Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Jacob Racusin, Ben Graham & Jose Galarza

What is natural building? The responses to this question are wide and varied, and while there is no single definition, there are themes that run throughout the many responses that help point us towards an answer. In this first week of the Natural Building Certificate Program, we will address this question from many angles, as we look at materials,
processes, and historical and contemporary contexts of natural building across the globe. We will then continue to explore deeper the meaning of natural building as it relates to our summer's project, as we explore and refine the design and establish personal and group goals for the program. This course will focus on the theory, philosophy, design, and science of natural building, with examination given to all elements of a structure, and how the structure integrates into its environment.

A full introduction to the project will be offered, as well as plenty of time to start getting to know our fellow builders for the season ahead. Although there will be no organized practicum for this class (that's for the rest of the summer!), area site tours of examples of natural building will be arranged, and smaller demonstrations of natural building may be undertaken, as per sentiment of the group. By the end of the week, students will have the background and knowledge of natural building in general to prepare them for the program's multi-faceted project, and to more readily evaluate their own or other building designs by the criteria of what it means to create a natural building.

Buzz Ferver, Keith Morris, & Jose Galarza

Do you want to create a habitat for your home harmonious with all around it? This two-day workshop will take you through the steps of listening to the spirit of a place, analyzing the site, capturing this information, and designing a plan. Come prepared for fun and adventure in the realm of site design as we explore principles from passive thermal design to permaculture to soil analysis and foundations.

Nick Zanstra

For those considering harvesting logs for lumber on a small scale, building with materials from their own woodlot, or purchasing a sawmill, this course will provide an overview of methods and options for small scale sustainable harvesting and wood production. The bulk of the course will be live demonstrations with emphasis on the variety of considerations at every step of the process. Methods of felling, skidding, and sawmilling will be presented. Discussions will include everything from woodlot assessment and management to building with fresh cut green lumber.

Skip Dewhirst & Josh Jackson

Over the last two decades, the historic craft of timberframing in residential construction has experienced a revival. Students will learn the fundamentals of designing and constructing a timberframe using mortise and tenon joinery. Layout techniques, tool use and sharpening, and joinery cutting methods are taught as we work on a small timberframe project. Evening lectures will address the history of the craft, finishing techniques, and mechanical systems for timberframe houses. We will also touch on frame design, joinery choices, and integration of frame and house design. This course will focus on traditional hand-cut joinery and tools and will also demonstrate some of the power tools used by modern timberframers.

Jacob Racusin, Patti Garbeck & Jose Galarza

This course gives students a basic overview of general terms, tools and techniques. Learn how to safely use a wide range of hand and power tools while taking on projects around the campus. We'll go over house framing and layout while looking at the anatomy of a structure. Whether you're planning on building a house or just want to learn some basic skills, this course will help you gain the confidence you'll need.

Jacob Racusin, Patti Garbeck & Jose Galarza

Jacob Racusin, Ace McArleton & Jose Galarza

A wealth of wall building systems is available to the natural builder using the basic materials of clay, sand, straw, stone, and wood. This two week intensive/extensive course will focus on several methods, including: strawbale, wood chip clay, clay block, wattle and daub, cob and light-clay. Students will learn the properties, advantages, and challenges for each method as we integrate these various techniques into the project. Instruction will emphasize two inter-related areas: 1) an understanding of the fundamental properties of the basic materials, and 2) the methods and applications. Understanding the properties of the basic ingredients allows you the freedom to experiment and formulate the optimal wall building method for any particular situation. This lays the groundwork for the methods we will focus on in this course.

You will learn how to properly stack and trim straw bales, create forms for wood chip clay and light clay in-fill walls, and combine these and other techniques and ingredients to create load-bearing and in-fill material. Each of these methods offers different benefits and opportunities in their application that are directly related to their fundamental properties. Students in the course will learn how to assess the appropriate complementary wall building method(s) in relation to the design and functionality of a wall, with a focus on insulation properties relevant to our northern climate. Participants will be engaged in this hands-on process throughout the two weeks as they actively stock their toolbox with natural building recipes, techniques, and skills.

Jacob Racusin, Ace McArleton & Jose Galarza

Ace McArleton & Jacob Racusin

This course will teach you how to create and apply beautiful hand finished plasters and paints on many wall surfaces. People around the world have been using clay, gypsum, and lime as plasters and paints for millennia, and these materials have shown a timeless aesthetic and utility. The course will cover at a basic level three principle plaster and paint mediums: clay, lime, and gypsum, and finish with plaster coats, paints, and washes of clay, lime, casein, wheat paste, mica, pigments, and other natural ingredients. Students will leave this course with practical experience mixing and applying a wide variety of finishes on various wall systems, from rough straw bale to finished gypsum wall board. Emphasis will be given on learning the working properties of the materials and developing critical thinking skills to apply the knowledge in real-world situations, rather than on specific recipes for specific conditions.

Bill Hulstrunk & John Unger Murphy

This workshop will cover the basics of design and construction of super-insulated and zero net-energy buildings. These "green" buildings not only reduce our carbon footprint by saving energy, but are also extremely comfortable, quiet and healthy. Topics of discussion will include the principles of heat loss, putting together an effective insulation package, simple modeling of building performance, affordable approaches to insulation and weatherization, determining how much insulation is enough, selecting the right windows, heating system selection and incorporating solar aspects into your design.  The hands-on portion of the class will include the installation of cellulose insulation in the project structure.

Daniel Bermingham, Thea Alvin

This hands-on workshop will provide students with basic skills for working with stone and masonry. Students will learn various methods of constructing stone walls and will be exposed to a variety of examples of stonework incorporated in residential design. Each student will have the opportunity to work firsthand with footings and dry-laid, masonry-laid and masonry-veneered stonewall work. There will also be discussion of paver installation and fundamental brick and block construction. Strong, healthy backs are required!

Jacob Racusin & Jose Galarza