[Cob] Opinions

[yew]

Beyond Eclipse wrote:

 >I am looking for opinions regarding the
 >week long cobbing classes that are available.
 >Have you taken one? Where or with whom?

I took one with House Alive last summer and my husband took one the summer 
before last with Cobworks up in BC.

 >What, if anything, did you feel
 >was lacking?

I don’t think either of us felt there was anything lacking, per se.  They were 
very different workshops from very different companies, though.  My husband felt 
Cobworks offered a more “creative” experience, with a lot of experimentation and 
free-form design.  My experience was more nuts-and-bolts.  This has a lot to do 
with the nature of the structures we worked on, though.  My husband helped build 
a freestanding outdoor wall and oven/fireplace.  I helped build a working (and 
much needed) farm kitchen.  At my workshop, the focus was on getting the kitchen 
up and running.  My husband’s workshop wasn’t so focused on completion or pure 
utilitarianism.

I think each of the workshops complimented our personal styles.  My husband is 
definitely the more creative and leisurely one.  I prefer to get things built 
and worry about “decorating” later.  ;)

 >Do you recommend this teacher/company?

Both my husband and I give a resounding “yes”.

 >Do you have any tips regarding what to look
 >for or what you feel is most important to learn?

I think the criteria I mentioned are important considerations (nuts-and-bolts 
vs. more creative), but really I get the impression that most of the existing 
cob companies are terrific in their own way.  Because of the relatively short 
duration of these workshops, it’s impossible to cram in all the technical 
knowledge you might need to build something like a house, but they’ll all give 
you a good feel for the materials.  For me, that was the primary benefit of the 
workshop I took.  That, and being able to talk to other cob-obsessed folks.

Brina