Sasha’s House Build at Quail Springs Permaculture
After visits to Quail Springs Permaculture in Summer of 2012—first for a Permaculture Design for International Development Professionals course and then to help the construction of a cob house for one of the residents—I returned a few short months later to complete an apprenticeship program in Natural and Earthen Building Methods with Sasha Rabin of Earthen Shelter.
Sasha and I had developed a strong bond during my first visits, and I was blown away by the work that she and the rest of Quail Springs were doing constructing site appropriate, cost effective, environmentally safe (seismically stable, non flammable, etc), non toxic and aesthetically gorgeous human habitations. At the time, Quail Springs boasted a large straw-bale converted common area for kitchen, workshop and gathering space, as well as a dozen or so wonderful purpose built cottages, greenhouses and other structures using combinations of cob, straw bale, light-straw-clay, and other methods. Fascinating work was being done experimenting with a wide range of auxiliary systems for working with the ecology of the Cuyama Valley rather than against it in creating human habitats, from AC provided by underground venting from cooler air spaces, use of thermal mass in cob walls in heating greenhouses and other spaces, passive solar, water catchment, and so on. In addition to being environmentally sane, cheap, and opting out of the madness that makes up the modern day construction supply chain, these structures were breathtakingly beautiful. Anyone who has stood inside a cob or adobe structure knows that there is a unique feeling of being held by the earth that is quite powerful, and the ability to sculpt the very earth of the valley into organic monolithic forms while weaving in other creatively sourced materials made for profoundly special and unique spaces.
I jumped at the opportunity to return to Quail Springs and be mentored by Sasha Rabin. Along with a handful of other apprentices, Sasha guided a month long build to create a beautiful cottage that incorporated multiple earthen building modalities so that we might gain exposure to a variety of methods.
The walls of the structure were constructed using earth bags filled with an earthen mixture collected straight from the build site, and wrapped in a circular shape over a rubble trench (highly effective drainage and seismic safety). The earth bags would later be covered in finish plasters. Once we reached about head height with earth bags we constructed a dome using repurposed conduit from the Quail Springs ‘boneyard’ and matched the curvature of the dome with multiple courses of actual cob. The cob dome was left open at the top in order to accommodate a framed cupola/tower that would be accessible from the interior loft. Earthen plasters made on site were applied to all surfaces apart from the exterior of the dome which we chose to treat with a lime plaster finish.
This apprenticeship was intellectually fascinating and an incredible experience all around. Camping out in the ‘guest canyon’ at Quail Springs as autumn came crept into the valley, listening to the San Francisco Giants 2012 playoff run on my satellite radio, slowing down and syncing up with the natural rhythms and honest pace of life within a community truly committed to living in relationship to the native ecology.
The apprenticeship provided a much more complete view than I had previously had into the phases of constructing an earthen home, though the distinct process of interior decoration and crafting of the actual living space came after. As such, i’ve provided a few photos at the bottom courtesy of Sasha Rabin at Earthen Shelter of the completed interior. Its one of the most beautiful spaces I’ve known.
