Clay plastering the joints between bales…

The walls take shape… clay plastering the bale walls.

Building with earth: Paulina and her passion…

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A six day In-Depth Clay Plaster Workshop

3-8 July 2020

Set on a beautiful field in East Sussex countryside on the outskirts of the village of Forest Row, UK.

Taught in English by architect and author Paulina Wojciechowska.

This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on experience of all aspects of clay plaster on a small straw bale wall.

What You Will Learn

The six day workshop is based around the real hands-on experience of using clay plaster on the walls of a straw bale structure, supported by regular lectures to ensure you understand the theory and possibilities. Over the six days you will learn:

• Recognising the clay found on our land and understanding how to use it for creating clay plaster in construction
• Preparation and application of the first 2 coats of clay plaster onto the straw bale wall
• Application of a clay and straw “cob” mixture to straw bale walls
• Preparation and application of the final layer of plaster
• Sculpting with clay plaster
• mixing different clay colours applying and carving the smooth plaster layers.
• Methods of protecting clay plaster from the elements.
• Preparation and application of clay paints for a beautiful natural finish.
• The theory of how clay floors are built.

This clay plaster workshop will be mainly hands-on, with theory lessons on each day to back up the practical skills learned and provide the opportunity for more detailed questions to be answered.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to ensure a good learning experience, and we are expecting the allocated places to fill up before the workshop begins.

To find out more
email: earthhands@gmail.com
call Paulina (+44) 7787918184.

About your Workshop Leader

The workshop will be lead by Earth, Hands and Houses founder Paulina Wojciechowska, a qualified architect who has over 18 years of experience building with straw bales and  earthbags in communities all around the world. Paulina worked alongside leading straw bale and clay plaster veterans Bill and Athena Steen in 1997-8 and has been involved in running natural building workshops and designing and building structures with natural materials since then. Click here to hear Paulina talk about her experiences.

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian/Vegan food will be available at a cost of approx. £10/day, payable upon arrival. The food will comprise a self service breakfast, full cooked lunchtime meal, and a light supper, ususally leftovers from lunch or soup. This money covers the groceries only. To keep the food cost to the minimun the food will be prepared by ourselves.

CLICK HERE for Location Maps, more details of the camping facilities, maps, travel information and other accommodation available.

Please note that consumption of alcohol and smoking on the site are not allowed.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run approximately on the following times:

day 1 starting at 11.00, middle days  09.30 to 17.30, last day we will aim to finish by late lunch to give you time to pack.

If you are  camping, you are welcome to arrive any time from 15:00 on the day before the workshop starts and to depart the day after the workshop ends, or stay longer and help out to clean the site.

But there is more…

This will be more than just a clay plaster workshop – it will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy learning and relaxing amongst like minded people, some who may become your friends for life!

Learn more…

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plaster workshop:

Building with earth: Paulina and her passion…

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A 2 day, weekend workshop on planning your natural home.
Taught by an architect and earthbag author Paulina Wojciechowska.

This workshop can be scheduled upon demand, dates to suit you.  It needs a minimun of 2 persons and is limited to a small group of 4.  It will be held in the countryside of East Sussex, 30 minutes drive from London Gatwick airport.

This workshop is a lecture and design work together with making a model of your design out of straw/clay and other natural materials and having some hands on with earthbag filling and mixing cob.

What You Will Learn

The workshop introduces areas of planning your house, from orientation of your building on site, through starting the process of design, to an awareness of what is involved in the building process so you can begin to plan your home.

Throughout the weekend, the workshop is 50% lecture and design and discussion, and 50% hands-on practical work… building a model of your design.

The topic areas covered are:

An overview of how to go about locating and approaching design of your house.

Technologies choices for the house structure such as:

• foundation types.
• Roof structures: types of roofs.
• Walls: an overview of natural building wall technologies: straw bale, cordwood, earthbag, cob, rammed earth, adobe.

Book Your Place

The price of the two day workshop is £195 per person.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to 4 to ensure a good learning experience.

