Collaborative Natural Building · Pacific Northwest

You have a project. Let's talk.

Maybe it's been living in your head for a while. A cob bench. A garden wall. A plastered room. A small outbuilding built from earth and intention.

→   Tell us about your project See how it works
What We Bring

Decades of hands-on experience

Between us we have decades of hands-on natural building experience — cob, light straw-clay, hempcrete, earth and lime plaster, limewashes. From the ground up, we work collaboratively, alongside owners who want to be part of what gets built. Depending on your project and the scope, one or both of us may be involved.

If you’re ready to start — or close to ready — reach out. That’s where everything begins.

Pricing is project-specific and always part of the first conversation. There’s no fixed rate because no two projects are the same.

Learn about the materials we use →
Hands-on natural building

A note on cob in Portland

Cob requires good clay soil — and while Portland is known for it, finding a workable source isn’t always straightforward. Not every site has usable clay on it, and we don’t have a standing supplier we can order from. Clay sourcing is often its own project, and it’s one of the real reasons we’re selective about what we take on. Priority goes to projects where quality clay is already on site, or where the client is prepared to source and deliver it. If you’re thinking about a cob house or a larger cob structure specifically, this is one of the first things we’ll want to talk about.

How natural building actually works → Permits & building codes →
Good Fit For

Is this the right fit?

This kind of work attracts a specific kind of person. See if this sounds like you.

  • Hands-on owners who want to be part of the build
  • Small to medium natural building projects
  • People open to figuring things out as they go — incremental building
  • Projects where the vision is clear enough to begin
  • Someone who wants to learn by doing — not by watching
  • People okay with a design that develops as it goes

If your project needs something beyond what we offer — a structural builder, a roofer, a specialist — we’ll tell you early.

Natural building project in progress Read about The Cob Hut — a hybrid natural build in progress in Portland →
Community Builds

Want to make it a community build?

Some of the best natural building projects don't happen with just two people. They happen with ten or twenty — neighbors, friends, people who show up curious and leave knowing something they didn't before. If you want to open your project up — turn a build day into a work party, or shape the whole thing around a community gathering — we can help you plan for that.

It’s not just more hands. It’s a different kind of experience entirely. Your project becomes something people were part of — not just something they heard about.
Community natural building Collaborative cob building
How It Starts
Natural building — getting started

The conversation is part of how it gets figured out

Reach out and tell us about the land, the idea, where you are in the process. We'll read it, think about it, and get back to you. If it sounds like something worth talking about we'll have a real conversation — by email, phone, or in person. Nothing needs to be figured out yet. The conversation is part of how it gets figured out.

Projects can unfold quickly or slowly depending on scope, season, and what makes sense as you go. Incremental building — doing one thing, seeing how it lands, deciding what’s next — is often how the best work happens.

How natural building actually works → →   Tell us about your project

Start with a conversation.
See where it goes.

Share whatever you know — the idea, the location, the scale, where you are in the process.

→   Tell us about your project Build with Matt

Cob Natural Builder · Portland, Oregon