Earthen Shelter

Earthen Shelter Sasha Rabin has been practicing and teaching natural building since 2002.

She has dedicated her work to encouraging people to engage with our built environment, and through that process reconnect with world around us.

I am gathering slides and thinking about how to build shelter for ourselves and our families without going into debt for...
08/29/2026

I am gathering slides and thinking about how to build shelter for ourselves and our families without going into debt for a presentation tomorrow. I feel like it is a question on so many people’s minds. As housing, and especially ‘owning’ our own home, has become so out of reach for so many of us, it leads us to getting very creative.
While I acknowledge that there are other systemic (arguably more challenging) aspects like access to land, building code and zoning reforms, and while we are at it capitalism in general; there are ways of builing homes that rely more on sweat equity than bank loans.
A few tips that rise to the surface are:
🔸Build Small- you can always add on
🔹Build so that you can share resources like communal kitchens or bathhouses,
🔸Build Slow- This allows you to do more of the work yourself, as well as gather materials when they become available
🔹Build With Friends- Invite in your community to help!
🔸Build Simple- This one has been the hardest for me, but the more complicated you make things, the more expensive the building becomes.

What tips would you add to this list???

To hear full presentation tomorrow find l🔗 in stories or buildoutsidethebox

Cob Oven Workshop- Early bird discount ends on Sept. 1st!Oct. 3rd & 4thWillits, CAWe’ll build a cob oven from start to f...
08/27/2026

Cob Oven Workshop- Early bird discount ends on Sept. 1st!
Oct. 3rd & 4th
Willits, CA
We’ll build a cob oven from start to finish, using clay soil, sand and straw. Through the process of building a cob oven, we also cover a wide variety of earthen building techniques that can employ these and other natural materials in other systems of building. All of our ancestors built homes with local natural materials, and cooked food in a variety of different ways using fire, but today we so rarely have an opportunity to use the basic element of fire to cook our food.

We are participating in a free, online, live event this Sunday. The focus of the webinar is debt free building. It is ...
08/27/2026

We are participating in a free, online, live event this Sunday. The focus of the webinar is debt free building. It is a series of 4 different talks all diving into mortgage-free living and budget building. I will be presenting on the benefits building with natural and salvaged materials to save money.

Check out the schedule below!

LIVE EVENT SCHEDULE - LIVE EVENT 8/30/2026:

10:00am MST: Mortgage-Free Living with Goldie Mariola-Gill

11:00am MST: Building Paycheck-to-Paycheck with Kirsten Jacobsen, Build Outside the Box

12:00pm MST: DIY Building with Natural Materials to Save $ with Sasha Rabin, Earthen Shelter

1:00pm MST: Building a Home While Building a Family with Alix Henry, Henry Architects

https://www.webuildoutsidethebox.com/mortgage-free-live-event-opt-in

08/25/2026

Join us for a start to finish Cob Oven building workshop October 3 and 4. Through the process of building a cob oven, we also cover a wide variety of earthen building techniques employing clay soil, sand and straw. Learn more at EarthenShelter.com or through the links in my bio/stories.

This course is appropriate for both first-time builders and for professionals in the building trade who are interested in natural materials. I’ll also be teaching an Intro to Cob and Earthen Materials course the weekend before, Sept 25-27th

How durable are cob walls without the plaster? With a solid foundation and roof they will easily outlive you.What about ...
08/20/2026

How durable are cob walls without the plaster? With a solid foundation and roof they will easily outlive you.
What about without a roof? This little cob outhouse was built nearly a a decade prior to this photo being take, at Quail Springs by Paul Swenson. Plans changed and it was never roofed, but in a dry climate the cob walls don’t mind. Less than an inch of cob eroded off the top and no signs of erosion on the faces of these unprotected, unplastered walls. At Quail Springs, rain and snows drench the surface of the cob, but can not pe*****te the thick walls before the sun and wind dry the wet outer layer.
The second slide is of a temporary oven I built on a job site in Homer, Alaska. Obviously a much wetter climate. This photo is after four years without a roof.
It’s not pretty, and the earthen plaster has eroded, but it’s completely functional and a new coat of clay plaster would make it good as new.
What do you think would happen to walls of a conventionally built home if left unroofed?
We have a few upcoming natural building workshops if you want to learn more with us - links in bio or on EarthenShelter.Com

The first house I build start to finish in 2003 (and spanned into 2004), after my apprenticeship with Cob Cottage Compan...
08/15/2026

The first house I build start to finish in 2003 (and spanned into 2004), after my apprenticeship with Cob Cottage Company. I learned a lot while building this house. And I have learned a lot since then. There are many things I would do differently now. (photo 1)
The little cabin is the next home I build (or bedroom rather) that was an experiment in semi urban living.
The last 2 images are of the last full home I build for myself, and still there are many things I would do differently. For example, the roof that we redid after the lime roof experiment failed (last photo).
We often get asked if people will learn everything they need to know to build a house in one of our workshops... and the answer is NO! (as is the answer for any and all 3 day building workshops!)
What will you learn? Enough to get you started, enough to know what areas you want to learn more about. You will start to learn what processes you really enjoy, and what ones you might not. We are all so different, and come with different skill sets and ways of learning. Some people left our workshops and dove into their own projects, learning what they need to along the way. Some people need to know everything possible before getting started.
You will learn about materials, about clay soil, about some of the options, pros and cons of different natural building techniques, and most importantly, you will learn what the materials feel like in your body.
Today is the last day for the early bird discount for the Introduction to Cob and Earthen Building workshop. Please reach out for scholarship and work trade options, or payment plans if those options might enable you to join us!
July 27th - July 30th link in bio for more info
If you have any questions about what you will learn, reach out with any questions or ask them in the comments below.
Intro to Earthen Building:
Sept. 25th, 26th & 27th
Early Bird Discount ends August 15th
Cob Oven Building Workshop:
3rd & 4th
Early Bird Discount ends Sept. 1st
Willits CA
Camping Available
Meals included

How to add bottle designs to earthen buildings is a common question in our workshops. There are many different methods ...
08/14/2026

How to add bottle designs to earthen buildings is a common question in our workshops. There are many different methods used, but the most important thing to consider is how your bottles will affect the structural integrity of your building. It’s critical to think of the bottle details as openings in your wall and NOT treat them as a structural part of your design. In all the examples above, the bottles are either in a non load bearing wall, or there is framing or earthen arch work carrying the load above the bottles.

Most commonly we use cob around the bottles to hold them in place. In a really thin wall section, we first attach them to wire framework before cobbing around them. And when orienting the bottle on their sides so the circular bottom is visible, we cut the necks off of the bottles with a tile saw and tape two bottle together.

2nd photo was created by Ryan Spaulding
Last photo by Sarah Rebstock

Our September Intro To Cob workshop is $50 off for the next three days. In this three day natural building course, we’l...
08/13/2026

Our September Intro To Cob workshop is $50 off for the next three days. In this three day natural building course, we’ll create a variety of different types of earthen building systems, including cob, adobe and earthen plaster.

The workshop will be held in Willits, CA September 25,26 &27. Meals are included in tuition, and free rustic camping is available on site. There are also many nearby lodging options. Sign up by August 15th to claim the early bird discount.

We are also offering a cob oven workshop the following weekend, October 3&4 at the same site in Willits. Links for both workshops can be found in bio or on EarthenShelter.Com

Thoughts on sculpting with earthen plaster.I will admit that most of the earthen plaster/ cob sculpting I see I dont act...
08/12/2026

Thoughts on sculpting with earthen plaster.
I will admit that most of the earthen plaster/ cob sculpting I see I dont actually like. Like with any trade, there is a huge range of skill and experience. I also really like seeing the simple beautiful shape of the wall itself. Sometimes the wall speaks for itself, and simply does not need more embellishment!
And of course, when it is done well, the extra flair can be so fun!
Photo 1- This tree was sculpted by local sculptor who had not worked with cob prior, and I plastered it. One thing to note when getting really detailed with the sculpting is that plastering it can be very labor intensive. Plastering this tree took a solid 12 hours.
Photo 2- This is a technique of plastering different layers of different colored plaster over eachother, and carving each layer down to reveal the layer beneth. To see more incredible work in this style, check out Athena Steens work at the Canelo Project
Photo 3- This was an oven I built in Mosier OR with some dear friends, and they did the finish sculpture on it, and I love it!

🔸4 more days to receive the early bird discount for our Intro to Cob and Earthen Building workshop. 🔹We are offering a ...
08/11/2026

🔸4 more days to receive the early bird discount for our Intro to Cob and Earthen Building workshop.
🔹We are offering a 10% discount if you want to take both workshops!
🔸Intro to Earthen Building:
Sept. 25th, 26th & 27th
🔹Cob Oven Building Workshop:
3rd & 4th

Willits CA
Camping Available
Meals included
Early Bird Discount ends August 15th

Address

Potter Valley, CA
95469

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