Natural building project on a mostly recycled house at the Narara Ecovillage just north of Sydney, NSW Australia

Details

• 

  Description

  Hello! My name is Benjamin - father of two, physiologist, forager, first time builder
  
  We are looking for people interested in natural building to help build our family home at the Narara Ecovillage, just an hour north of Sydney on the Central Coast of NSW.
  
  We are an owner builder project for a unique home primarily using predominantly recycled materials. We have walls made of recycled timber, cob, light-straw-earth and compressed earth bricks. In time there will be earthen floors, cob rocket benches, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and creative carpentry. All our toilets will be composting and we aim to be sustained by only the water which is captured from our roof. Our windows and doors are either recycled or made on site and we will use recycled materials where possible throughout the build. There will be earth tubes and a thermal chimney for passive ventilation and we have designed the home to be as healthy as possible with regards to material choices, EMF's and air quality. All of these aspects you will be able to learn about whilst spending time in our beautiful valley where the Ecovillage is situated.
  
  The Ecovillage itself is an intergenerational community being developed with environmental, social and economic sustainability in mind and there are often interesting things going on. It's a genuinely peaceful place and most of the site is bushland. We're also surrounded by the Strickland State Forest with some great walks, some tracks for mountain biking and plenty of exploring including an old arboretum with some very special trees. There is a freshwater creek going through interesting layered bush, caves for meditation or contemplation, rocks and boulders to climb, and views all the way to Brisbane Waters from the top.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  ×

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The Ecovillage is a beautiful, peaceful place with lots to see and do. We're surrounded by forest yet close to 'civilisation'.
  
  Our members are eclectic and interesting and will be interested in you too. You might be interested about how the village has evolved, what plans we have for the future, and how we make consensus-based decisions. The Village always has things on which you might like to get involved with - you might be interested to see how Sociocracy operates or join in with some plant propogation, permaculture or bush regeneration, we have occasional movie nights, community dinners, talks (perhaps you have something you might like to share?), live music, community yoga, dancing, open days, all sorts of things... the people who tend to get the most 'connected' here are the ones who get involved with village activities but you are free to make what you want of your time here.
  
  You might be interested in how to build an eco house using a combination of natural and conventional building techniques... I can share with you what I've learnt as an owner builder with regards to building a sustainable and healthy home with budget in mind and within in the parameters of Council and Building Standard beaurocracy; and as a physiologist we've made many design considerations with a mind for healthy living. Our architect and natural builder, Will is occasionally on site as well and is a treasure trove. With potentially you on board and extra hands on deck we can collectively get things done faster whilst keeping good company and learning from each other. I'm sure you've got a lot to share as well!
  
  I'm also a keen forager - if you're into wildplants, wild food and wild medicine - let us know and we can go for a foraging walk! The site is an old horticultural research station with some interesting plants and we manage the site with organic principles, so it's great for gathering plants.
  
  There are also some unique and interesting music venues nearby, beaches, bushwalks, ancient sites and places for wild swimming - let us be your personal tourist information guide!

• 

  Help

  We're building a house and need all the help we can muster! There are big and little tasks, both heavy and light so can adapt depending on your desires and energy.
  
  The project focus changes depending on whose help arrives and how their physical and creative energy can be harnessed. We've had workawayers who come with their own talents and some who are finding their skills where we've learnt together. Your enthusiasm would be your biggest skill - together we can teach/learn what needs to be done.
  
  Previous workawayers have done creative carpentry, house framing, turning trees/branches into furniture, work with bamboo, lime and clay-sand rendering, cob-walls including bottle walls and sculptured walls, light-stray clay walls, unusual decking, wall building, creative landscaping, restoration of old doors and windows, tiling mosaics, and plenty of other small and large jobs which need doing. Sometimes we've held workshops where we've got a bunch of people in to batch out a big task - think 'party' but building... as we're building with recycled materials there's sometimes a bit of grunt work involved. It's a constantly evolving project.
  
  We also like to learn from you. Often I have ideas of how things could be done, but i'm open to other ways. As it is such a unique build I'm often inventing it as we're creating it! And we'll make mistakes as we go, which is all part of the learning. We love when people bring their own ideas, passions and music and feel confident to share what they're into.
  
  We're looking for someone who could exchange approximately 4-5hrs of help with two days off. The daily hours can be mixed up depending on the project and what else you'd like to get out of your stay here. Many people like to work longer days whilst i'm on site and shorter days on the other days - it's up to you. Hours and days negotiable. Arrival days/times of workawayers are important to get right, so that I can share enough on the big building days that I am there which can sometimes include weekends. The days i'm on-site are the days we're looking for help the most - and these change from time to time but we can be clear about when these are for your particular stay. All things are negotiable and if in the moment you think it's been enough we're open to dialogue. Balance is key.

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
• 

  Accommodation

  We can offer simple camping accommodation within the Ecovillage which is on the doorstep of the Forest. It has a bbq, a community built outdoor kitchen and an enclosed common area with kitchen, fridge, tables, etc. There are toilets, hot showers and constant bird chatter. We can take people in vans as well.
  
  Breakfasts are supplied through the week (let me know what you like, there are cooking facilities). There is coffee, tea and sometimes foraged herbal teas for you as well. Lunch and dinner provided also of course.
  
  Our dinners are home-cooked and we mix it up whether we drop it down to you to enjoy with other campers or have you at our home with our young family. Sometimes we'll ask you to cook for yourselves on particular nights (we'll get you the ingredients). Depending on who else is around you may find yourself by the campfire, listening to or playing music, drumming, chatting or chilling.
  
  Whatever your needs are, please let us know how we could help you be comfortable.

• 

  What else ...

  The Ecovillage is surrounded by the Strickland State Forest which has plenty of scope for exploration, but there are plenty of places to go on the Central Coast. The closest beach is about 25 mins away driving, and the train station is about 20 mins walk or a short bike ride. On the Central Coast there are loads of very interesting places, sites, beaches, walks and local venues to explore. Let us know what you are interested in and we can point you in the right direction.
  
  As an introduction we'd like to hear what your experiences are and what you hope to gain from this exchange. Please also include the dates which you might come for and how long you might stay. Please also mention the word 'rabbits' in your introduction e-mail so I know that you've read this profile.
  
  You can find some pictures of what we've been up to on insta @naturebuildsnarara
  
  Sorry, but we cannot accommodate dogs or other pets.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, with 2 days off (flexible, able to mix up bigger and smaller days)

Feedback (18)