Children from the age of 8 are welcome to accompany their parent(s) and may participate in parts of the workshop as they wish. No charges are made for children under the age of 16 years.

To book your place:

email earthhands@gmail.com or
call Paulina on (+44) 7787918184.

About your Workshop Leader

The workshop will be lead by Earth, Hands and Houses founder Paulina Wojciechowska, a qualified architect who has over 18 years of experience building with straw bales and  earthbags in communities all around the world.

Paulina worked alongside Nader Khalili at Cal-Earth in 1996 and is the author of “Building with Earth”, one of the leading earthbag construction books. She also worked with leading straw bale and clay plaster veterans Bill and Athena Steen in 1997-8 and has been involved in running straw bale and earthbag workshops and designing and building straw bale structures since then. Click here to hear Paulina talk about her experiences.

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian food will be available at an additional cost, payable upon arrival. The food will comprise a self service breakfast, full cooked lunchtime meal, and a light supper, e.g soup…

The workshop will be held in the village of Forest Row, which is a 30 minute drive south of London Gatwick airport. You may camp at a farm field 3 miles away for free (with no fascilities),.. CLICK HERE for Location Maps,  or stay in a house (location: RH18 5DB) on a matress on the floor for £15/night possibly in a shared room, or find your own accomodation in the village.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run the following times:

Day 1: from 9:00 to 18:00.  Campfire in the evening, weather permitting.  You are welcome to arrive on the afternoon of the day before to set up camp and settle in before the workshop begins.

Days 2: from 09:00 to 16:00.

Learn more…

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plastering workshop:

A larger straw bale structure we made at our Turkey workshop in October 2013.

Clay plastering the joints between bales…

Having fun in the sun…

The walls take shape… clay plastering the bale walls.

Jarema Dubiel teaching some theory to last years straw bale workshop group

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A straw bale and clay plastering workshop taught by Jarema Dubiel  – cost: 280 Euros
Budowa domku z kostki slomianej i tynkowanie glina – koszt: 280 Euros

9-15 Czerwca 2018, in  Przelomka, Poland
Budowa z kostki slomianej i tynkowanie glina 9-15 czerwca, PRZELOMKA

This workshop is set in a very wild and beautiful place, 200m from the cleanest classified lake in Poland, the 5km long lake Hańcza.  Here, the neighbours are beavers and storks.  This is also the site of a beautiful straw bale house and Przelomka is also the village of the first straw bale load-bearing house in Poland.
Warsztaty sa prowadzone w pieknym miejscu, na suwalszczyznie, nad jeziorem Hancza, do okola lasy i laki.

This workshop is taught by Jarema Dubiel, in both Polish and English.
Warsztaty prowadzone sa przez Jareme Dubiel sa one blisko w jezyku polskim oraz angielskim.

Click here to watch a Youtube video of one of Jarema’s workshops on Polish TV.
Tu mozesz zobaczyc film  Youtube video  w  TV.

Click here to read about food, travel and accommodation for the workshop.

Click here to read about more details about Jarema.

What You Will Learn

This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on experience of constructing and plastering a small straw bale structure.

Topics covered will be:

• Site preparation and building of foundations for straw bale walls using earthbag, stone & lime, including the compression wires.
• Learning about the qualities of straw bales
• Straw bale wall raising
• Hazel wall pinning
• Installation of ventilation tubes
• Deviding the straw bales
• Cutting & tying straw bales
• Sowing of corners
• Wall compression
• Preparation of compression wall plates
• Preparation of clay plasters for protection of the wall
• learning the sculpting layer plaster and the smooth plaster finishes

Poruszane tematy będą:

• podmurówka z worków wypełnionych ziemia /sandbag/
• z warstwą oddychającą
• montowanie prętów
• zabezpieczenie wapnem i obłożenie kamieniami podmórówki
• rozpoznawanie jakosci slomianej kostki budowlanej
• stawianie ściany
• montowanie wentylacji
• dzielenie kostki,
• wiązanie kostki,
• szycie rogów,
• stabilizacja sciany zszywanie prętów
• przygotowanie i ułożenie drabinek
• kompresowanie ściany,
• wstępny tynk gliniany zabezpieczający
• dwie warstwy tynków glinianych

This straw bale workshop will be mainly hands-on, building a small temporary structure out of straw bales, and applying all the different clay plaster techniques.

