Practical Natural Building Work Experience
with Lola Byron
Join us for seven days of practical natural building as we work together on the sauna at A Quinta.
From lime plastering and a living roof to drainage and an earthen floor, we’ll work on the elements that help bring the space together. We’ll also make room for creativity, adding character through art, furniture and finishing details.
Learn through purposeful work on a real project, build confidence with natural materials and experience life in our off-grid farm community.
What will we work on?
❖ Lime plastering
Help prepare surfaces and apply lime plaster, developing a feel for the material and practising application and finishing techniques.
❖ Living roof
Take part in assembling the layers of the sauna’s living roof, following the planned design and seeing how the different elements fit together.
❖ French drain
Help install a French drain to manage water around the building. Gain practical experience preparing the drainage route and placing its components.
❖ Earthen floor
Work on the sauna’s earthen floor, taking part in the preparation and application stages ready to happen during the workshop.
❖ Final touches: art & furniture
Contribute to the details that make the space welcoming—from creative finishes to furniture suited to the sauna and its surroundings.
This is a working building project. Activities will follow the weather, material readiness and progress on site. Some finishes need drying or curing time, so completing every element—or using the sauna during the workshop—cannot be guaranteed.
Who is this work experience for?
Whether you’re discovering natural building or developing existing skills, this is an opportunity to learn through practical involvement.
Come to:
Build confidence working with tools and natural materials.
Explore how roofs, floors, drainage and finishes come together.
Contribute your care and creativity to a shared project.
Experience collaborative work and daily life on a regenerative farm.
This is a practical work experience, without formal theory sessions. Learning happens through guided tasks, observation, questions and working alongside others.
We welcome everyone — whether you have some previous experience in natural building or are completely new. Under Lola’s guidance, all participants will be supported in learning and practicing hands-on techniques, though prior experience can be helpful.
What is Natural Building?
Natural building is so much more than just building with natural materials; it is about reconnecting with our ancestral roots and understanding our natural environment. It’s about building beautiful, durable, healthy, functional and spiritually uplifting buildings as well as building relationships with people and the planet along the way. It’s about observing, consciously designing and respecting the world around us, using local, renewable and sustainable materials to create buildings that work in harmony with the inhabitants needs and the environment it will live in.
Building a structure with natural materials is an empowering, humbling and inspiring experience. We will connect with the earth, with ourselves, with each other and with these ancient building techniques which are silently ingrained in all of us; together we tap into this forgotten knowledge and bring to life the knowledge and skills to build your own home.
About Lola — Course Facilitator
Lola Byron is a Permaculture and Natural Building facilitator, practitioner and consultant. After travelling the globe with her young family, connecting with Permaculture projects, she now lives, works, teaches, builds and raises her 2 children in Southern Portugal. Originally from Birmingham, England, she has been a thriving Permaculturist and natural builder since completing her PDC back in 2010. Following this, she was an active urban Permaculturist, designing and implementing various community gardens and co-facilitating natural building and gardening workshops in and around the UK. With a background in studying, then teaching, Fine Art, Sculpture, when she discovered Permaculture and Natural Building, she knew she had found her calling in life. Lola recently founded The Women Natural Building Collective, a safe and empowering learning space and network for women builders worldwide. She has built and taught internationally, spent 3 years as the Natural Building Manager at Panya Project, Thailand, and has been a consultant and project manager with Surplus Permaculture Design since 2017.
Location & Stay
A Quinta da Lage is a working off-grid permaculture farm in Southern Portugal, featuring wild forests and freshwater springs.
Included in the fee:
● 3 wholesome vegetarian meals/day
● All tools and materials
● Stays in dormitories or in your own campervan/tent are included in the price
Not Included: Transfers to or from São Luís, or any other destination.
Price €624 with free accommodation in a shared dorm or parking/pitching tent on the land, and food
We have private cottages, rooms and bell tents available, if you prefer this option please contact us to inquire about availability and pricing.
This work experience comes at a special price and includes shared accommodation (or space for your camper van/tent), all meals, tuition, and materials. A Quinta is offering the accommodation completely free of charge to support this workshop and make it accessible for those who feel called to join.
Your contribution is shared between the facilitators and A Quinta. This helps us continue developing the regenerative systems on the land, support our small team, and purchase materials needed for the build. It also allows the facilitators to keep teaching and sharing their craft with heart.
How to Book:
Click "Join the Build" to fill out our registration form.
After submitting, you will be redirected to Stripe to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your spot.
The remaining balance is due upon arrival (Cash or Bank Transfer).