COB
Cob is a mixture of sand clay and straw- wet enough to mold yet dry enough to build up without forms. Walls are built up to be monolithic, which gives them greater strength in earthquakes. Cob invites your creativity to be expressed in the process of building your space: living space, meditation space, work space, sleeping space, play-space. Build curved walls, arches, and niches. And who says that walls are flat? All it takes to make the step towards your dream space is a fairly short learning process, to gain a sense for the material. A fun way of learning is to participate in a workshop, where you work on a structure and learn hands-on, with opportunity to discuss your ideas with others, pick up knowledge of the whole process and meet new friends

LIGHT CLAY
Light clay comes from an old German clay  technique.  Loose straw is tossed into a clay slip and then stuffed into temporary forms for infill of a wood frame structure.  Ideal for plasters; it is light weight, insulative, non load bearing and great for soundproofing.

STRAW BALE
Straw bales are stacked like blocks to form the walls of a structure (load bearing or infill for post & beam).  The bales are then covered with plaster.  Straw bale walls are highly insulative (up to R40) and sound proof. They also work great in combination with cob.

RAMMED EARTH
This is the process where sand, clay, silt & gravel are mixed on the ground with 5% - 10% cement.  A small amount of water is added and is thoroughly mixed with a roto-tiller.  This semi-dry mixture is then dumped into forms which vary 1 and 2 feet in thickness.  This is then rammed either by hand or a power tamper.  When the desired wall height is reached, the form is removed and set up adjacent to the previous wall.  The process is then repeated.  A continuous reinforced concrete bond beam ties the wall together.

NATURAL FINISHES
Plasters: Clay comes in a variety of beautiful colours.  Clay plasters breathe and work great on straw bale, cob and rammed earth. These are also very easy to apply and work with.
Colour: Natural pigments open the palette for washes, fresco and stains.  The pigment is mixed directly into the plaster or slip and then applied. You are only limited by you imagination.