Introduction to Urban Cob
April 27 -May 1, 2006
Location: Ventura, CA
Cost: $650
Instructor: Betty Seaman

www.cobcottage.com/

Notes:

Fee Includes all meals. Discounts available for early enrollment.
Camping or lodging will be off site and is not included in course fee.


Description:

What is Cob?

Earth is probably still the world's commonest building material. The word
cob comes from an old English root meaning a lump or rounded mass. Cob
building uses hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed with sand and
straw, a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay.
Cob is easy to learn and inexpensive to build. Because there are no forms,
ramming, cement or rectilinear bricks, cob lends itself to organic shapes:
curved walls, arches and niches. Earth homes are cool in summer, warm in
winter. Cob's resistance to rain and cold makes it ideally suited to cold
climates like the Pacific Northwest, and to desert conditions.

Cob has been used for millennia even in the harsh climates of coastal
Britain, at the latitude of the Aleutians. Thousands of comfortable and
picturesque cob homes in England have been continuously occupied for many
centuries and now command very high market values. With recent rises in the
price of lumber and increasing interest in natural and environmentally safe
building practices, cob is enjoying a renaissance. This ancient technology
doesn't contribute to deforestation, pollution or mining nor depend on
manufactured materials or power tools. Earth is non-toxic and completely
recyclable. In this age of environmental degradation, dwindling natural
resources, and chemical toxins hidden in our homes, doesn't it make sense
to return to nature's most abundant, cheap and healthy building material?

Workshop Registration

For more information or to learn about any new workshops not yet listed on
this site, please contact the Cob Cottage Company:

     Cob Cottage Company
     Box 123
     Cottage Grove, OR 97424

     Phone (541) 942-2005, FAX (541) 942-3021
     Office hours are usually Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 - 5:00 PST

    You can also contact the Workshop Host:
    Rachel Morris
    (805)648-1267
    rachelmorris@earthlink.net
    http://songlabs.com/cob/ project blog and flyers

Discounts, Trades, and Scholarships:

For most workshops we offer discounts as follows:

     * 20% discount for FULL payment received 90 days in advance
     * 10% off for full payment over 30 days (60 days for Mexico workshops) in advance
     * 10% off for families and friends coming together (cumulative)
     * 25% discount to graduates of previous Cob Cottage Co. week long or longer workshops.
     * Maximum total discount is 25%
     * Some workshops are not handled by CCC, so our discounts may not apply.  Ask for contact info.

To support deconsumerization, we offer some partial trades and scholarships
to people who can demonstrate serious movement towards simplification and
away from the cash economy. Ask us for more information. We encourage
others to help improve the world by doing the same. Fees and Registration:

     * The basic fee for all Cob Cottage workshops includes tuition, materials,
       three vegetarian meals daily (unless otherwise noted), and usually
       camping (see "notes" in your workshop's specifics).
     * Group size is limited, so workshops often fill early.  Phone us to
verify
       that space is available.
     * A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a space, $150 for up to
       10-day workshops, $400 for longer ones.
     * The remainder of the fee should be paid 30 days before the workshop
       begins.
     * Withdrawals within 10 days of the workshop may forfeit the fee.  All
       payments are cash or POSTAL MONEY ORDERS please.  We cannot process
       checks or bank drafts or cashiers checks.

Expect some changes. We suggest you contact The Cob Cottage Company before
making travel plans.

Registration form, please print and mail to: Cob Cottage Company
                                              Box 123
                                              Cottage Grove, OR 97424

__ Enroll me in a cob building workshop (See current workshop schedule for
    information, deposits, and prices):
    Workshop Title: _____________________________________________________

    Dates:_______________  Location:___________________________
    I have enclosed:
       __ $150 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit (10 day or shorter workshops)
       __ $400 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit (longer than 10 day workshops)

    $_________ Full payment (includes NON-REFUNDABLE amount: $150 for 10 day or
                            shorter workshops and $400 for longer workshops)

__ I'd like to learn more about becoming a Cob Cottage Company apprentice.

Payment: Note the prices shown are U.S. dollars and are for postal money
orders
          or cash. We can't process credit cards.  (Our experience is that
          concealed cash is very safe in the U.S. Mail.)  There is a $3.00
check
          processing fee for U.S. checks and for any other currency.  Checks
          should be made payable to Linda Smiley.  When sending cash
through the
          mail, please make sure that it is not visible through the envelope.

Total Enclosed:  $ ________________