Susan's Adobe and Cob Home
10 November 2009

Cob and Adobe House Construction & Natural Building Internship

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If you are Interested in cob and adobe house construction and want some hands-on experience in natural building with an Alumni of Ianto Evans Cob Cotttage workshops then this may interest you. This project is located in a village in Bulgaria, Eastern Europe.

'Cob in Bulgaria' is owned and directed by Susan Hagan and is Located 15 kms from the old Capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo. Its aim is to develop sustainable lifestyle skills such as local food production, permaculture and natural building. A Internship for Spring Summer 2010 is available.



The house you will help finish: 2010

This existing restored building is based on natural building and passive solar design. It features adobe and stone walls and straw and mud insulated cathedral roof. It will be finished with earthern and lime plasters,there will be garden walls of super adobe and stone, a living roof on a small guest house that I built last year,a living pool, vegetable gardens and cob ovens and rocket stoves and an outside cob hot tub. There is plenty of opportunity for creative, sculptural earthern work.

The house you will help restore: 2010

A 150 year old wattle and daub traditional cottage. The woman who sold the property to me was born in this house and is very excited about the first cup of coffee she will drink in it with me when it is finished. This house has weathered well. If it had not been for a hole in the chimney some of the main oak beams of the house would not have perished. As it is some of them need replacing. We will take this house down top down and assess the damage and restore it as we go. All natural building skills will be employed to restore this old cottage to health. I need a long-term intern for this project to work with me, consult with me, and to see the project through from beginning to end therefore being able to join us for coffee on that auspicious day! If necessary local workers will be employed to assist.

How you’ll be living:

I have a 20ft Yurt with a kitchen and Internet, or in a small cob guest house available on the property for a long -term intern.

Your qualifications and experience:

You need to have a good work ethic and be capable of physical labor and be really interested in cob building. You must be self motivating and have a positive attitude towards work.



What you get in the bargain:

You will be working directly with an experienced natural building teacher and learning alternative building techniques. You’ll be eating organic vegetables and fruit. We have a beautiful Waterfall within a short walk of the property where you can swim and relax. It gets hot here in the summer so we take a break in the afternoon if the weather requires it. We have a functioning bathroom with bathtub and an outside solar shower and wood burning shower and an outside toilet. You can use our wireless Internet. You’ll get exposure to traditional Bulgarian village life unchanged for 100's of years. You have two days off a week and there are many places to visit, mountain walking, rock climbing, archeological digs and many other interesting actvities. We attend all village celebrations together. Local buses to town and other towns and cities are regular and reliable.

What I expect from you:

35 hours of work per week, a good attitude and enthusiasm for learning. You’ll also need a return ticket or onward ticket for your departure. Transportation from a train or bus station in the area can be arranged.

A Unique Opportunity!

This is a unique chance to visit and work in a country that has just joined the European Union but still retains its traditional way of life. If you are here long enough you could learn everything from earthen floors to finish plasters. The list of things you will be exposed to is broad: earthbags, cob-bales, passive solar, natural medicine, ayurvedic medicine and food, permaculture, cooking, and great vegetarian meals. You may even have the opportunity to help teach workshops in natural building. Please contact me at the email below for details of the 2010 Internship.


Telephone 00359 6128263 (Bulgarian Landline)