Book Your Place

The price of the  workshop is 280€.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to ensure a good learning experience, and we are expecting the allocated places to fill up before the workshop begins.

To book your place in english:
email info@EarthHandsAndHouses.org or
call Paulina on +44 7787918184 .

Aby zarezerwować miejsce w języku polskim:
Jarema Dubiel
Email: jaremadubiel@tlen.pl
Tel. + 48 (0) 504-340-261

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian food will be available at an additional cost, payable upon arrival. There will be a large free camping field for those people who have their own tent.
Zapewniamy: Darmove pole namiotowe, noclegi w namiotach wlasnych, lub lokalne kwatery,  obiady wegetariańskie, wieczorne ogniska.

Click here to read more details about food, travel and accommodation for this workshop.

Please note that consumption of alcohol and smoking on the site are not allowed.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run from 10:00 to 18:00 on each day. If you are  camping, you are welcome to arrive any time two days before the workshop starts and to depart a day after the workshop ends, so staying a little longer then the workshop time in exchange for some clearing up help.

But there is more…

This will be more than just a straw bale workshop – it will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy learning and relaxing amongst like minded people, some who may become your friends for life!

Learn more…

Hear Jarema talk about his work in this Polish language video:

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plastering workshop:

Happy plastering on our Spanish workshop last year…

Athena at work carving different layers of clay plaster to make a beautiful flower design…

Carving and colours – amazing possibilities!

Beautiful clay carving work from Athena’s recent workshop in Scotland…

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A six day In-Depth Clay Plaster Workshop with our guest teacher from Arizona, Athena Steen.

26 – 31 May 2017.

Set on a beautiful estate of Michael Hall Steiner school in the East Sussex countryside in the village of Forest Row, UK.

Taught in English by Athena Steen of the Canelo Project, author of many straw bale books, and architect and author Paulina Wojciechowska.

This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on experience of all aspects of clay plaster on a real straw bale that will be used for an outdoor classroom, in the woods of the school. The structure and straw bale walls of this building were built 2 years ago by class 9 students and a workshop that we ran and is waiting to be finished off with many layers of straw clay, smooth plastering and carving.

What You Will Learn

The six day workshop is based around the real hands-on experience of using clay plaster on the walls of a real structure, supported by regular lectures to ensure you understand the theory and possibilities. Over the six days you will learn:

• Recognising the clay found on our land and understanding how to use it for creating clay plaster in construction
• Preparation and application of the first 2 coats of clay plaster onto the straw bale wall
• Application of a clay and straw “cob” mixture to straw bale walls
• Preparation and application of the final layer of plaster
• Sculpting with clay plaster
• mixing different clay colours applying and carving the smooth plaster layers.
• Methods of protecting clay plaster from the elements.
• Preparation and application of clay paints for a beautiful natural finish.
• The theory of how clay floors are built.

This clay plaster workshop will be mainly hands-on, with theory lessons on each day to back up the practical skills learned and provide the opportunity for more detailed questions to be answered.

Book Your Place

The price of the six day In-depth Clay Plaster and artistry with clay plasters Workshop is £535 per person, or a discounted price of £485 is available if booked by 15th March 2017.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to ensure a good learning experience, and we are expecting the allocated places to fill up before the workshop begins.

To book your place
email: earthhands@gmail.com
call Paulina (+44) 7787918184.

About your Workshop Leaders

The workshop will be lead by our guest teacher Athena Steen, along with Paulina Wojciechowska.

Athena is considered one of the founders of the natural building revolution. In 1989, along with her husband Bill, she founded the Canelo Project, a non profit organisation with the aim of spreading their knowledge of natural building far and wide. Paulina gained her experience and wisdom in natural building while spending 6 months working with Athena and Bill, 20 years ago! Click here to read more about Athena and the Canelo Project.

