Mudmap

Every natural building workshop in North America, in one place.

Find cob, straw bale, light straw clay, adobe, lime and earthen plaster, and timber frame workshops across the US, Canada and Mexico. Hands-on workshops and the schools that run them, checked by hand so you don't have to dig through a dozen Facebook groups.

Dates postedBetween seasons
Most outdoor build seasons run spring through early fall. Many hosts post next year's dates between January and March. Check Schools & hosts for who runs what and when.
Sep 2026
25

Intro to Cob & Earthen Building Materials

Earthen ShelterWillits, CA

Three days mixing clay, sand and straw by foot and hand, and applying it as cob, adobe and plaster. For total beginners.

CobAdobeEarthen plaster
Price on site
Sep 2026
28

Interior & Exterior Plastering (online)

Adobe in ActionOnline

Six-week class on mud and lime plasters for adobe walls. Part of the Adobe in Action certificate.

Earthen plasterLime plasterAdobe
$440
Oct 2026
3

Cob Oven Workshop

Earthen ShelterWillits, CA

Build a working wood-fired cob oven from clay soil, sand and straw over a weekend.

CobOvens & hornos
Price on site
Oct 2026
12

Intro to Cob and Straw

This Cob HouseGreeneville, TN

Five hands-on days on a real cob build in East Tennessee. Beginner-friendly.

CobStraw bale
$499
Jul 2027
19

Natural Building Certificate

Yestermorrow Design/Build SchoolWaitsfield, VT

Twenty class days building with straw, clay, sand, wood, stone and lime. All levels welcome.

Straw baleCobEarthen plasterEarthen floors
$5,750
Online
Anytime

Build Outside the Box: On a Budget

Earthen ShelterOnline

Online course on keeping a natural build affordable, from site choices to salvaged materials. Join anytime.

CobStraw baleDesign & planning
$147

Natural building techniques, explained

New to natural building? Here's what each workshop type teaches, so you can pick the right one.

Cob
A mix of clay soil, sand and straw, mixed by foot and stacked by hand into thick, sculptural walls. It needs no forms, so a cob workshop is usually the most hands-on way to start.
Straw bale
Walls built from stacked bales of straw, then plastered inside and out. Straw bale walls insulate very well and go up fast, which makes them a common choice for owner-built homes.
Light straw clay
Loose straw coated in clay slip and packed into forms between a timber frame. It's lighter and more insulating than cob, and shows up in a lot of Japanese-influenced building.
Adobe
Sun-dried bricks of clay, sand and straw, laid with mud mortar. Adobe is the traditional building material of the Southwest and northern Mexico.
Earthen and lime plaster
Clay- or lime-based finishes that protect natural walls and let them breathe. Plaster workshops cover mixing, application and finish coats, and work on almost any wall type.
Earthen floors
Poured floors of clay, sand and fiber, sealed with oil and wax. They're warm underfoot and inexpensive, and a good fit for passive solar homes.
Timber frame
A structural frame joined with hand-cut wooden joinery instead of metal fasteners. It's often paired with straw bale or light straw clay walls.
Ovens and hornos
Wood-fired ovens built from cob or adobe. A weekend oven build is a short, low-commitment first workshop.

Other places to look