SunDog School of Natural Building, currently based in beautiful northern California, creates an educational/learning environment for people in transition looking to build natural structures with earthen materials.

• We’ll teach you how thermally appropriate, efficient buildings can be hand-built for very little money, virtually anywhere in the world, by anyone, using natural and recycled materials.

• We’ll show you how natural structures have healing effects on the environment and the people who build and inhabit them.

• We’ll connect you to other people interested in transitioning from a fuel based economy.

• And finally, our workshops are always filled with fun, great people, and good food.

    We, Kirk Mobert and Bryan Burnoski, both Cob Cottage apprentices and Cob Cottage instructors , have teamed up to create the SunDog School Of Natural Building. We have been teaching natural building workshops on complete cob construction, earthen plasters, earthen ovens, rocket stoves, wood-fired water heaters, earthen floors and living roofs over the past several years and enjoy helping people find ways of living that depend less on fossil fuels and more on individual creativity and collective genius using natural systems and natural materials.

    Natural building is more than just a choice of materials or tools; it’s a lever for transformation. We believe natural building is an appropriate response to a world out of balance. Taking a SunDog workshop opens your world to a whole host of possibilities to create a different future. You can choose to take a workshop at one of our sites or be a site host for one of the gatherings by hiring SunDog natural building instructors to hold a workshop at your location. SunDog School of Natural Building offers natural building workshops, classes, consulting, and apprenticeships. Contact us to learn more.

    Bryan Burnoski:

I like yurts, baking bread, composting toilets, growing food, and making just about anything out of mud. I come from the the Midwest and have been interested in innovations for building cold weather bale cob structures that hold up well and are comfortable in sub zero temperatures.  Over the last 4 years I've taught natural building workshops at the Cob Cottage Company in Oregon and teaching where ever I go, mostly California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Texas.  My interest lies in creating gatherings where people are inspired, engaged, and transformed. I enjoy showing people how to take back many aspects of their daily living on this planet, ways that we as a culture seem to have forgotten. For me, building one's own home is where the DIY spirit begins. With a little guidance and a little help anyone can experience this truly remarkable and simple act.

Kirk (Donkey) Mobert

I'm a native Californian with a love of critters, fire and mud. I've been a natural builder for over a decade and have been teaching at Cob Cottage Co. and around california for the last 7 years. For me, exploring the possibilities and pushing the boundries is where it's at. While Natural Building is ancient, for our culture its new, there's still a lot of room for discovery and experimentation. Over the years, my focus has shifted towards teaching full time. The world needs more natural builders, and I love the work.