The Best way to learn is by doing: Our workshops are designed to give you a hands-on experience and more
Slip Form Stone & Rubble Trench Foundation Workshop
Join us for a hands-on, Two-day intensive workshop where you’ll learn the fundamentals of working with local stone to craft beautiful, durable foundations. Whether you’re new to building or a tradesperson looking to deepen your natural building skills, this course will give you the practical knowledge and confidence to start from solid ground.
Over the course of the weekend, you’ll:
✅ Learn how to construct a rubble trench foundation — an efficient, low-impact way to start your build.
✅ Form and pour a reinforced concrete beam to tie your foundation together.
✅ Build a slip form stone knee wall, blending traditional methods with modern techniques.
✅ Gain essential knowledge in site selection, drainage, and material sourcing.
✅ Work alongside experienced builders to understand the full process from excavation to final stonework.
This workshop will lay the foundation (literally!) for our straw-based wall systems workshop later in the year. While designed to support natural wall systems like straw bale and light straw clay, these techniques are versatile and can be applied to a wide range of structures.
No prior experience is necessary — there will be opportunities for every skill level to engage, learn, and get hands-on.
Details:
📅 Date: June 28 - 29
📍 Location: Trumansburg, NY
💰 Cost: $350 for the full two-day workshop — includes delicious organic lunches each day. Early Bird $300 prior to May 1st.
⛺ Camping available for free close by in Fingerlakes National Forest
How to Register:To secure your spot or for any inquiries, please email MatteoLundgren@gmail.com. Spaces are limited, so sign up early!
Come learn how to build strong, enduring foundations with your own hands and the stones beneath your feet!
Cob/Pallet Wall Workshop
Join us for an exciting 2-day hands-on workshop where we’ll construct cob pallet walls for a 24x32 foot post-and-beam barn! This is a unique opportunity to learn how to transform reclaimed pallets into a sturdy, insulated, and beautiful earthen wall system—a powerful technique in natural building.
Why Pallet Walls?
The pallet wall system is a perfect blend of sustainability, affordability, and functionality. By repurposing discarded shipping pallets, we create a strong yet lightweight framework that allows us to build high-quality, low-cost structures with minimal environmental impact. Pallet walls provide the perfect "skeleton" for infill materials like cob, straw, or light clay, making them a versatile choice for natural builders.
What You’ll Learn:
✅ Pallet Wall Framing – How to frame windows and doors within the pallet system.
✅ Wall Foundations – Understanding the essential groundwork to ensure strong, long-lasting cob walls.
✅ Mixing & Applying Cob – Get your hands (and feet) dirty while learning to create and apply the perfect cob mix.
✅ Thermal Mass & Breathability – Why earthen walls create healthy, comfortable living spaces.
✅ Natural Building Techniques – Blending tradition with innovation to build structures that are beautiful, sustainable, and functional.
Why Join This Workshop?
Experience the magic of working with mud, connecting with ancient and modern building wisdom.
Gain practical skills you can apply to your own natural building projects.
Be part of a community that values sustainable, low-impact building techniques.
Accommodation:
Participants are welcome to camp on-site for the duration of the workshop for an additional $15 per night. To make your stay more comfortable, our Yurt will serve as a community space, offering:
🏕️ Access to a shower
🔥 Indoor kitchen with a propane stove
❄️ Big refrigerator to store your food
🚽 Compost toilet
📚 Cozy space for relaxing, reading natural building books, and connecting with others
This shared space allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience, enjoy meals together, and deepen your connections with fellow workshop participants.
Workshop Details:
📅 Dates: July 12th and July 13th (8:30am to 5pm each day)
📍 Location: Brooktondale NY
💰 Cost: $350 (includes delicious homemade organic lunches)
How to Register:
To secure your spot or for any inquiries, please email MatteoLundgren@gmail.com. Spaces are limited, so sign up early!
Straw-Based Wall Systems Workshop Build Naturally — Learn the Art & Science of Straw!
Join us for a hands-on, two-day intensive workshop focused on the fundamentals of working with straw as a building material. Whether you're a curious beginner or a building professional looking to incorporate natural systems into your projects, this workshop will ground you in the skills and science behind straw-based wall systems.
We’ll start by busting common myths and fears around straw walls and explore why straw is not only safe and durable but also a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient alternative to conventional construction.
Over two full days, you’ll:
✅ Work alongside experienced tradespeople to stack straw bales and construct straw panel walls from the ground up.
