Natural Building

"We need to renegotiate our contract with nature.  Ecology is a unifying force that can diminish intolerance and expand our empathy towards others - both human and animal."~ Gregory Colbert
Throughout her life Andrea has connected with the natural world in many ways.  As a student studying at the College of the Atlantic Andrea chose to strengthen that bond choosing Human Ecology as her major field of study.  Fascinated by the diversity of cultures and interest in sustainability, conscious community living and preserving our natural resources; Andrea chose to build with nature creating her dwelling out of the organic materials of clay, sand, straw, and water, better known in the natural building world as cob or monolithic adobe.  

Living Sustainable On A Budget

Andrea read Mortgage Free! A Radical Guide to Home Ownership, by Rob Roy which discusses how those living on a budget can actually own their own home without incurring  a mortgage.  She continued her learning  through attending workshops given by AsheVillage Institute and Kleiwerks International and began to design her beautiful Cob Cottage.


"When you awaken to the power you have, you begin to flex the muscles of your courage. Then you can dream bravely: letting go of your limiting beliefs and pushing past your fears. You can start to come up with a truly original dream that germinates in your soul and bears fruit in your life."
- Alberto Villoldo, from his book "Courageous Dreaming"

The Earthen Project

Andrea envisioned a home and a place of nurturing, peace, tranquility grounded in shamanic energy and healing. With the help of many dedicated friends, Andrea has completed her hand built healing cob cottage - built of earth, wood, straw, stone and many hands, with a magnificent view of the Smoky Mountains. You can just feel the earth healing you. 

Building Friendships  Sculpting A Home

 Getting Started

The process of getting started has many unseen steps before evidence of the structure emerged.  Those steps were the seeding the vision Andrea carried in her dream.  She continued learning through workshops and reading many books on building with the earth, such as The Hand Sculpted House,  The Cob Builders Handbook, and Building Green.  She invited the expertise of those in the field of building and construction as she traded her gifts as a healer for their knowledge and physical labor.  It is an uncommon and unconventional theme, the idea of bartering services in this modern era of technology.
Friendships were formed as Earthen Building Days combined teaching and community becoming a key ingredient in the creation of the cottage.  Andrea  was open to sharing the experience of earthen building with all who showed an interest in learning.  The cottage became a center for learning over time offering students the opportunity of hands on learning whereby engaging their artistic and creative abilities.   

The Building Continues

Progress continues as the design and building fuse.  It takes patience, fortitude, faith, perseverance, and trust to be a natural builder.  Unlike conventional construction molding a home from earth is a much slower process.  Each step in design and form must be knitted together seamlessly to construct a home.  Walls are formed by hand using cordwood, lathe, stone, glass bricks, and bottles buried in the walls made of Cob (a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water) creating sturdy, geothermic walls with artistic elements. Cob is a wonderful medium for building as it is a natural, non toxic material that forms itself to what ever shape you imagine, bringing out the inner artisan in you.

The Cottage Home Infused with Spirit

There is something special that occurs in the sculpting of a home made of the earth.  The healing qualities in its elements seep into your soul.  Each step in the process brings you closer to sprit.