do this while building community and not going into debt!" – Libby
"The instruction was thoughtful and experience based. It encouraged experimentation to determine what worked best for us. The kids had a great time, and travelling on the sand train was extra fun." – Sachiko and Jeff
"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'" – Claire...10/10
"The experience was great and I learned more than I ever imagined! Dave is a knowledgeable and very patient instructor!" – Tom...10/10
"My questions were answered thoroughly and I felt I came away with a pragmatic and in-depth understanding of subject matter I was unfamiliar with prior to the workshop. I was initially worried I wouldn't have enough food because I tend to eat a lot throughout the day, but I was really happy to have more food than I could possibly consume in a day. The pace was set by the needs of the participants." – Sophee...11/10
"I appreciated the time you took to teach and answer questions. Content is great with the view on the other details such as electricity, roofing, plumbing, foundation. I am glad that you thought about including this." – Marina...10/10
"Instruction was excellent. Dave knows and lives cob and this is evident in his responses to questions posed by workshop attendees. His approach is knowlegable and professional in a gentle, patient and accepting manner. Dave is clear he still learns something new every day he cobs and welcomes new ideas and approaches toward cobbing. He believes we all bring something new to the table and is genuinely excited (in his calm way of course!) when we have a suggestion or idea which makes an aspect of the cob process easier."
– Rick
"Excellent!! The workshop was unexpectedly fun with work with people!! Meaningful to meet those people at same motivation to learn Cob at the same time. Step by Step Dave’s planted instructions were impressively organized." – Yoko...10+/10
"Far exceeded my expectations. First in
the area of increased cob knowledge for me especially as it relates to the materials
found on Lasqueti. In my spiritual tradition, we are taught that the only true knowledge occurs through
experience (not through books or lectures). I really enjoyed the hands/feet-on approach
to learning so that we learned to “feel” our way to correct fast cob." – Tejomaya
"Excellent, the workshop exceeded my expectations as the focus was solely on learning, not on labour...the instruction and answers to questions were perfectly thorough and clear....the food was Wonderful" – Alex
"This was a wonderful experience and I couldn't of expected anymore! This was positive in everyway, thank you! The time went too fast!" – Opal...9.5/10
"You always had thoughtful and insightful answers to any of my questions...I liked how the pace was determined by the participants." – Andrew...9.95/10
"I enjoyed how you let us experiment and fail and learn on the fly." – Luke...10/10
"I thought that the content was great! I liked to see the results of living and building by trial and error and seeing the things that you learned along the way. I also enjoyed getting an overview of off grid living in general and being able to ask questions as they came up." – Jessica...10/10
"In short, everything was a 10, but I want to also say that the overall experience was amazing. Spending 5 days at your piece of paradise was a pleasure in all ways and left lasting impressions, inspiration, and food for thought. Specifically about the workshop, the pace, content and delivery were all just right for Sylvie and me. We were able to learn not just by listening and watching, but by being encouraged try things our own way, to make mistakes, and experiment. As we hadn't had any experience with cob, this was a great way to get started.
Pre-arrival info and instructions were super clear and timely. Your help in getting us to and from the workshop made it easy and not stressful to both come to Lasqueti and return in a leisurely way.
The food was delicious, plentiful and nourishing. We have tried to mimic the 'Appa sauce' recipe Anicca shared with us. Ours was okay, but not quite as tasty... we'll have to keep trying. ;-) The food, the hosts, the company, the setting all made for highly enjoyable mealtimes.
The amenities were also great. The tent was nice and spacious and the bed very comfortable and blankets warm. We slept so well every night, in spite of those rowdy frogs. It was also very cool to use the composting toilets and no tp method regularly and get used to that perfectly primeval routine.
Coming back to 'on-the grid-city life' was overwhelming after 5 days of learning and living as we did while at the workshop. We left feeling calm, relaxed and inspired. Even though learning about cob was the objective of the workshop, we also experienced first-hand a way of life that feels right for these times.