✅ Introduction to Light straw clay to build healthy, efficient, long-lasting wall systems.
✅ Learn how clay and clay plasters integrate with straw to create robust, breathable structures — and get your hands dirty applying a clay basecoat to the walls we build.
✅ Explore foundation, roof, and framing systems that complement straw and clay construction for a complete natural building approach.
By the end of the weekend, you’ll leave with a foundational understanding of natural building principles and the practical skills needed to build a straw and clay wall — whether for a small backyard project or as part of professional work.
This workshop is perfect for:
🌱 Homeowners, homesteaders, and dreamers ready to build with natural materials
🛠️ Builders, architects, and designers looking to add carbon-smart construction to their toolkit
Date: Aug 9-10
Location: Ithaca NY
Cost: $350 which includes organic lunch each day: Early bird pricing at $300 prior to May 1st.
Register now or send inquiries to MatteoLundgren@gmail.com and join us in building a healthier, more sustainable future — one bale at a time!
2 Part Log Cabin Sauna/Strawbale Wall Workshop Part 2
Are you ready to immerse yourself in the art of natural building? Students will learn by doing, constructing a log cabin sauna using local spruce trees in the round, building a strawbale wall changing room, experience mixing and applying natural plasters (clay and lime) and an earthen floor. Join the Fingerlakes School of Natural Building for an unforgettable two-part workshop where you'll learn hands-on techniques to construct a rustic log cabin sauna.
Dates:
Weekend 2: July 27th - 28th
Weekend 1: June 29th - 30th
Location: Cob Family Farm, South Road Brooktondale NY
In this unique workshop, participants have the flexibility to sign up for one or both weekends, tailoring the experience to suit their interests and schedule.
Weekend 2 (July 27th - 28th): Strawbale Wall Finishing & Stone Masonry & Earthen Floor
In the second weekend, students will learn how to mix and apply an interior clay plaster and exterior lime plaster for the Strawbale walls. Students will learn stone masonry techniques to construct a thermal bank for the wood stove, ensuring optimal comfort and efficiency within the sauna. Students will also apply and learn the basics of laying an earthen floor in the changing room. This weekend will also include carpentry skills as we do finish details in the sauna.
Weekend 1 (June 29 - June 30th): Log Cabin Sauna & Strawbale Wall Framing
Students will learn about joinery while we raise the walls of the log cabin sauna. Students will also learn basic framing skills for a strawbale wall system using innovative box columns and box beams and how to properly stack strawbales in a wall. Additionally, you'll gain valuable skills as we tackle basic framing for the roof.
Teachers: Our lead instructors: Jamie Carestio and Nate LaFond: Owners of the Natural Building Collective “Live Edge Building and Design” and Matteo Lundgren of “Cob Therapy”
Our enthusiasm for natural building is contagious. Our teaching style focuses around empowering participants to really “go for it” and learn by doing. Throughout the workshop we will weave stories of the natural world and dive deeply into “The Why”
In this workshop you will have ample hands-on experience with guided instruction from Jamie Carestio and Nate LaFond, professional timber framers and strawbale builders along with Matteo Lundgren. We will cover the whole range of comprehensive information on the world of Natural Building.
Details:
Dates: Weekend 2 (July 27 and 28th)
Location: Brooktondale New York
Time: 9am to 5pm each day
Cost: $275 per student for each weekend (Discount for signing up for both weekends)
Accommodation: Participants are welcome to camp on-site for the duration of the workshop and organic homemade lunch will be provided on each work day.
How to Register: To secure your place or any inquiry in this fun Sauna Building workshop, please email MatteoLundgren@gmail
2 Part Log Cabin Sauna/Strawbale Wall Workshop Part 1
Are you ready to immerse yourself in the art of natural building? Students will construct a log cabin sauna using local spruce trees in the round, building a strawbale wall changing room, experience mixing and applying natural plasters (clay and lime) and an earthen floor. Join the Fingerlakes School of Natural Building for an unforgettable two-part workshop where you'll learn hands-on techniques to construct a rustic log cabin sauna.
Dates:
Weekend 1: June 29th - 30th
Weekend 2: July 27th - 28th
Location: Cob Family Farm, South Road Brooktondale NY
In this unique workshop, participants have the flexibility to sign up for one or both weekends, tailoring the experience to suit their interests and schedule.
