About the Course

Love working with cob and natural building projects and eager for more? Want to learn how to build a cob structure that will provide home heating and a cooking stove? Spend five days with Miles Taylor, an experienced natural builder, learning how to design, prep, & build a rocket mass heater. Learning objectives include:

• Know design criteria and preparation requirements for site specific mass heater installation

• Be comfortable sourcing, testing, and processing building materials

• Ability to design and build appropriate support and layout over suspended wood framed flooring

• Gain fluency in mixing and applying Cob and earthen mortars

• Master cutting and laying bricks

• Gain experience in the design and construction of burn chamber and manifold

• Know how to construct a heat riser with a brick/steel column

• Learn to fabricate and install a bell/barrel

• Master the cutting & connecting of stove pipe for the exhaust/chimney

• Learn best practices in designing and connecting stove pipe fittings for system ash clean out(s)

About the Instructor

Miles is a student, farmer and natural builder. He and Katrina Rozelle founded Muddbums in 2014 with the intention of maintaining a presence of natural building in the Santa Cruz area when their mentor Claudine Desiree began her global cob experience. Offering workshops, work parties and consultation, Muddbums has helped facilitate projects including: ovens, benches, natural finish work, outdoor kitchens, and small structures. Education of appropriate material choices, design and building techniques, along with hands on opportunities for learning, are integral parts of natural building that Muddbums provides.

Registration

• $500 – Super Early Bird Discount – Register by May 26, 2023  

• $550 – Early Bird Discount – Register by June 23, 2023

• $595 – Regular Tuition

Please click here to fill out our financial support application for people with limited access to financial wealth.