Thank you, Dave and Anicca for everything. We are truly grateful for all you did to make the workshop what it was." – Karin
"The experience was far more than I expected. It really did feel like we were part of a larger family for the duration of the workshop. My 10 year old son was shy in the beginning and not keen on participating but within a day was in their getting his hands dirty and interacting with everyone, who were all very patient and engaging with him. The process of working with cob is certainly less intimidating now and it is something that I can see us all being able to work with and create something. Dave is very slow and thorough with his explanations and sharing of experiences. He was honest about his learning and eager to share. The content was very deep and easy to take in. He made it all seem very possible and not daunting at all. All questions were answered and when an immediate answer was not available he was able to talk it through and open to other participants feedback. The organization was outstanding. Dave was prompt in all his replies and very welcoming from the start when he met us at the ferry. The schedule for the day was well laid out and communicated and we were sent off as friends. The food was plenty and wonderful!" – 2023 Graduate
“It was empowering! I really feel like in a short week like I can get going on building my own cob house!” – Jodi
"The whole experience was amazing. It was a great sample of a wholesome, healthy lifestyle. Working outdoors in nature with the fresh air and sunshine was great. By days end, a good healthy tired was felt. This was probably the healthiest week of my life. The biggest take away that I have come away with is the confidence that I can build a cob home. Very empowering." – Gary
"I feel like you transferred your knowledge on cob really well...the food was amazing!" – Jan...9/10
"I feel that in the workshop I learnt much more than just cob. I learnt about myself and the world around me through cobbing and connecting with like minded people. It exceeded my expectations in every aspect. I feel empowered and prepared to build my own home.
I found that the way you let us learn through hands on experience really works. I found there was a good balance between explaining and discussing with hands on learning." – Ben...11/10
"You are very a patient man Dave. I asked many questions, some times more than once, you took the time to answer them and even reworded or showed by example so I would better understand.” – Ena...10/10
"I would have liked a slightly larger workshop with more people, but otherwise I was happy. ” – Victor...8/10
“Transformative and empowering!” – Kate
"It was a great adventure! I'm glad we went. We learned a lot and met some great people. I REALLY appreciated that we got to work at our own pace and didn't feel like we had to do everything a certain way.” – Beatrice
“Very instructive and hands-on.” – Matt
"100%. Professional, thorough, and authentic. Felt comfortable to ask any question. You are the only person practicing fast cob and I believe this is an important empowering method for all kinds of people. This is very unique.” – Anissa
"My overall experience was fantastic. The course gave me the hands-on experience and confidence I was looking for. I am so much more comfortable working with the material.
"The instruction was great throughout the workshop. Dave was always open to questions, and gave thorough answers and demonstrations. His delivery was relaxed, and we were left to work at our own pace. The content covered almost everything I'd need to know to build a house. I appreciated that Dave took us around the site and explained what he had learned from previous projects, as well as things that we didn't build like roofing and foundations." – Lori
"Loved how everything was hands on, informative, fun!...all instructions and directions easy to follow...amazing food...organically paced, good flow.” – Sylvia...10/10
“You have no idea how excited I am that I now pretty much know how to build a house out of dirt.” – Kate
“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.” – Terry
"BRILLIANT!
On a sensational level, simply being out in the woods learning with our hands and bodies in the BC weather with clay, straw and sand was a tonic to busy city life. On a personal level; David and Anicca were patient teachers, kind hosts as well as the funnest folks to hang out with. This was brilliant and felt unstructured, which we really enjoyed! We would not suggest you change the style ever. You knew what we were doing and (weather dependent) had each day planned; but we proceeded in such a relaxed and casual manner that it gave a sense of freedom to move on to the next stage or various other projects available for our learning or to stop and ask as many questions as we needed (we had many, many questions..!). This felt good and was very liberating! You answered all of our non-stop questions thoroughly, whether over meals or over cowpats, but the teaching felt so friendly and unconventional that we only realized the magnitude of everything we had learned a few days later, when we were going over our notes and discussing techniques :) We missed you guys the second we left and still do. You have such kindness and peace between you and that radiated on to us and through us in the next steps of our journey until now. I actually found the freedom of self-expression in such safe surroundings during the infamous Talent Night, to be the most important part of the whole workshop.” – Maryla and Geoff
Our workshop facilitator - Appa Dave
Dave Olsen completed a cob workshop led by Ianto Evans in 1996 and has had mud (and sourdough) on his hands ever since. He began hosting Natural Building workshops in 2007, began instructing the revolutionary "Fast Cob" mixing and building methods in 2009, and turned 60 in 2023. Based on off-the-grid Lasqueti Island, he also hosts an apprenticeship that goes well beyond Natural Building, helping people develop responsible and environmentally sustainable lifestyles with enjoyment and ease. Dave has been very fortunate to have worked with many of the leading cob builders of our time and to have a dynamic, cob- and bicycle-loving daughter (and dogs!).
How to apply...
To receive an application form, just email Dave: cob at lasqueti dot ca
Here’s hoping you can Experience the Beauty of Natural Building and Fast Cob soon!
