Building with Cob in Mexico

(This workshop is now FULL.  If you wish to be placed the waiting list you may contact coenraad.

Dates: January 10-16

Location:Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico

Instructors: Coenraad Rogmans and friends

Cost: $450

For the third time, House Alive will venture off to beautiful Zipolite, Mexico to teach a “Basics of Cob” workshop. Join us for a great learning experience, and a wonderful way to escape the winter blues while helping to bring cob to other parts of the world.

Zipolite is a sleepy seaside village in Southwestern Mexico, a true travelers paradise, with a low key, shoestring style tourist industry, 80 degree weather in January and a spectacular (warm) ocean. It is also home to several cob buildings that have resulted from House Alive’s effort to reinvigorate earthen building in this part of the world. To look at pictures from one of our previous projects, click here.

Project overview: This year’s project will build the walls of an already existing pole-framed structure. The building, perched atop a hill with an incredible view of the ocean, will serve as a house for a local resident. All aspects of cob building will be taught during this mostly hands-on workshop.  There will be lectures and demonstrations to explain techniques, but mostly we will be encouraging you to get your hands dirty by working directly with the material.

Daily Schedule: From 8 am until 2 pm we will build and learn while we are working on the project.  The rest of the time is for you to enjoy a beach vacation, go swimming, read, and relax. We are fortunate enough to be working on the house of a world renowned yoga teacher who will give free optional yoga lessons just for our group in the late afternoon.

What you will learn: Cob is the “mother” of all natural building techniques. We say this because the materials are universally available, the techniques are easy to learn, and the resulting buildings are beautiful and comfortable. No wonder that building with earth is still practiced by about 1/3 of the world population.

We will train you in all aspects of cob building in order to give you the knowledge and skills to build your own cottage:

• Site location and preparation
• Foundations
• How to make the best cob and where to find the materials
• Wall building
• Installing windows, doors, electricity and plumbing
• Roofs, insulation, earthen floors and plasters

During time off there will be opportunities for singing, playing volleyball on the beach and enjoying cool drinks while admiring the sunsets. (From  Zipolite’s South facing beach you can watch the sun rise and set over the ocean!)

Food and accommodations: In order to keep the workshop affordable and to enable people to shape their own holiday experience, accommodations are not included in the price. The town is full of affordable places to stay ($10 – $50 per night) and all within walking distance of the building site and the beach (many are right on the beach!).  Reservations are not necessary. After you have registered we will send you more information and recommendations.

There is also an opportunity to camp on the homestead where we will be building, for $5 per night. The land is a micro dairy (5 cows) and also the home of our Dutch friend Rens and his Mexican family. Rens has built a beautiful adobe house, made from the same local soil that we will be using. The homestead is about a 10 minute walk from the beach.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided by our host and is included in the workshop cost. For dinner you can enjoy any of the many fine restaurants that line the beach. There are also several small grocery stores with fresh fruits and vegetables.

How to get there: The closest airport is Huatulco (HUX), which has direct flights from Mexico City and Houston. Last year we were able to fly round trip from Houston to Huatulco for about $350. From Huatulco, an hour taxi ride will get you to Zipolite for about $40. It is possible to reach Zipolite by public transportation from the airport, which will cost much less but take longer. After you have registered for the workshop, feel free to contact us with questions about travel options.

Register: Reserve your spot now by visiting our registration page!  This workshop is limited to 16 participants.