Community Bunkhouse Build
You are cordially invited to take part in the building of a bunk house, which will serve as accommodation for residential courses at the Land Skills Hub at Fivepenny Farm in Dorset. The Land Skills Hub will offer courses on all aspects of farming and homesteading, and serve as a hub and resource for activism on all fronts.
We are fundraising to keep the build accessible to all. We strongly encourage anyone attending the build to donate what they can towards helping us cover the costs of feeding everyone lovely fresh meals, insuring against any accidents, and keeping it affordable for others. If you have any ideas about potential funding sources we can apply for, please get in touch!
The bunk house will accommodate 16 people in 8 bunks on a single story, with provision for at least 4 wheelchair accessible beds. It will be a roundwood timber frame structure with straw bale infill with clay plaster inside and lime render outside.
There are several stages to the build. Each will be run as instructional volunteering opportunities to learn various aspects of natural and low impact building. There are countless ways of creating a comfortable and sturdy building from natural materials. This is one of them. Care will be taken to explain the thinking behind each process so people can take inspiration from how we do things as well as feel empowered to try things differently. We aspire to create an environment of popular education where each person is seen as bringing valuable experiences and input to the processes. We’re not just creating a building, we’re building a community and a movement. Building skills is only one part of the spectrum of skills we need. We need social skills, facilitation skills, organisational skills, motivational skills, communication skills, conflict resolution skills, and so much more. Awareness and knowledge and lived experiences of everything under the sun is sought and valued.
Effort will be made to make the build as inclusive as possible, both financially and physically. If you have mobility issues and want to be involved please let us know how we can accommodate you. We are trying hard to come up with solutions beforehand but are always willing to make reasonable adjustments if you make us aware of your needs. We hope to make every part of the project available to both people looking for a career in natural building, as well as people just wanting to have a go and muck in.
We will be a diverse community on site during the build, aspiring to create a rainbow coalition of abilities, genders, ethnicities, neuro-diversities, socio-economic, cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. When we sleep in spaces we have designed and built ourselves, we can wake up and work for the social justice and liberation we are all dreaming of.
All our timber framing courses have finished - join the mailing list to stay updated for the next ones!
Join us for community build weeks
All our plastering courses have finished - but join for community plastering sessions!
Stages of the Build
Foundations, volunteering opportunity in rammed earth construction
25th March to 4th April
Rammed earth into discarded car tyres to form plinth foundations. This will be the most physically challenging part of the project. Core activities involve ramming earth into car tyres with sledgehammers and mallets, creating strong and stable plinths for the building to rest on. You will learn:
how to assess the density of earth in tyre
marking out accurate foundation points on a slope
levelling foundations
Tools
sledgehammer, lump hammer, water level, spirit level, laser level, string line
Platform construction, volunteering opportunity in platform building
7th April to 11th April
A level platform will be build on our rammed tyre plinths, made of roundwood girders, wooden joists, insulated and topped with a sub floor. The platform will measure approx. 6m by 12m and extend beyond the foundation points by the width of one straw bale. This is so the uprights for our timber frame sits directly above the foundations and the bale walls extending beyond them, which also serves to protect the tyres from UV damage. You will learn:
very basic roundwood framing
structural / strength considerations for given spans and timber dimensions
Tools
Chainsaw, chop saw, panel saw, drill/driver, spirit level, others.
Timber framing, taught courses - 14th April to 2nd May - 8 places each
3 separate week long courses in roundwood timber framing for the Norwegian ‘grindbygg’ system.
Course 1 (14th to 19th April)
aimed at intermediate woodworkers and professionals
covering all aspects of the process of creating a grindbygg timber frame from roundwood logs. We will construct two frames, wall plates and a set of rafters. You will leave with all the information needed to build one of these yourself, using either hand tools or power tools.
Tools
You will need your own chisel, mallet and panel saw. We will provide the rest. Useful tools to bring if you have them: spirit level, combi square, chalk line, tape measure, carpenters axe. We will teach you how to swing an axe like a Norwegian.
Course 2 (22st April to 25th April)
aimed at beginner woodworkers
covering most aspects of the process of creating a grindbygg timber frame from roundwood logs, with more emphasis on tool use. We will construct one frame and two wall plates.
Tools
You will need your own chisel, mallet and panel saw. We will provide the rest. Useful tools to bring if you have them: spirit level, combi square, chalk line, tape measure, carpenters axe. We will teach you how to swing an axe like a Norwegian.
Course 3 (28th April to 2nd May)
aimed at beginner woodworkers. As above.
Walls, volunteering opportunity in straw bale infill method
5th May to 23rd May
3 weeks should hopefully be ample time to get the walls up under our freshly built timber frame, allowing time for snags, delays and bad weather. With the rafters up we should also be able to throw a tarp over us if it rains. The roofing will happen concurrently.
We will construct a floor plate around the perimeter of the platform, and a wall plate under the rafters. The bales will be inserted between these with timbers either side of doors and windows. You will learn:
bale selection, dressing, positioning and staking
structural considerations for in-fill bale walls (and how they differ to load bearing walls.
basic carpentry to construct floor- and wall plates
how to use the grindbygg system to compress bale walls.
