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Garden Series Cob Workshop. June 6-7
April 1st, 2009
Learn to build a Cob Garden Wall and Bench
In Nanaimo this spring, The mudgirls will be teaching the first of a series of natural building workshops at the Nanaimo comunity gardens. We saw this space as somewhere that could use a little fun and artistic cob, and rather than work on private property we wanted to do a project that was accessible to the community as well as bringing some traffic and energy to a public space.During the weekend we will be going through the steps of building a cob garden wall and bench with most of the time dedicated to hands-on building. This is a great opportunity to really get your hands into the project and leave your creative mark. The focus will really be on the artistic possibilities of cob. Participants will explore scupture, mosaic, bottle designs and other fun and sculptural elements.
This is a workshop for adults but mudgirls continue to make their workshops parent accessible by offering full childcare for the entire workshop at no extra cost.
Registration fee for the weekend is $175 per individual. Group rates are also available. We are also offering two free bartering spaces for those who are financially challenged. To register for the workshop please contact me at chelseybraham@hotmail.com.
you can check out the mudgirls website at www.mudgirls.ca
Nanaimo is an easy journey from Vancouver. an hour and 35 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe bay brings you here.
Next Weekend Workshops take place May 23/24, and June 6/7
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The 3 Day Foundation
March 28th, 2009
I just got back from Salt Spring island where we built the foundation for a camp kitchen. Three of us moved all the rock to the site and built the foundation by hand in just over 3 days. The stones are all dry stacked without mortar and rely on purely a proper fit to keep them in place. The wall may look chaotic but you can jump and dance around on the wall and the stones won’t budge. That is the essence of a dry stack stone wall.
The foundation for bench seating and cob table is also built into the foundation. The walls start at 18″ and taper to a 12″ at the top of the wall. Cob walls will be built next at a width of 12″. Posts rest on concrete piers set into the ground for this structure and the stones are stacked around them . The foundation will be pointed later with cob to fill in any cracks and reduce drafts. This structure will serve as a kitchen and eating area for researchers staying at this camp on Salt Spring island.
If you are interested in hiring the mudgirls please visit www.mudgirls.ca We are well organized and available for jobs on and around vancouver island. You can also contact me with any questions about our building methods or designs.
the mudgirls rockin the rocks
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Driftwood Post and Beam Construction
March 13th, 2009
I participated in raising the roof for this guest cabin which has since been finished with cob and wattle and daub. The cuts were made with a chainsaw and all the notching was done with hand tools. The timbers were all salvaged from a local beach. The only cost being the transportation.
The Mudgirls often build their post and beam structures with driftwood. Beach logs are often well-seasoned and stripped of bark already. Driftwood post and beam construction is an extremely economical way to frame a roof and create a locally sourced and eye-catching structure. Everything was done with hand tools for this structure which forms the roof for a guest cabin. The walls are then built up with cob and the structure is left partially exposed.
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Dry stacked stone walls and foundations
March 13th, 2009
Mortar-less stone is however the oldest form of construction known to man. Correctly stacked stones can stand for centuries.Stacking stones for a foundation is an extremely challenging skill to learn but creates a strong and beautiful wall. Depending on your source of stone, These walls can often be constructed with almost no materials costs whatsoever making them the most economical choice for concrete-free foundations.
This technique works for foundations for small cob buildings and additions, outhouses, sheds, garden walls, and bases for fencing. The mudgirls have built stone structures such as these for clients on lasqueti island, Salt-spring island, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Powell river, Cortes island, Quadra island, Hornby island, and the Sunshine coast.
To see more examples or to receive a quote please visit www.mudgirls.ca
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Mudgirls tour Eco-sense house and O.U.R Ecovillage
February 15th, 2009
Vancouver Island has some inspiring sites for those interested in Alternative construction. I recently went on a tour with some Vancouver Island builders of two very interesting examples of sustainable architecture.
We visited the Eco-sense house located in the highlands just north of Victoria, BC, and I have to say it was the most fascinating cob home that I have seen and a great example of a fully functional and code approved cob dwelling. It was beautifully finished and contained endless examples of sustainable design.
