Call us:
01297 444275 or 07949 241815
Email Us:
Cob courses, school workshops and cob commissions
Learn to build your cob home or garden studio
We’ll show you how easy it is to build with cob to create your own affordable, sustainable and beautiful cob home or cob garden studio or office. No building experience is necessary. Anyone can do it! We aim to be the most comprehensive and inspiring cob building course out there. Based in Lyme Regis.
Meet your tutor!
Kate Edwards
After many years working as an Art Psychotherapist Kate was looking for a new challenge when she discovered a cob building course in Ireland. She attended the 3-week course and then continued to learn and work in cob, initially building beautiful cob and straw-bale art studios for clients.
She then built her own award winning co-bale home in Norfolk and began running her earth building courses. To date Kate has taught thousands of people from around the world how to build with earth.
4-day complete cob building course
You will leave empowered and confident to tackle your own project with all the practical know-how and theory you need. We share the latest research and regulations with you and will advise you on your own individual projects if you already have ideas or plans in mind. You will leave the course ready to make your dream a reality.
The 4-day cob course will take place at our new bespoke cob training location in the hills in Uplyme, Lyme Regis. The course includes mouth-watering homemade lunches and cakes. We take the eating as seriously as the cob building so you can expect a delicious 4 days!
Who is our course designed for?
We have created a workshop that meets the learning needs of most people. If you’re a professional in the construction industry or serious about building your own home we cover all the essential topics of building regulations, planning and structural engineering details. If you are planning a smaller scale project we will inspire you to think creatively about what is possible. And if you are just after a new experience you can expect a great fun course packed with new information and friendly people. No previous building experience is required – the course is for everyone. People of all ages and walks of life come and join us here to learn about earth building.
Where exactly is the course? & What the 4-day complete cob building course covers:
Our workshops run at our own bespoke cob site in Uplyme, on the edge of Lyme Regis on the Devon/ Dorset border in the UK. The idea behind the 4-day course it that you will leave at the end and be confident and fully equipped to go away and build your own cob or earth house, garden studio or shed. We will arm you with all the theory and practical skills to make your cob building dream a reality. We believe we are the most comprehensive and inspiring cob course out there – whatever your past experience or future plans we will empower you to build your own cob home or building. The cob workshop will be mainly practical with each participant given individual attention to enable them to feel fully confident and comfortable, building and sculpting with the cob medium. Each day will contain one to two hours of theory, and there will be plenty of practical demonstrations and hands-on experience. There will be ample time to ask questions and discuss your own potential cob projects and ideas. The course will be taught by award winning and international cob building expert Kate Edwards.
Why is mud so powerful?
Most people can not help but be positively effected by the process of working with the earth. We find children in schools and adults both benefit massively from the therapeutic effects of working with cob. Based on our 15 years of experience, working with people from all walks of life, we've put together a list of why mud is such a good tool:
-
There is no right or wrong way to sculpt with cob – everyone can do it.
-
Cob is hands-on and practical – you learn through doing which ensures you are in the moment and engaged.
-
It is a grounding experience to build with soil you have dug from the ground yourself.
-
Cob mixing and building requires physical movement and is great exercise.
-
Cob building is used to create new modern houses – you are learning a real-life skill as well an enjoying an experience.
-
Cob work instinctively encourages team work and cooperation.
And much more! Book yourself or a loved for our next available course!
​
Course Dates and Prices for 2023
To reserve your place get in touch via our contact form and we’ll send you our booking form along with information on accommodation in the area.
​
Our 4-day complete cob building course is £700, a deposit of £300 is required at the time of booking with the remainder of £400 due one month before the course.
​
Upcoming courses:
Monday 24th April -Thursday 27th April
Monday 15th May -Thursday 18th May
Monday 5th June -Thursday 8th June
Monday 26th June -Thursday 29th June
Monday 3rd July -Thursday 6th July
Friday 25th August -Monday 28th August (Bank Holiday)
Monday 4th September – Thursday 7th September
Monday 18h September – Thursday 21st September
Advanced cob building course
Hi cobbers
Fancy furthering your cob building skills ?
You are all invited to apply for the all new 4 day
Advanced cob building
course at Uplyme Devon, 2023.
I’m going to be teaching advanced techniques in cob building, including
Building a cob spiral shower
Tadelakt plastering (on cob spiral shower)
Building a round cedar shingle roof
Building a cob dome roof
You will get hands on experience of all these exciting methods as well a recap on cob and chance to share your cob experiences.
Im afraid I can only let people who have done my full cob 4 day course apply, so we can hit the ground running.
Day 1
Full details
Day 1 building a cob spiral shower cubicle.
After a quick introduction and recap on the cob mix, we will learn the pure joy of curving cob into a beautiful shower compartment, honing down your cob skills on levelling, shaping and sculpting to produced a delicious curved structure, similar to the one above. As usual there will be plenty of time to ask questions and discuss your own projects.
Day 2
Day 2 Tadelakt
We will plaster our beautifully made cob spiral shower cubicle with tadelakt plaster.
You will learn all about this amazing method of lime plastering from Morocco. Tadelakt is a plastering art form. It uses a specially shaped stone in a very specific method at exactly the right time to rub olive oil soap into the tadelakt plaster to form a waterproof layer suitable to wet rooms and even bathtubs.
Day three and four
Roofs.
In these exciting days you will learn much more depth and higher level skills on roofing, and you will get some hands experience at building a round roof including laying some beautiful cedar shingle tiles.
Bee hive recently completed at the Eden project, with cedar shingle roof.
One method of making a dome roof in cob is to weave a sort of huge basket on top of the cob wall and then fill it in with cob. We shall be attempting this and also looking at other methods of making a dome roof in cob, including using pre dried cob bricks, and free styling it using plywood as a guide.
Food and fire
We shall of course finish the course with fire, this time firing up the tandoor oven and cooking some naan bread on the walls, to dip into some delicious home made
curry.
Dates for 2023
19th June 10 th July and &th August
all for 4 days.
​
​
​
To book please email me at sheepie32@hotmail.com
Some examples of what cob-course participants have built after the 4-day course:
