for building your own home. Tony Beurskens and Meka Bunch round out the building side of things as designers and finishers, with various expertise in reclaimed materials, natural finishes, solar design and alternative power, waste and water systems. Matthew Smith brings in everything needed for gorgeous stonework, whether it’s masonry for the cob home or laying walkways, patios and walls within your landscape. And for integrating the landscape and plantings even further, Benjamin Portwood brings in his skills with edible landscaping, permaculture, rainwater harvesting and living roofs.

So... ready to jump in and get dirty yourself? This group will literally go the extra mile with any community project in which they become involved

and they relish the opportunity not just to build creatively but to pass along their knowledge as well. Along with conducting numerous workshops, they’ve completed many projects with schools, parks and artists’ communities, allowing beginners to join in at whatever supervised level fits their abilities. Because the basic skills needed to build a cob structure can be easily learned, working slowly with your own community of eager (and free?) laborers can be a wise choice if you’re not in too much of a hurry. From the photos, I’d say boisterous kids and industrious adults have all participated with glee. I did ask, going back to a large real estate project, how they handled enthusiastic untrained helpers. I was assured that unless there were time constraints or tight budgets, they were happy to allow for homeowner participation and enjoyed working with the people as much as the materials. They were quick to point out that there is always a limit to where you might dabble, once the mud mixing and slinging end, though, as quality, durability and finesse come foremost in the final creation.

Which brings us finally to the intriguing homes