

In this permaskills Natural Building Workshop we are building a PermaHome guesthouse for Christoph & Mario’s permaculture project in southern Italy. There are no skill requirements. You will learn everything you need to build a house from foundation to roof.
From September 7th to October 11th we will start another round of permaskills Natural Building Workshops near Badolato in southern Italy. These workshops will provide you plenty of opportunity to get hands-on experience in Natural Building, all the skills and especially the confidence you need to build a little cabin for yourself. The highlights of these workshops are a natural rock stemwall & foundation, a natural round wood timber frame and roof, light-straw-clay, straw bale as well as cob walls, earthen floors, earthen plasters, a rainwater harvesting roof and even cob sculpting, Tadelakt and an integrated greenhouse to make this building something like an earthship.
Certification | permaskills Natural Building Certificate |
Instruction language | English / English & German |
Certification Levels | 2 weeks: Beginner 3 weeks: Intermediate 4 weeks: Advanced 5 weeks: Master |
Date | 2 weeks: Sept. 21st – Oct 4th 3 weeks: Sept. 14th – Oct 4th 4 weeks: Sept. 7th – Oct 4th 5 weeks: Sept. 7th – Oct. 11th |
Location | Badolato, CZ, southern Italy |
Building Style | PermaHome |
Instructor | Robert Brendler |
Hosts | Mario & Christoph |
The fees for the permaskills Natural Building Workshops (including Tuition, Camping and Meals) are:

BASIC
2 week course
Sept 21st - Oct 4th
900€
700€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
Cob walls
Strawbale walls
Light-Straw-Clay walls
Rammed Earth walls
Electrical conduits / outlets
Earthen floors
Earthen plasters
Cob sculpting & inserts
Niches / Shelves / Arches
Lime Plaster
INTERMEDIATE
3 week course
Sept 14th - Oct 4th
1250€
900€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All BASIC content
Timber Framing
Wooden Frame & Roof
Wood connections
Wood protection
Power Tool Instruction
Hand Tool Instruction
Live Edge Shelves
Window & Door Frames
ADVANCED
4 week course
Sept 7th - Oct 4th
1600€
1100€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All INTERMEDIATE content
Ground assessment
Foundation
Drainage
Natural Rock Stemwall
Plumbing
Floor Insulation
Earthen subfloor
MASTER
5 week course
Sept 7th - Oct 11th
1900€
1300€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All ADVANCED content
Rainwater harvesting
Reciprocal, Shed or Saddle roof
Metal or Green roof
Passive solar heating
Greenhouse extension
Water recycling
Grey-water planters
Natural finishes and paints
Tadelakt
Registration is limited to 15 students. Registration deadline: August 16.
By paying the workshop fee you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions. For simple payments we are using PayPal as our provider, but have to add ~3% of transaction fees for that. If this is too expensive for you, please check our alternative payment methods.

Project: a PermaHome guesthouse
In this year’s permaskills Natural Building Workshops we will build Christoph & Mario a PermaHome classroom / guesthouse / communal space for their permaculture project. They would like a room that can house 2-3 guests and a little kitchen area to prepare snacks. Showers and Toilet will be created in a communal bathhouse next door.
Workshop: Natural Building
These permaskills Natural Building Workshops consists of theoretical instruction (in English or English & German) with lectures & graphics as well as hands-on construction for 7 – 8 hours a day. The successful completion of these Workshops gives you a Natural Building Certificate.
In this permaskills Natural Building Workshop you can build a complete building from foundation through floors and walls to the roof with your own hands. We are trying to use only natural materials, so you know exactly what you are working and surround yourself with.

Extras
Because this is an area with possibility of light earthquakes, we will talk about earthquake protection and apply what we learned on the building.
We will build a green house extension to plant some snacks and have a thermal buffer zone and passive heat in winter. The green house will include grey-water planters that are fed from the sink and showers.
Natural Builder Certification
You will receive a permaskills Natural Builder Certificate, all the teaching materials by email and the permaskills – Natural Builder’s Handbook, which is a summary of the workshop building steps, upon graduation.
Workshop Requirements
There are no skill requirements for these permaskills Natural Building Workshops! That said, it certainly won’t hurt if you know some things and put it to good use or share it with others. Nobody is perfect and we are always curious to learn other ways of doing things.

