Our Earthbag Course

     We have been teaching this course now for seven years and  feel it is one of the most comprehensive earth bag courses available. However it is very intense and physically demanding, please make sure you are in good physical condition when you come to us. 
    Our course consists of lectures, field practice and building mathamatics. You also recieve all the neccessary written information in a take home packet which will support you in your building later.We teach the earthbag courses here at our center in Mexico, but if you have a location in your country with full facilities we could come to you. Below is our basic course outline - It is slightly modified to each group, depending on their needs and experience.

*Overview of Natural Building
* Tools and Materials
* Site Selection
* Soil Identification and Field Testing
* Introduction to Wall Construction (single bags and tube)
* Introduction to Arches, Vaults and Domes
* Site Preparation and Layout
* House Design
* Foundation Theory and Construction
* Construction theory of Corbeled Earthbag Dome
* Introduction to Weatherproofing and Finishes
* Making and Application of Render
* Flooring
* Creating a Greywater Management System
* Implementation of Percolation Pits
* Construction and Management of a Composting Toilet System

              

             

     The course costs $650USD per person for the week (5days).    If you stay on site with us we charge a further $50 USD per person for all meals. We have a minimum group size of 6 people, maximum 10.

Living Arrangements
Here is some information on our center and the living arrangements.

Karacadir is located in a very fragile high desert
eco-system. You should be familiar with low impact camping.
To stay at Karacadir you should have your own camping gear - sleeping bag, pad and tent.  We have full kitchen facilities. All meals are communal, and you will be asked share in kitchen duties.(dishes, table set up etc) The food includes three vegetarian meals (dairy may be included in our diet ) a day.We cannot cater to special diets.
If you decide to stay in San Miguel and commute to us we can arrange transportation for an additional cost.  
We are a non - smoking center.
 We expect everyone to come to us healthy and to have medicine to take care of any problems that may arise.
San Miguel De Allende is 1,840 m above sea level and we are a
little higher than that!