Paulina Wojciechowska, is a qualified architect who has 20 years of experience building with straw bales and  earthbags in communities all around the world. Paulina worked alongside leading straw bale and clay plaster veterans Bill and Athena Steen in 1997-8 and has been involved in running natural building workshops and designing and building structures with natural materials since then. Click here to hear Paulina talk about her experiences.

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian food will be available at an additional cost, payable upon arrival. This is expected to be in the region of £10 per day. The food will comprise a self service breakfast, full cooked lunchtime meal, and a light supper.

The workshop will be held on the grounds of Michael Hall School, in Forest Row  on a large 6×10 metre straw bale structure built in previous years to be an outdoor classroom.

You may camp within 20 minute walk by Weir Wood reservoir on a camping farm field or on a floor of a un used storage barn for £5/day, which includes the use of a kitchen, with toilet and shower facility.

Click here for more details of the camping facilities, maps, travel information and other accommodation available.

Please note that consumption of alcohol and smoking on the site are not allowed.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run approximately on the following times:

Days 1-5:  – 09:00 to 18:00
Day 6: – 09:00 – 16:00

If you are  camping, you are welcome to arrive any time from 15:00 on the day before the workshop starts and to depart the day after the workshop ends.

Booking Multiple Workshops in UK.

You are welcome to attend a combination of our other workshops:

Design Your Dream Natural Home + Earthbag dome workshop £675

Earthbag dome + Straw Bale + Artistry in clay and clay plastering (July dates), £855 if paid before 1st March, otherwise £975

Design Your Dream Natural Home + Earthbag dome + Straw Bale + Artistry in clay and clay plastering (July dates) £1245 if paid before 1st March, otherwise £1450

But there is more…

This will be more than just a clay plaster workshop – it will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy learning and relaxing amongst like minded people, some who may become your friends for life!

Learn more…

Hear Bill and Athena Steen talk about their work:

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plaster workshop:

Building with earth: Paulina and her passion…

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A 2 day, weekend workshop on planning your natural home.
Taught by an architect and earthbag author Paulina Wojciechowska.

This workshop can be scheduled upon demand, dates to suit you.  It needs a minimun of 2 persons and is limited to a small group of 4.  It will be held in the countryside of East Sussex, 30 minutes drive from London Gatwick airport.

This workshop is a lecture and design work together with making a model of your design out of straw/clay and other natural materials and having some hands on with earthbag filling and mixing cob.

What You Will Learn

The workshop introduces areas of planning your house, from orientation of your building on site, through starting the process of design, to an awareness of what is involved in the building process so you can begin to plan your home.

Throughout the weekend, the workshop is 50% lecture and design and discussion, and 50% hands-on practical work… building a model of your design.

The topic areas covered are:

An overview of how to go about locating and approaching design of your house.

Technologies choices for the house structure such as:

• Foundation types
• Roof structures: types of roofs.
• Walls: an overview of natural building wall technologies: straw bale, cordwood, earthbag, cob, rammed earth, adobe.

Book Your Place

The price of the two day workshop is £195 per person.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to 4 to ensure a good learning experience.

Children from the age of 8 are welcome to accompany their parent(s) and may participate in parts of the workshop as they wish. No charges are made for children under the age of 12 years.

To book your place:

email earthhands@gmail.com or
call Paulina on (+44) 7787918184.

About your Workshop Leader

The workshop will be lead by Earth, Hands and Houses founder Paulina Wojciechowska, a qualified architect who has over 19 years of experience building with straw bales and  earthbags in communities all around the world.

Paulina worked alongside Nader Khalili at Cal-Earth in 1996 and is the author of “Building with Earth”, one of the leading earthbag construction books. She also worked with leading straw bale and clay plaster veterans Bill and Athena Steen in 1997-8 and has been involved in running straw bale and earthbag workshops and designing and building straw bale structures since then. Click here to hear Paulina talk about her experiences.

