Natural Building Apprenticeship 2010

This program is run in conjunction with the Cob Cottage Company in Oregon, USA.

Concerned about the world’s state of affairs? Wish you could make a change? Yes, you can! Begin now, start with home. A program to guide you in making changes in your lifestyle, consumerism, health and well-being, career and livelihood, based on ecological values and Natural Building principles and practices. The Apprenticeship is designed to support you into creating a life that you, your family and community can feel proud of.

Learn the practical skills to design and build your own Natural Home in just 9 weeks. Building experience, though welcome is not essential.
The program will help you to become skilled as a professional Natural Builder and/or teacher

Learning

We encourage students to learn through observation and by doing. This will be complemented by specific instruction and sharing of experience. Apprentices will also complete design projects and skill building tasks. We have an extensive library of Natural building books and other ecological living material.

Program will cover the following in detail:

Site selection and design

How to approach planning permission

Site preparation and mapping design to site

Tool care and maintenance

Material acquisition

Drainage and foundations

Natural wall systems

Windows, doors, niches, built- in furniture

Earthen floors

Roofing

Basic electrics and plumbing

Plasters, paints and finishes

We will work a 5 day week – Monday to Friday with optional Saturdays.
The apprenticeship will run for 9 weeks. Afterwards we will assist you with placement within the Natural Building community.

The size of the program to 6 to 8 participants.
Cost: €3200;

How to Apply

Firstly, phone us on +353 23 8847001 (Office Hours – Tuesday and Friday 9-12am GMT) to make sure we still have an opening. We will give you detailed information about the application process then.

Site

The Hollies was established in 1999 and is a centre for training in Practical Sustainability on 30 acres near Castletown-Kenneigh, Enniskeane, in West Cork. It is owned by An Baile Dulra Teoranta, a non-profit making company with charitable status for the educational work it promotes. It aims to create working examples of what a sustainable society might look like in the areas of housing, energy, gardening, economics and community development. There are many examples of Cob and Natural building on Site.

We have gradually been refining a more ecological way of living. We also grow much of our own food and use composting toilets.
We teach not only technical skills but a whole approach to living in a world of fewer resources Schedule.

Instructors

Thomas and Ulrike Riedmuller are founding members of The Hollies and have set up and taught an extensive range of Natural Building Courses there and in other places. They’ve been associates with Cob Cottage Company for the last 5 years. Ulrike and Thomas and their 3 children a greatly enjoying their self- built cob home as well as many other buildings at the Hollies.

Jo Forsyth
originally trained as a ceramicist in the uk, facilitated community arts projects and has taught ceramics at university level for the last ten years. Jo has been working with and learning from natural builders in the UK, Ireland, at The Hollies and the USA. After completing her apprenticeship with the Cob Cottage Company in Oregon she has been traveling extensively in the USA in order to study natural Plastering and finishing techniques with some of the leading practitioners in this field.

Colleen Phillips
originally from Australia, has been building with cob since 2005 and now has planning permission for building her own cob home in White Gate near Midleton Co.Cork. Part of the apprenticeship will be on her site.

Sarah Hewitt
grew up in Ireland working in her family’s bakery. Having become increasingly concerned with the experiences of living in an unraveling society Sarah has dedicated the last few years to the study of natural building and finishing at the Hollies in Ireland and extensively in the USA with Jo Forsyth.