The future...

[Jens]

I am wondering how much interest there would be for stickbuilt workshops.  There are workshops out there for cob, straw, and cordwood, but none for stick.  I love teaching people, and if someone is building a house of their own, and buying all of their tools, a lot of time they need help to learn how to use them.  Its just a thought that I have had more than a few times.  Another thought is to do contract work, but let the client be a crew member.  In this way, they could save money over traditional contracting, plus learn the skills, and benifit from having truely built their own house.  Maybe another option would be to have the contractor run a crew of your choosing (family, friends, almost like a workshop)  A lot of people seem to have the desire to do so, but because they lack the skills (many of which are very easy to learn), they contract out instead.  Most contractors too, seem to not want the client to help.  A small, temporary building could be completed fairly quickly, and give a small cabin to stay in while you then build the big house (no, not a prison).  Let me know what you folks think...maybe we could do a poll?

[Daddymem]

Vounteering for Habitat for Humanity is a good stick built workshop.  But perhaps a program where you could go and spend a few saturdays to learn as part of a framing crew on someone else's house would be cool...but I wouldn't pay for it, but I'm sure you could find people who would.

[Amanda_931]

People who do do workshops (e.g. Canelo strawbale and plastering with the Steens) come back uplifted. So hard for me to get out of here, though--four dogs!  nobody I trust to take care of them all.

I'm with Daddymem on Habitat--if the chapter in your area is doing stickbuilt.  They've done other things as well--ferrocement comes to mind.

I worked on a framing crew, and did pickup work back in the 70's.   What people do has changed a bit since then.

But I am waiting for an answer from a compressed earth block company--there I"d cheerfully do grunt work and let somebody else run the $14,000 machine.  (if you go looking, that's a cheap one)

[Jared Drake]

Vounteering for Habitat for Humanity is a good stick built workshop.  But perhaps a program where you could go and spend a few saturdays to learn as part of a framing crew on someone else's house would be cool...but I wouldn't pay for it, but I'm sure you could find people who would.

That's assuming you actually get to build something as part of the crew. Remember, there are carpenters and then there are gophers. I've heard a few people say they volunteered for HFH and, aside from doing something good, they learned absolutely nothing because they never got to build anything. Not sure that's a safe bet.
Jared

[John Raabe]

I think there could definitely be owner-builder workshops where a good teacher would make the participants time valuable enough to pay for it. In fact, if you do a Google search on the terms "owner builder course" you will find all kinds of links. Many of them are offered in Australia and New Zealand. I found that interesting! Jonesy isn't the only one I reckon  

Here is one link (in Texas): http://www.buildersacademy.com/web2/default2.asp?active_page_id=74

Here is another (the Yestermorrow school which has been doing this for 25 years)
http://www.yestermorrow.org/ - they tend towards traditional timber framing however.

I'm working up a house design with a couple of graduates of this course now who will be milling their own timber for a superinsulated, solar assisted home on Whidbey Island. We are planning to use an offset double 2x4 stud wall with 2x8 plates. They have lots of smaller trees.

[Dustin]

Another way would be to help out with somebody else's project. Perhaps we should set up a directory of folks actively working on a house who could use a few days of help pounding some nails on the ole homestead? It might be a good opportunity for people wanting to get some experience, and help out the owner builder.
Dunno, just a thought.

I would love to take three weeks off to go to Yestermorrow school.
I am in the middle of reading John Connell's (founder of Yestermorrow)"Homing Instinct", which looks like it's much of the classroom portion curriculum. It's worth picking up. You can usually get it a good price used from Amazon.