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Ever wonder what it’s like to build a timber frame from the ground up? Join The Year of Mud this summer for an all-inclusive 7 day Timber Frame Workshop. In this introductory class, students will use timeless techniques and traditional hand tools to lay out, join, and raise a beautiful timber frame structure. Learn valuable new carpentry skills in a gorgeous setting, and discover how to build a long-lived timber structure using mortise & tenon joinery. We promise you’ll catch the timber framing bug and take home a host of new skills with you.
Workshop Info. at a Glance:
- Workshop Dates: We currently do not have a 2025 course scheduled — sign up below for future workshop announcements
- Location: South Slope Farm, Berea, Kentucky (map)
- All-inclusive: Workshop includes camping accommodations, and 3 delicious home-cooked meals a day
- Instruction with Ziggy Liloia & Blain Snipstal
- Homesteading Experience: Get a glimpse into homestead living with tours in our community
- Cost and Discounts:
$1580 Early Bird Discount (register 30+ days in advance)
$1680 Regular Registration (register less than 30 days in advance) - Families with children are welcome! Please contact Ziggy for more details
We’ve Got You Covered: Food & Dining
Unlike other natural building workshops, we provide all meals during our courses. The lovingly prepared meals will primarily consist of organic vegetarian dishes featuring local ingredients. You won’t go hungry with us! In fact, many participants remark that the food is one of the best parts of our workshops. Note that we do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies. (We’ll follow up after registration to make sure we have your preferences on file.) It’s recommended that participants bring snacks and specialty items only if they wish (example: your favorite tea or coffee, any food you can’t live without) to supplement the otherwise complete meals.
Accommodations During Your Stay
All accommodations are included in the cost of the workshop. Here is what you can expect during your stay:
- Ample camping space close to facilities
- Access to composting toilets
- Outdoor shower facilities
- Phone and internet available on-site
- Library with large collection of natural building and permaculture titles
- 15 minute drive into town for whatever needs you might have
Note: unfortunately, we cannot accommodate pets during this workshop.
Workshop Location
The Natural Building Essentials Workshop is located 15 minutes outside of Berea, Kentucky (map) at our land, South Slope Farm. We live in the gorgeous Clear Creek Valley on 30 acres of hillside pasture and woods. Our farm sits in the middle of a rural community with many folks dedicated to art, music, community building, permaculture, and activism. We are pleased to be surrounded many motivated friends and neighbors who want to live creative, heartfelt lives.
Berea is a small town in central Kentucky with an active population of craftspeople, artists, woodworkers, musicians, social activists, and homesteaders. The town has a longstanding tradition of diversity, social justice, environmental responsibility, and community service. The historic Berea College is the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, and its influence on the town remains to this day.
Workshop Schedule
Students must arrive the afternoon prior to the official workshop start date. For example, students must arrive on August 2nd for the August 3 – 9 workshop. We’ll start with a leisurely dinner and introductions around 6 p.m. The workshop will end around 4:00 p.m. on August 9. Please factor this in to your travel plans!
Our daily schedule will follow the same general structure each day:
- 7:30 A.M.: Breakfast
- 8:00 A.M.: Begin morning work session
- 12:00 P.M.: Lunch break
- 1:00 P.M.: Afternoon work session
- 5:00 P.M.: Free time, shower, relax
- 6:30 P.M.: Dinner
- 8:00 P.M.: Evening presentation or activity
Timber Framing Skills We’ll Cover
- How to acquire timbers and select material
- Joinery layout using the square rule method
- Emphasis on hand tool use for cutting joinery, including hand saws, chisel and mallet, hand plane, axe, boring machine, etc. (hand tools give you the best chance to learn about working wood)
- Power tool techniques including chain mortisers, circular saws, and drills
- Fitting and assembling a timber frame
- Finishing timbers with natural oils
- Frame raising methods
- Hand tool restoration & sharpening (including restoring old tools so they work like new again)
- How timber framing relates to other natural materials, including straw bale and clay construction
Other Course Highlights
- South Slope Farm land walk
- Natural building presentations with examples of our work over 10 years
- Some of the best home-cooked food you’ve ever had… including a cob oven pizza party! What could be better?
Praise From Our Students
Meet Your Timber Frame Workshop Instructors
Ziggy Liloia
Ziggy Liloia jumped in the deep end of timber framing back in 2011. As time went on, timber framing became a cornerstone of his building work. As much as he enjoys cutting joinery and seeing a frame come together, he loves the workshop experience of constructing a frame with students. Ziggy teaches timber framing in The Year of Mud natural building workshops and builds frames on a contract basis. Nothing makes him weep like a well-done timber frame surrounded by natural plaster.
Blain Snipstal
Blain Snipstal is a timber framer and worker-owner with Earth-Bound Building, a cooperative specializing in timber framing, custom carpentry, & natural building. Prior to his work with the company, he was a full-time organic farmer for 10 years. Blain loves to teach all things construction and farming, and he has a background in popular and adult education. Blain has taught timber framing with Yestermorrow Design/Build school, the Timber Framers Guild, Earth-Bound Building, and The Year of Mud.
Discover Your Community Today
Time and time again, participants have commented on the powerful community-building experience of our workshops. Participants appreciate the feeling of connection within the workshop, and the opportunity to meet our local community as well. Consider this an invitation to connect with a lovely bunch of like-minded individuals. The Year of Mud workshops are life-enriching experiences that you will cherish for countless reasons beyond the chance to learn new building skills.
Our workshops are family friendly. Please contact us about rates for children if you’d like to bring your family along!