The house was built completely of cob (sand, clay and straw), mixed by roto-tiller, and is an amazing example of an engineered loadbearing earthen structure. The walls rest on a concrete foundation, which in itself was innovative design. The house is powered by solar panels which draw power from the city grid during the winter months and give power back in the summertime! The property contained so many examples of great design that it was almost impossible to take them all in. ( It was the Disneyland of natural building!) The specs on the house were incredible. check it out at www.eco-sense.ca
The other stop on our tour was O.U.R. Ecovillage in Shawnigan Lake. We learned the fascinating history of the Ecovillage which is a sustainable learning centre and demonstration site. The property was originally a farm with a single house but was able to be rezoned through a long and transformative process which resulted in the inspiring place it is now. The Ecovillage contains great examples of permaculture design, and beautiful architecture incorporating recycled building materials and inspires and teached thousands of people annually. Visit them at www.ourecovillage.org
The folks at both Eco-sense and O.U.R. Ecovillage have worked tirelessly with building professionals and city officials to begin to revolutionalize the building code in BC. It was wonderful to see how this type of building can change hearts and minds!
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All Woman Building Crew Show Off Their Skills!
December 2nd, 2008
The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective may be best known for taking natural building to an extreme with their commitment to local materials. They have been building homes and studios using a building material called cob. Cob is a sculptable mix of sand, clay, straw and water, and creates strong and charming buildings.
The Mudgirls have been building with cob and other alternative building materials on the gulf islands and remote areas of Vancouver Island for the past three years, including building walls with Wattle and Daub, an ancient building practice that is currently being revived.
They have been exploring the world of natural building and have been travelling all over western BC to work on some very unique properties. Some of the properties they have travelled to to build on include farms, quirky restaurants, people living off the grid, retreat centres and b&bs. Some of these clients have been building small cabins in order to rent out and gain income from their property.
There is definitely room for natural building to find a place in the urban environment as well with eco- renovations being the newest techniques the mudgirls are exploring.
“There is definitely some confusion in the world regarding the popular term green . Our goal is to strip away some of the green washing out there and show people what they can do with the materials in their own backyards.” says one fiesty mudgirl.
The Mudgirls, are hosting a project showcase on Dec. 6 at the & Loan Gallery. The public is invited to come and check out samples of the types of natural finishes that can be applied to drywall, or other common wall surfaces.
The Dec. 6th event will showcase a variety of natural plasters and paints. Expect to see examples of the creative side of these practical plasters, whose consistency lends itself to sculptural raised-releif. There will also be samples of clay-based natural pigment paint, which can be applied directly to natural or conventional walls for a finished but earthy look with no volatile organic compounds.
Also on display will be samples of the building technique known as wattle and daub, and a some fresh cob for visitors to see and feel. The event will be open between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., and the & Loan Gallery is located at 33 Victoria Crescent in downtown Nanaimo.
check us out at www.mudgirls.ca
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Outdoor Kitchen
October 1st, 2008
Imagine cooking outside for half the year. It doesn’t need to be on a open fire under a dripping tarp. This plan for a cob outdoor kitchen features 3/4 height walls with undulating built in seating. Simple post and beam construction supports a metal roof. A cob pizza oven is built into the design.
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Small-scale living at its finest.
October 1st, 2008
I just got back from the Courtenay area where myself and two other women did a rough coat of finishing plaster on small cob and strawbale cottage.
The building itself was lovely and an excellent example of small scale living arrangements designed in a very thoughtful way. The cottage has a lower floor built from stone and cob and is just over 100 square feet. The structure was built with round posts and beams and counters and granite shelving and benches were beautifully sculpted into the cob walls, maximizing the use of space in such a small area.
The second floor is the exciting part. The structure cantilevers several feet over the first floor walls to create a spacious sleeping area. The second floor walls were constructed of lighter wood and recycled windows. The north wall is built entirely of straw bales, providing excellent insulation.
The owner built in a wood stove, counters and even a cooling cupboard. screened to outside to bring cool outside air into her pantry. The floor was built up with large pieces of slate. The cottage was built with materials from the property, waste from local building sites and recycled materials from the ReStore.
The cottage is an excellent example of small living areas at its finest. It is wonderful to see every detail thought out in every corner of a building, providing something simple and beautiful to look at wherever the eye travels. The cottage is also proof that a small building, which falls below the square footage requiring building permits, can function as a wonderful living space.