Weekend 1: Log Cabin Sauna & Strawbale Wall Framing
Students will learn about joinery while we raise the walls of the log cabin sauna. Students will also learn basic framing skills for a strawbale wall system using innovative box columns and box beams and how to properly stack strawbales in a wall. Additionally, you'll gain valuable skills as we tackle basic framing for the roof.
Weekend 2: Strawbale Wall Finishing & Stone Masonry & Earthen Floor
In the second weekend, students will learn how to mix and apply an interior clay plaster and exterior lime plaster for the Strawbale walls. Students will learn stone masonry techniques to construct a thermal bank for the wood stove, ensuring optimal comfort and efficiency within the sauna. Students will also apply and learn the basics of laying an earthen floor in the changing room. This weekend will also include carpentry skills as we do finish details in the sauna.
Teachers: Our lead instructors: Jamie Carestio and Nate LaFond: Owners of the Natural Building Collective “Live Edge Building and Design” and Matteo Lundgren of “Cob Therapy”
Our enthusiasm for natural building is contagious. Our teaching style focuses around empowering participants to really “go for it” and learn by doing. Throughout the workshop we will weave stories of the natural world and dive deeply into “The Why”
In this workshop you will have ample hands-on experience with guided instruction from Jamie Carestio and Nate LaFond, professional timber framers and strawbale builders along with Matteo Lundgren. We will cover the whole range of comprehensive information on the world of Natural Building.
Details:
Dates: Weekend 1 (June 29th and 30th)
Location: Brooktondale New York
Time: 9am to 5pm each day
Cost: $275 per student for each weekend (Discount for signing up for both weekends)
Accommodation: Participants are welcome to camp on-site for the duration of the workshop and organic homemade lunch will be provided on each work day. If you would prefer to rent our 30ft diameter Yurt or our Tiny house for the Weekend please inquire through email.
How to Register: To secure your place or any inquiry in this fun Sauna Building workshop, please email MatteoLundgren@gmail
Light Clay Straw Wall Workshop
In this 1 day workshop you will learn how to apply and mix light clay straw in a traditional studded wall system at the beautiful Hawk Meadow Farm! This natural building technique is a great option for anyone looking to renovate their existing homes using non-toxic and natural materials that create an amazing substrate for a natural plaster. Light clay straw (a.k.a., light straw clay, straw clay, slipstraw) is a very simple material that can be stuffed into a wall cavity, providing some amount of insulation, sound insulation and moisture moderation.
A natural building alternative to hanging sheetrock/drywall!
Our enthusiasm for natural building is contagious. Our teaching style focuses around empowering participants to really “go for it” and learn by doing. Throughout the workshop we will weave stories of the natural world and dive deeply into “The Why”
In this workshop you will have ample hands-on experience with guided instruction from Jamie Carestio and Nate LaFond, Professional Timber Framers, Strawbale Builders and Natural Plasterers along with Matteo Lundgren. We will cover the whole range of comprehensive information on the world of Natural Building. Please pack your own lunch. We will have plenty of snacks to share along with sparkling waters.
To secure your spot email MatteoLundgren@gmail
Cost: $125 per student
Natural Building Immersive
Who: professional builders and novices alike who want to learn in a hands on environment about building with locally available materials including round wood, clay, sand, and straw, and salvaged or surplus material.
What: We will construct a small building from foundation to roof using natural material. We will select and process round wood poles for the frame and clay, sand, and straw for the walls. Students will also work with rammed earth tires, slip form stone and salvaged wood.
At the end of the workshop, students will retain a baseline knowledge of the basic materials needed to create a natural building.
Discussions will include: wood species and selection, natural plaster and cob formulation, foundation and roof design, and site selection/ passive solar design.
We will also tour completed natural buildings on site including a large barn, smaller outbuildings, and a strawbale timber frame home.
When: Wednesday - Sunday 9am-5pm
Where: Backbone Farm, Trumansburg N.Y.
Cost: $555 earlybird: ($600 after June 1st)
(this includes lunch each day and a Saturday night BBQ)
to register or more info: email your name to matteolundgren@gmail.com
Where to stay: here are some options
There is free rustic camping in the Fingerlakes National Forest 5 minutes from site
Camping at Our Friends at Hawk Meadow Farm Hip Camp
Camping at TAUGHANNOCK FALLS STATE PARK
* work clothes, water bottle, footwear, etc.
*parking, toilet and wash facilities, water, food.
*respecting location: this is a working farm
Natural Building 101: Lecture and Discussion
https://www.hawkmeadowfarm.com/online-store/p/natural-building-101