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian food will be available at an additional cost, payable upon arrival. The food will comprise a self service breakfast, full cooked lunchtime meal, and a light supper, e.g soup…

The workshop will be held in a house in the village of Forest Row, which is a 30 minute drive south of London Gatwick airport. You may camp at a farm field 3 miles away for free (with no fascilities), or stay in the house on a matress on the floor for £15/night possibly in a shared room, or find your own accomodation in or around the village.

Click here for more details, maps, travel information and other accommodation available.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run the following times:

Day 1: from 9:00 to 18:00.  Campfire in the evening, weather permitting.  You are welcome to arrive on the afternoon of the day before to set up camp and settle in before the workshop begins.

Days 2: from 09:00 to 16:00.

Learn more…

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plastering workshop:

Clay plastering the joints between bales…

The walls take shape… clay plastering the bale walls.

Building with earth: Paulina and her passion…

Workshops are always lots of fun!

A six day In-Depth Clay Plaster Workshop

3-8 July 2020,   cost: £345, or £235 if joined to the Earthbag course.

Set on a beautiful field in East Sussex countryside on the outskirts of the village of Forest Row, near East grinstead, UK. (one hour from London and Brighton and 25 minutes from Gatwick airport.)

Taught in English by architect and author Paulina Wojciechowska.

This workshop is a wonderful opportunity to gain hands-on experience of all aspects of clay plaster on a small earthbag dome and straw bale wall.

What You Will Learn

is workshop is based around the real hands-on experience of using clay plaster on the walls of an earthbag structure, supported by regular lectures to ensure you understand the theory and possibilities. Over the six days you will learn:

• Recognising the clay found on our land and understanding how to use it for creating clay plaster in construction
• Preparation and application of the first 2 coats of clay plaster onto the wall
• Application of a clay and straw “cob” mixture to the walls
• Preparation and application of the final layer of plaster
• Sculpting with clay plaster
• mixing different clay colours applying and carving the smooth plaster layers.
• Methods of protecting clay plaster from the elements.
• Preparation and application of clay paints for a beautiful natural finish.
• The theory of how clay floors are built.

This clay plaster workshop will be mainly hands-on, with theory lessons on each day to back up the practical skills learned and provide the opportunity for more detailed questions to be answered.

Numbers on the workshop will be limited to ensure a good learning experience, and we are expecting the allocated places to fill up before the workshop begins.

To find out more
email: earthhands@gmail.com
call Paulina (+44) 7787918184.

About your Workshop Leader

The workshop will be lead by Earth, Hands and Houses founder Paulina Wojciechowska, a qualified architect who has over 20 years of experience building with straw bales and  earthbags in communities all around the world. Paulina worked alongside leading straw bale and clay plaster veterans Bill and Athena Steen in 1997-8 and has been involved in running natural building workshops and designing and building structures with natural materials since then. Click here to hear Paulina talk about her experiences.

Food, Location, Accommodation

Vegetarian/Vegan food will be available at a cost of approx. £10/day, payable upon arrival. The food will comprise a self service breakfast, full cooked lunchtime meal, and a light supper, ususally leftovers from lunch or soup. This money covers the groceries only. To keep the food cost to the minimun the food will be prepared by ourselves.

CLICK HERE for Location Maps, more details of the camping facilities, maps, travel information and other accommodation available.

Please note that consumption of alcohol and smoking on the site are not allowed.

Workshop Timing

The workshop will run approximately on the following times:

day 1 starting at 11.00, middle days  09.30 to 17.30, last day we will aim to finish by late lunch to give you time to pack.

If you are  camping, you are welcome to arrive any time from 15:00 on the day before the workshop starts and to depart the day after the workshop ends, or stay longer and help out.

But there is more…

This will be more than just a clay plaster workshop – it will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy learning and relaxing amongst like minded people, some who may become your friends for life!

Learn more…

Hear Paulina talk about her experience and vision for Earth, Hands and Houses:

Watch people’s experience of an Earth, Hands and Houses straw bale and clay plaster workshop: