Sustainable building & eco houses courses

Grow your own, resilient organic produce, polytunnel growing - one day workshop in West Wales

Bronze AWARD

(2)

Grow your own, resilient organic produce, polytunnel growing - one day workshop in West Wales

Ceredigion - Next course on 15th February 2020

£95

Growing some of your own produce is one of the most empowering experiences going. Join us on a beautiful smallholding in the wild, wild West of Wales to learn organic gardening techniques. This day is ideal for beginners as well as experienced gardeners looking to learn how to nurture delicious home grown fruit and vegetables with a greater resilience around our changing climate, with little to no fuss at all. This accessible, hugely informative and fun course runs 9.30 through till 3 and includes tasty treats, refreshments, lunch and plants...

Reedbeds and waste water management

Powys - Next course on 1st March 2020

£70

Off-grid sewage and water treatment systems. If you’re living or working in a remote location and need low impact, eco-friendly options for waste water management, CAT is the place to come for inspiration and advice. Our water and waste system is entirely off the mains supply, and this day course gives you the chance to learn from our 40 years of experience in this area. The course explores the technicalities, design and implementation of reedbeds and alternative waste water treatment systems at a domestic level. Topics covered include: • Primary,...

Self-Build Project Management

Powys - Next course on 4th April 2020

£230

If you’re thinking of building your own home, community space or other self-build structure, it pays to be prepared. Find out how to create a project plan for your build, which key elements you should include, when key tasks should happen and how long they are likely to take. You’ll also learn key dependencies between tasks so you can establish a critical path and calculate the total time for your build. Topics covered include: • How to create a project plan • How to create a budget plan • How...

Earth Oven Building

Powys - Next course on 18th April 2020

£70

Join us for this practical, hands-on day where you learn the subtle arts of working with cob. Anyone can learn how to build their own oven, using natural low-impact materials that are easy to come by. Course content: During the course you will gain practical skills and experience of materials, construction, and the use and application of earth ovens. You will learn how to build a cob oven from scratch, build a sand former, puddle clay and sand, and knowing when it is ready to build with. Learn where to...

Timber Frame Self Build

Powys - Next course on 27th April 2020

£700

This practical, hands-on course gives you the opportunity to work on a real building project, creating a small, simple timber frame structure (similar to those used in a Walter Segal house) from scratch. During the week you’ll learn a range of timber frame building techniques, how to use tools safely and correctly, marking out, measuring and cutting the frame as well as frame-raising. We'll also look at planning, ecological building materials and low energy homes. The course is for anyone with an interest in sustainable construction and self-build, and we...

Bronze AWARD

Vernacular building - environmentally sound, small scale

Suffolk - Next course on 2nd May 2020

£95

Lower your carbon footprint by learning traditional methods of converting earth into cob, daub or clay lump. Make your own earth sculpture to take home. Find out how to use coppice woodland materials in construction. Try your hand at using a shave horse and draw knife. This experience day shows you how our ancestors built with their local landscape in low-tech and sustainable ways. Building is fun and easy. Think small and local. Involve your friends and family. Celebrate a special event or birthday by having fun in our rural...

Build a Natural House

Powys - Next course on 5th May 2020

£650

Explore using natural building materials and begin to develop the skills needed to build your own outhouse, garden retreat or even extend or build your own home. Whatever your grand design, this practical course can help put some of those ideas into focus, pick up new skills and learn the tricks of the trade from an experienced builder and Master Carpenter. This course is a great introduction to learning a whole host of natural building techniques in a unique, supportive and inspiring environment. The course will cover: • The practicals...

Building with Rammed Earth

Powys - Next course on 9th May 2020

£270

Rammed Earth is an ancient natural building technique. Rammed earth walls have superb thermal mass, load bearing and fireproof qualities and with impressive acoustic attenuation. They also look good, with a natural aesthetic, and have minimal carbon dioxide emissions. This two day hands-on course gives a good grounding in this building method and its application around the world. During the course we will build a basic framework, then build a rammed earth wall with an arched opening. There will also be evening lectures and discussions on rammed earth theory. You...

Sustainable Building Materials

Powys - Next course on 18th May 2020

£750

Join students from CAT’s Graduate School of the Environment for an immersive week of hands-on workshops, demonstrations and lectures covering a wide range of low impact, natural building materials. Get to grips with straw bale building, timber frames, hemp and binder, rammed earth and lime with a series of practical activities, and learn about their history, physical properties, environmental impacts and design limitations through a range of expert lectures. Explore composite materials and pre-fabricated components, look at natural and synthetic insulation, and learn how different materials handle moisture and condensation....

Cob clay pizza oven building with David Alty: a 'Quirky Workshop' at Greystoke Craft Garden & Barns near Penrith and Ullswater

Platinum AWARD

(5)

Cob clay pizza oven building with David Alty: a 'Quirky Workshop' at Greystoke Craft Garden & Barns near Penrith and Ullswater

Cumbria - Next course on 4th June 2020

£100

DATES: Our full year of 100+ set workshop dates are on OUR website (purple tab) along with availability and how to book. Next year’s extensive programme has launched; courses are filling quickly as they make popular Christmas gifts. To be among the first to receive any new dates, please use the ‘Keep me Posted’ icon, at the top RHS of our website page. Thank you and Happy Crafting! ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: Over this busy one day course (originally a two day affair) you will together learn how to build a...