Workshop schedule
- Sun Sep 6th, 4 pm: Opening Circle / Welcome Dinner / Introduction
- 1st week: Foundation / Plumbing / 1st Floor
- 2nd week: Round pole timber Frame / Door and Window Frames
- 3rd week: Walls / Electrical / Windows
- 4th week: Walls / 1st Plaster / 2nd Plaster / 2nd Floor
- 5th week: Roof / Green house / Tadelakt
- Sat Oct 10th, 10 am: Closing Circle
There is often someone who leads yoga or some other movement practice in the morning and/or the afternoon. We like to have one evening a week to show slides, videos or have workshop related debates. The rest of the time you can spend on your own, join a jam session around the fire or contribute something to share with the group.

Workshop Hosts: Mario & Christoph


Christoph and Mario would like us to come up with a smart design. Although the primary purpose of the project will be to serve as a classroom where lectures or workshops can take place, it should also be usable to accommodate guests and workshop students.

Read more about Christoph & Mario, their permaculture project and the workshop location: Badolato.
Workshop Instructor

Robert ‘Cob-Rob’ Brendler has been doing construction work since the age of 12 when he accompanied his grandpa on construction sites during his summer vacation. He’s a Jack of all trades, experienced in Masonry, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical Wiring, Home Automation, Cob Building & Sculpting, Green-Roofs, Non Violent Communication, Teaching and Team-Building and is bringing it all together to give you a complete experience from foundation to roof. Robert loves the Natural Building Community and bringing together the kind of people that are interested in it. He loves teaching and the look on faces when people succeed in doing things they never imagined they could do.

Registration & Payment
The fees for the permaskills Natural Building Workshops (including Tuition, Camping and Meals) are:

BASIC
2 week course
Sept 21st - Oct 4th
900€
700€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
Cob walls
Strawbale walls
Light-Straw-Clay walls
Rammed Earth walls
Electrical conduits / outlets
Earthen floors
Earthen plasters
Cob sculpting & inserts
Niches / Shelves / Arches
Lime Plaster
INTERMEDIATE
3 week course
Sept 14th - Oct 4th
1250€
900€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All BASIC content
Timber Framing
Wooden Frame & Roof
Wood connections
Wood protection
Power Tool Instruction
Hand Tool Instruction
Live Edge Shelves
Window & Door Frames
ADVANCED
4 week course
Sept 7th - Oct 4th
1600€
1100€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All INTERMEDIATE content
Ground assessment
Foundation
Drainage
Natural Rock Stemwall
Plumbing
Floor Insulation
Earthen subfloor
MASTER
5 week course
Sept 7th - Oct 11th
1900€
1300€
LAST MINUTE discount
until Sept 6th, 2020
All ADVANCED content
Rainwater harvesting
Reciprocal, Shed or Saddle roof
Metal or Green roof
Passive solar heating
Greenhouse extension
Water recycling
Grey-water planters
Natural finishes and paints
Tadelakt
Registration is limited to 15 students. Registration deadline: August 16.
By paying the workshop fee you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions. For simple payments we are using PayPal as our provider, but have to add ~3% of transaction fees for that. If this is too expensive for you, please check our alternative payment methods.
Discounts
WORK TRADE: We always offer 4 work trade discounts, 2 in the kitchen making breakfast in the morning and 2 onsite in the morning before breakfast or in the afternoon between class and dinner. An ideal learning opportunity to get a glimpse on every detail of the build. Each work trade is 50€ off the tuition fees per week for one hour of help a day. To apply for these work trade positions please contact robert.brendler@permaskills.org.
MUDDY BUDDY DEAL: Register friends later, get the same discount. When the discount offer is ending soon, but your best friend isn’t sure yet. No problem, register now and secure the discount for the both of you. Your friend gets the same discount, even if registering later.
Also please contact robert.brendler@permaskills.org for more information. Optional via Whatsapp +4915158593588.
