Natural Building Education
Meet our natural building director Bryan Burnoski
Bryan Burnoski has been teaching and leading natural building workshops for over 17 years. He has built over 16 earthen structures through the workshops he’s taught. Using just clay, sand, and straw as the raw materials for building, allows for participants in a workshop to get involved, no matter, age, ability, or skill level. Natural buildings breathe, are natural, free from toxic chemicals and compounds, are DIY friendly, and can be quite inexpensive. Bryan enjoys teaching people natural building so that they can learn the skills our ancestors learned over centuries. Natural building is an age-old technique that still works very well in today’s world. “It’s more like remembering how to build than anything else, and once people get the hang of it it’s really quite intuitive and fun”
Natural Building Workshops 2026
Cob Camp Dates
Cob Camp I: 5/22 - 5/25
Cob Camp II: 6/5 - 6/8
Sliding scale Pricing
Starts at ….
$350 for Cob Camp I
$350 for Cob Camp II
$600 for Both
*Minors accompanied by an adults are free
* Please enquire about financial aid , or work trade opportunities
For more info contact businessadministrator@lostvalley.org
🛖 Build Together, Learn Together
These workshops are immersive, hands-on introductions to natural building for people with little to no prior experience. You’ll learn how to create functional, beautiful structures using just three simple materials: clay, sand, and straw.
🌿 What You’ll Learn
Our primary focus will be learning to make and build with cob, including:
Identifying and sourcing clay
Mixing cob effectively (by hand and with tools)
Building techniques and wall shaping
Installing windows and doors
Understanding cob’s strengths, limitations, and hybrid uses
Participants will also receive instruction and hands-on practice with other natural building methods, such as:
Adobes
Light-straw-clay or wood chip infill
Foundation options, including building a rubble trench and dry-stacking river rock
Plasters and natural wall finish options
This is a “crash course” immersion—the pace is focused, experiential, and geared toward building real skills quickly.
🌀 How the Two Camps Work
You may attend either Cob Camp I or Cob Camp II — or join us for both.
No previous experience is required.
Cob Camp I
A solid foundation for beginners. You’ll learn the fundamentals of cob and related building systems.
Cob Camp II
A more advanced experience that builds on Cob Camp I.
We continue with cob-focused instruction, while also giving participants time to dive deeper into specific areas of interest (such as foundations, plasters, or hybrid techniques).
If there’s a topic you want to linger with or explore more fully, Cob Camp II creates that space.
Camp II also introduces roofing basics and roofing materials, preparing you for full-structure builds.
🏕️ What’s Included
Camping (indoor lodging is booked separately)
Shared meals
Guided, hands-on instruction in cob wall building
Beautiful land, great people, and lots of learning by doing!
Bring: A dish for a potluck on the first night, a water bottle, clothes you can get muddy in, sturdy shoes, gloves, and your camping gear. We’ll provide tools, meals, and mud!
