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Welcome! Start Here.
This is the Cob and Natural Building School. A community of people interesting in building natural, healthy homes. We teach everyone how to build their own cob home using traditional and modern techniques. Step 1: Comment Below! - Who you are - What your building goals are - What’s your biggest bottleneck right now? 😩 Step 2: Go through the Cob Building Basics Course! See START HERE - COB BUILDING BASICS
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Register Now - 2026 Cob & Straw Workshops Open!
I'm happy to announce my upcoming Spring & Summer 2026 Cob & Straw Building Workshops are open for registration. Come and join me in beautiful eastern Tennessee for our next Introduction to Cob and Straw Workshop! We will be constructing both a cob building and a straw-clay building, and pouring an earthen floor! These workshops are perfect for beginners and experts alike! You will get the expert knowledge to build with cob and straw! Either for small-scale structures or large-scale projects like homes and buildings. Please click the link below to get the schedule and class details. Click Here for Schedule and Workshop Details I have NOT raised class prices, and I've added even more great benefits to the classes. So, you can still enjoy the low pricing and incredible value ratio! I look forward to meeting more of you here in 2026! Alex
Register Now - 2026 Cob & Straw Workshops Open!
The Ultimate Property Purchase Checklist for Alternative Homes
Planning to buy land for your alternative home, tiny house, or off-grid property? This comprehensive property purchase checklist will help you avoid the costly mistakes that trap most first-time land buyers. Whether you're building with cob, strawbale, hempcrete, or planning a tiny home, proper due diligence is essential. This guide covers everything from verifying building code status to checking for restrictive HOAs, ensuring you can actually build the alternative home of your dreams on your new property. Click Here to Get the Property Purchase Checklist
The Ultimate Property Purchase Checklist for Alternative Homes
Build a Cob House For $58K Instead of Paying $400K For a Mortgage
The average American paying off a $200,000 house will hand over $343,000 by the time they actually own it. $143,000 just vanishes into interest payments. But there's a proven alternative that eliminates debt entirely: building a cob house with your own hands. In this video, I break down the REAL numbers behind debt-free natural building and show you exactly how regular people on normal incomes are opting out of the mortgage system.
Cob Houses: Why Banks Don't Want You To Know About This $60K Housing Solution
Here's some research I've compiled. Feel free to discuss below! **Build a Cob House For $58K Instead of Paying $400K For a Mortgage (Full Breakdown)** The average American paying off a $200,000 house will hand over $343,000 by the time they actually own it. $143,000 just vanishes into interest payments. But there's a proven alternative that eliminates debt entirely: building a cob house with your own hands. Let's break down the REAL numbers behind debt-free natural building and show you exactly how regular people on normal incomes are opting out of the mortgage system. **The Brutal Reality of Mortgages:** A $200,000 home financed at 7% interest = $1,331 monthly payments Total paid over 30 years: $478,000 Pure interest paid to banks: $278,000 First year breakdown: $14K interest vs $2K toward equity **Cob House Cost Breakdown ($58K Total):** • Land: $10-15K for 5 acres (rural areas) • Permits: $3K (varies by location, can be $15-50K in strict areas) • Foundation: $6K (with DIY labor + equipment rental) • Roof: $12-15K (metal roofing, quality materials essential) • Walls & Structure: Under $2K (clay, sand, straw) • Interior Finishes: $2K (earthen floors, clay plasters) • Total: $58K with ZERO interest payments **Where The REAL Savings Come From:** ✓ Wall materials: $2K vs $10-15K for conventional lumber framing ✓ Interior finishes: $2K vs $9-12K for tile and drywall ✓ Contractor markup eliminated: Save $20-50K in management fees ✓ Labor costs eliminated: Save $60-80K by doing it yourself ✓ Interest payments eliminated: Save $278K over 30 years **30-Year Total Cost Comparison:** Conventional $200K house: $658K-748K (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance) $58K Cob house: ~$109K (taxes, insurance, minimal maintenance) **Difference: $549K-639K stays in YOUR pocket** **Realistic Timeline & Savings Plan:** Year 1-2: Live cheap, save $1,500/month = $36K saved Year 2: Buy land ($15K) + build tiny 250 sq ft starter cottage ($12-15K) Year 2-4: Live rent-free in cottage while building main 800-1000 sq ft house
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Cob & Natural Building School
Learn how to build your own natural, non-toxic house with cob and straw-clay. Save money, live debt-free, and be healthy!
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