Tools we will use:
Hedge trimmer (to dress bales), mallet (to knock in hazel stakes), chop saw, circular saw, table saw, drill/driver
Roof, volunteering opportunity in basic site carpentry and turf roof construction.
5th May to 23rd May
Running concurrently to the bale wall construction, we will also have a team working on the roof. Work consists of putting up rafters, fitting noggins between them, attaching a bamboo roll mat trellis to the underside to give key to the clay plaster ceiling, insulation, breather membrane, battens, roof boards, rubber membrane and turf. Much of the work will be at height, from a scaffold and balancing on rafters. There will also be plenty of work that can be done on the ground, f.ex. cutting rafters and noggins and handing things up and fetching things.
You will learn
How to construct a breathable roof structure
Strength considerations for given spans and rafter dimensions
How the timber frame roof and straw walls work together
How to create a turf roof with the soil and grasses on our building site
Basic carpentry skills
Tools we will use
chop saw, circular saw, table saw, drill/driver, staple gun, nail gun, hammer
Wiring / plumbing
26th to 30th May
When the walls are in and the roof is on we will need to chase wires and pipes along and through the straw. We have not yet confirmed who will lead on this and what the learning / volunteering opportunities might be.
Internal stud walls, volunteering opportunity in basic site carpentry
9th June to 13th June
Constructing simple stud walls from 2x4s to create a small private quarters within the bunkhouse should the need arise on courses. This week is ideal for someone wanting to have experience in basic carpentry skills. You will learn:
structural and framing considerations for a simple stud wall
Some of the tools we will use
chop saw, circular saw, panel saw, drill/driver, spirit level
Plastering Phase
We’ll be working in stages to complete the external lime and internal clay plastering. It’s hard to give exact dates on when these will take place as they are depending on the timeline of jobs that need to happen beforehand such as soil going on the roof and the scaffolding being rebuilt at the right level for plastering. Also weather dependant, but these dates are a good guess at when we will be working on the plastering
Stage 1 19th—21st Aug using lime externally we will apply the first coat (stipple coat which is a watered down Lime plaster slurry. And scratch coat which is a mix of lime plaster, clay earth dug from site and straw) to the walls.
Stage 2 26th—29th Aug we will carry on the work of applying the base (levelling) coat of plaster with a thin finish coat on top. There will be less emphasis on choosing and testing plaster mixes and more on application. You will still learn loads and plastering takes time and practice to get the hang of it, but luckily we have a big building to do, so by the end you’ll be a pro!
We will be up on scaffolding but at the level of the bottom plate of building, so only slightly raised off the ground. Lime is extremely alkaline so full PPE and protective layers need to be worn at all times - goggles, mask, full length gauntlet gloves will all be provided but please also wear long sleeves and trousers for these two phases.
You’ll learn how to make up the mix, how to prep the wall, how to apply the plaster, and about the different layers and what changes between them. Luckily for the first coat we’ll just be massaging it into the straw with our hands so you’ll get used to the material that way. It is crucial to get right to ensure a good key for the subsequent plaster coats, which isn’t difficult, but important to be meticulous and conscientious when doing it.
Stage 3 16th—19th Sept using clay internally we will apply the second base coat (first key coat already done). This is using clay from the land, mixed with sand and straw. Clay is a beautiful to work with and doesn’t require any PPE, the muddier we get the better! This stage is also where things can get creative with some 3D sculptural cob in the walls.
Stage 4 30th—3rd Oct using the same clay and sand but no straw this time, we will complete the last layer of plastering with a super smooth finish coat.
What to bring with you:
for lime stages - full long sleeve layers, top and bottom
tools that could be handy - plastering trowels, hawks, floats, spray water mister. All of these will be provided if you don’t have your own.
snacks! We eat so well here but any additional snacks always go down a treat.
Camping equipment if you’re camping, we do have some spare pillows and blankets for when it gets a bit cooler.
Important things to note:
Arriving on Monday evening ready to start on Tuesday for morning meeting at 9am
• We ask everyone to chip in for the running costs of each of these volunteer weeks for things like food, insurance, water and gas, and all the invisible costs. We suggest £15 per day but whatever you can afford is appreciated.
The plastering phase will be led by Rosie Fieldhouse
Rosie will be bringing her expertise and enthusiasm for natural building to the project. With over five years of hands on experience, particularly in Cob, Wattle & Daub and clay work, Rosie has honed her craft through a strong connection to the land and traditional methods. Her passion lies in reviving and sharing endangered heritage skills, especially with those discovering them for the first time. Whether it’s sculpting walls, mixing plaster by hand or stomping in cobby mixes, Rosie is happiest when covered in clay and looks forward to sharing that joy with everyone involved.
The roof, windows & doors construction will be lead by
Han
Han will be leading the final stages of the green roof build, which will include plenty of practical tasks like earth moving and reconstructing the wooden scaffolding to support the plastering work. With over 35 years of experience in building, Han brings not only deep expertise but also a genuine passion for teaching and empowering others, especially when it comes to using power tools confidently. They are especially committed to creating an inclusive environment and are keen to work with people who may have previously felt excluded or marginalised within the construction world.
