One Earth, Many Mixtures

Building with the earth beneath your feet is one of the most empowering, satisfying, and affordable ways to build. So why don't more people do it?

Because most people never learn how earth building materials actually work.

Cob, adobe bricks, mud mortars, daubs, earthen floors, and light clay straw are all made from the same basic ingredients: clay, sand, and fibre. The way to use them isn't by memorising a recipe; it's understanding how those ingredients work together, and how changing their proportions creates materials suited to different jobs.

You can find plenty of natural building courses that show you how to make cob or adobe. But if you've ever wondered why one mixture works for a load-bearing cob wall while another is needed for a mortar or a floor, you're in the right place.

Who is this course for?

Future owner-builders: People who want to build their own home, workshop, studio, garden room, or outbuilding using natural materials but don't know where to start. This is for you!

Natural Builders: If you're already in the game but wanting to completely understand mud mixtures.

People restoring old buildings: Whether you have a cob cottage, an adobe farmhouse, or a timber-framed building with daub infill, this course will be very useful.

Homesteaders and self-reliance enthusiasts: People interested in resilience, low-impact living, and reducing dependence on industrial materials will love what they learn here.

Permaculture and sustainable living enthusiasts: If you are fascinated by natural materials and want to experiment with ovens, benches, walls, sheds, or hen coops, this course will totally meet your needs.

Students of traditional building and heritage building: This includes architects, designers, conservation volunteers, and craftspeople who enjoy learning about vernacular construction.

This course is about understanding earth as a building material.

You'll learn what makes clay such a remarkable binder, how to identify and test your own soil, and how to adjust the proportions to create mixtures that are suited to different jobs. Rather than relying on a single recipe (which doesn't work), you'll understand the principles behind every mix, giving you the confidence to work with the soil beneath your feet wherever where you live.

Along the way you'll learn how to make and test structural cob, produce durable adobe bricks, mix and apply mud mortar, create effective repair mortars, make daub that stays firmly attached to a wattle frame, prepare the correct mixture for earthen floors, and understand the basics of light clay straw

Whether you're planning to build an entire home or simply want to understand how traditional earth building materials really work, this course will give you the knowledge to turn the soil beneath your feet into strong, durable building materials.

What you will learn:

• What is cob, adobe, mortar, wattle and daub, and light clay straw.
• Understanding clay. Where to find it and how much to use in any given mixture.
• The fast and smart way to test your soil to use it for construction.
• How to create a tough cob mixture that will hold up a roof.
• How to test all your mixtures for strength.
• How to make an adobe brick.
• How to mix mud mortar.
• How to apply mud mortar to bricks.
• How to create a mud mixture for repairs to any type of mud building.
• Wattle and daub. How to create a basic wattle structure and and a daub that will hang on it.
• The correct mixture for an earthen floor, and the basics of laying it.
• What is light, clay straw? And how to make it.

By the end of this course, you'll understand how earth building materials work and how to create the right mixture for each application.