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For more information on all ofOUR ECOVILLAGE’s coursesplease contact: info@ourecovillage.org or phone (250) 743-3067For registration and payment via mail, click here. For payment via paypal, click here. See you this summer…… List of courses for 2008:
Design your own Natural House - Ecological Design for Homeowners The first step to making the dream of a natural house your reality is creating a design. From choosing a good site, basics of passive solar design, over space saving strategies to choosing the Project Manager for HomeownersInterested in building your own home, or understanding the process of building better? This program will introduce the concepts of Project Management as applied by professional builders, and those that can be used by Owners to make their projects come in closer to schedule and budget. Inter-personal skills such as crew leadership and delegation are reinforced with proper record keeping and briefing materials. Numerous examples of various projects are used to illustrate successful projects and discuss the ways things can go wrong. Follow up short mentoring sessions at OUR ECOVILLAGE through the summer will reinforce lessons and answer the questions that will come up. House building is a win-win proposition if approached with the right attitude and tools. Lead by Randy Churchill who has built a couple houses for himself and many for others. Introduction to Timber FramingSpend an energetic weekend learning the basics of timber framing. Interactive sessions with professional carpenters will get your questions answered, illustrate the spirit of heavy timber construction, and allow you to see/use the tools of trade in a controlled environment. Fundamental layout skills will let you in on the secrets of making joints tidy and solid. This is intended to be an 'exposure' to heavy timberwork only. Two full days w/ lunch at OUR Eco-Village. Curvilinear Foundations for Sustainable Building The biggest carbon footprint of a natural home is the "good set of boots". Learn how to construct code approved curvy foundations in a very simple and cost effective way while minimizing the ecological impact. Course will be taught by experienced home builders Gord and Ann Baird of Eco-Sense (www.eco-sense.ca), who have a knack for sustainable systems, curves, structural design and experimentation. Topics covered include interpreting foundation plans, layout methods, Fabric Form foundation setup, re-bar placement, concrete options and more. Emphasis is placed on creative, simple, and cost effective methods that can be used and adapted to any foundation. Frame and Infill WallsystemsSo you have a nice timberframe structure: what's the skin of the building? Timber Framing Basics - Square RuleA rewarding week learning the basics of heavy timber joinery with the square rule layout method. After a half-day of theory and history, attendees will spend the balance of the week laying out, cutting, and assembling a wall section. Optional sessions will include slide shows, movies, or tool box dump (evenings?). A hand's on course focused on the theory, practical considerations, and use of hand tools. Limited use of power tools is optional, including 8" & 16" saws, mortiser, planer, etc. A basic tool kit is suggested for attendees. Natural Plasters for Healthy and Beautiful HomesImprove the indoor airquality of your home with natural plasters. Clay, our basic material, has inherent qualities to help us create a healthier environment. Its capacity to handle varying humidity levels, absorb odours and toxins, while being easy to use with simple techniques and recipes, makes it desirable for both interior and exterior finishing. These plasters are usable for conventional homes as well as cob, straw or light-clay walls. Participants will learn hands-on mixing and application, materials evaluation and recipes Suggested reading: “The Natural Plaster Book” Guelberth & Chiras, New Society Publishers Building as if People Mattered : House building has developed from traditional, vernacular, handmade to industrialized, mechanical and highly specialized. The natural building movement brings back to our awareness what we have given up in that process: the personal investment in building one's home, the expectation of a building that is to scale with human need rather than want, the respect for people and place. Cob building is learned quite easily by people from all walks of life. We work together, learn from each other and discover our connections through activity and reflection. Technical learning includes materials, recipes, building instruction, attaching doors/ windows, building arches. We start on foot and will introduce some mechanization along the way. Timber Framing - Hip Roof ExampleNot for the faint-of-heart or beginner, this one week session will introduce the basics of compound roof work with large timbers and apply these skills to a hip roof system laid out and cut during the course. Attendees must have basic carpentry skills and be comfortable with simple roof math. Power tools will be used for cutting joinery. Both simple drawing development and analytical approaches will be shown/used. A basic tool kit is suggested for attendees. Timber Framing Raising - A Celebration of CraftJoin us for the raising of a timber frame created during our spring TF training sessions. Held on a weekend for maximum participation. All TF students are invited/encouraged to return for this event. Limited participation to assure safety of the crew, but a Rope raising is planned so everyone can help somehow. Please stay for the party afterward. Timber Framing for Builders/Contractors Intended for the professional carpenter, this is a fast paced introduction to timber framing basics. Friday afternoon is devoted to examples, theory, design, and interaction with other trades. Full weekend days will see attendees lay out, cut and assemble small frame units appropriate for a porch or ceiling support system. |
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