Four Day Natural Building Workshop, Bulgaria
May 23rd - 26th 2024
In beautiful south eastern Bulgaria we're going to be creating a palet-cob bathroom, understanding cob and plaster mixes, and learning how best to restore mud brick and stone walls on an old building.This is a four day deep dive into wattle and daub, natural plasters, and cob. This workshop is very useful for:
- Folk wanting to learn how to make simple, natural structures very cheaply.
- People wanting strategies for sensitively renovating old houses using natural materials.
- Creatives and artists wanting to learn the amazing art of clay plaster.
- Anyone interested in natural construction.
- People who'd like to make things (ovens, benches, hen coops, shelving or floors) from cob.
- Those wanting to learn a new and simple take on wattle and daub.
What will you learn in this workshop?
- Where to find clay, and how to turn it into a usable material.
- The difference between plaster mixes, daubs and cob.
- How to test various clay mixtures for strength and adhesion.
- The function of each ingredient in a mud mixture, and how to tweak it for your own land and project.
- How to apply the various layers when rendering, and what not to do.
- How to use mud as mortar.
- How to make a clay brick.
- The new art of palette cob.
- How to get clay mixtures to stick to all manner of substrates.
- How to use a Japanese trowel (and other trowels too).
- How to use sponges to create great finishes.
- The art of burnishing.
- Techniques for sculpting cob into...well anything!
- How to embed things like mirrors or tile into the plaster.
- How to repair and maintain all mud creations.
- When to use clay based plasters, and when to use lime.
- An introduction on using clay and lime plasters for the restoration of old buildings.
- How to make your own clay paints.
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Who is your teacher?
Atulya K Bingham has been building with mud since 2011. She is founder and author of The Mud Home natural building and off-grid living website. She has also written extensively about natural building for publications such as Mother Earth News and the Owner Builder Magazine.
The Location: Our workshop will be near to Harmanli, in the south east of Bulgaria. We are hosted by Helen and Paul who have a small semi off-grid homestead with plenty going on in it! There are composting toilets, drinking water from the nearby spring, chickens, ducks, and quail, a small veggie garden and some fruit trees. I met Helen on my last workshop in Romania, and was so impressed by how incredibly 'can do' and practical she was. So when she said she'd like to host a workshop, I jumped at the chance.
The area: This isn't a touristy area, but rather agricultural with many vineyards, lots of open space and beautiful nature all around. There are a few small towns and cities close by.
Dates: 23rd-26th May 2025. (The workshop starts 9 am on the 23rd, and finishes at 6 pm on the 26th). A full programme will be sent to participants closer to the workshop date.
The area: This isn't a touristy area, but rather agricultural with many vineyards, lots of open space and beautiful nature all around. There are a few small towns and cities close by.
Dates: 23rd-26th May 2025. (The workshop starts 9 am on the 23rd, and finishes at 6 pm on the 26th). A full programme will be sent to participants closer to the workshop date.
PRICES
The price for the workshop includes your camp spot for the duration of the workshop, but DOESN'T INCLUDE FOOD.
Food Price (Full Board) for the duration of the workshop: £100
Important! The food price will be paid separately to Helen (the course host). There is some flexibility for self catering, but spaces may be limited for that option, so please connect with Helen as soon as possible to finalize food arrangements.
Don't want to camp? There is standard accomodation in the nearest town of Harmanli. We will send you a couple of options if you don't want to camp.
Want to camp but can't bring a tent? We have one or two tents we may be able to lend, but numbers are limited so it will be first come, first serve.
EXTRA: Helen and Paul have kindly offered to let people stay an extra day or two either side to coincide with flights if need be at no further cost.
The price for the workshop includes your camp spot for the duration of the workshop, but DOESN'T INCLUDE FOOD.
- Early Birds (3 tickets available): £230
- Standard Ticket: £260
Food Price (Full Board) for the duration of the workshop: £100
Important! The food price will be paid separately to Helen (the course host). There is some flexibility for self catering, but spaces may be limited for that option, so please connect with Helen as soon as possible to finalize food arrangements.
Don't want to camp? There is standard accomodation in the nearest town of Harmanli. We will send you a couple of options if you don't want to camp.
Want to camp but can't bring a tent? We have one or two tents we may be able to lend, but numbers are limited so it will be first come, first serve.
EXTRA: Helen and Paul have kindly offered to let people stay an extra day or two either side to coincide with flights if need be at no further cost.
Travel Details
Closest airports: Plovdiv or Sofia. You can connect via bus or metro (Sofia) from the airports to the train stations. The trains are slow but cheap!
Other Information
This is a hands on course, so you will get dirty:) More specific details on what to bring will be sent to course participants once they enroll.
Closest airports: Plovdiv or Sofia. You can connect via bus or metro (Sofia) from the airports to the train stations. The trains are slow but cheap!
Other Information
This is a hands on course, so you will get dirty:) More specific details on what to bring will be sent to course participants once they enroll.
QUESTIONS?If you need more information about this workshop, just email Atulya at: [email protected]
For accommodation and food queries, please contact Helen at: [email protected]
For accommodation and food queries, please contact Helen at: [email protected]
Prefer a different payment method?
If you don't have a credit card, or prefer a different payment method, tickets can also be bought using Paypal, Wise or Bank Transfer. Contact me at: [email protected] for details if you want to use an alternative payment method.
