This March veteran natural builder Tim White will join us to teach a 4 day intensive workshop on exterior lime plasters tailored to construction professionals who aim to master the enduring craft of working with lime. Lime plaster is an ideal exterior finish for earthen buildings. While cement stucco traps moisture and exterior clay plasters require frequent maintenance, a well applied lime plaster is both breathable and extremely durable. Tim's lime plaster method, derived from decades of experimentation and deep research into historical techniques, builds up a robust, breathable, self-healing skin of limestone that can protect a building for decades. Tim will explain the details of the lime cycle, microvoids and watervoids, pozzolans, sand gradation, bulking sand, balanced mix design, and application. Students will learn how to make their own mixes, apply plaster with a hawk and trowel, how to wood float lime plaster and when to do so, and how to make and apply a limewash to make lime plaster self-healing.

Tim White has been an industry leader in sustainable building materials for decades. His research into roman cement formulation and lime pozzolan interactions combined with decades of experimentation with natural wall systems and historic lime plasters, make Tim one of the few people with both the technical understanding and practical experience to teach a workshop of this depth. Tim worked with American Clay and Mason Greenstar and founded Texas Healthy Homes, a pioneering design-build firm specializing in hempcrete and natural materials. His accomplishments include developing educational programs, achievements in research & development, and recognition from esteemed institutions such as the US Hemp Building Association.  We are honored to have the opportunity to learn from Tim, and look forward to welcoming him to SCA this Spring where we will work together to apply these techniques to the exterior of our new library. 

At the School of Constructive Arts we combine hands-on education with detailed instruction to empower people to build resilient homes and communities that are healthy for people and the environment. Our goal is to offer robust classroom education in parallel to hands-on experience in a range of construction methodologies. In addition to the expertise shared by Tim, we may informally cover compressed earth block construction and other regenerative design topics. Take your education off-line and off-grid.  Learn the ancient art and cutting edge science of building with the earth. 

Workshop Itinerary

The workshop will begin early the morning of the 6th and conclude in the evening of the 9th. Each morning we will begin working at 9AM sharp. If you are staying on campus, please plan to arrive the evening of Thursday March 5th.

Key Learning Takeaways

• Understand the Lime Cycle: An in-depth exploration of lime’s journey from raw mineral to building marvel.
• Sand Graduation and Bulking: Learn how to achieve the perfect sand gradation and understand bulking for the ultimate mix.
• Balanced Mixes and Void Dynamics: Delve into what makes a balanced lime plaster mix and the importance of water/micro voids.
• Historic Masonry Self-Healing Plasters: Gain insight into how this underrated building material has been fortifying structures for centuries.

Day 1 - Friday - March 6th:
We will start learning ‘The Lime Cycle’ and basic material testing. We'll learn about proper sand gradation for your lime mortar/plaster and how to bulk sand. Then we will learn to create the proper mix ratio. Once we have our mix ratio, we will mix and start to apply the scratch coat. We will finish the day with an evening presentation on ‘Improper use of conventional mortar over historic materials’.

Day 2 - Saturday - March 7th:
We will get more practice mixing the first (scratch) coat of lime plaster. After all the walls have a scratch coat and have been raked, we will start to apply and wood float the brown coat to increase the strength of the plaster. Throughout Day 2 we will continue to gain experience using a hawk and trowel. This can be intimidating for beginners, but don’t worry, instructors will work with you and before the end of the week you will leave with confidence. We will finish the day with an evening presentation on “Historic Lime Plasters”

Day 3 - Sunday - March 8th:
We will continue refining our hawk and trowel techniques and make flat walls using a wood float. Then we will be applying a finish coat over a brown coat, and learn when to sponge the walls to achieve a smooth open surface that is ready to accept a limewash.

Day 4 - Monday - March 9th:
We will be learning all about limewash- how to mix, apply and add pigment to create a colored limewash. We will go over questions on historic lime plasters.

What's Included?

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided all 4 days and dinner will be provided the night before the workshop begins (Thursday March 5th). There are other food options available at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge and in the Terlingua Ghost Town. We will close the workshop with a pizza making party in our wood-fired earthen horno on the evening of the 9th.

Who should attend?

This course is designed for construction professionals, builders, architects, and anyone with a passion for sustainable construction practices who is seeking to harness the potential of lime in their projects. All skill levels are welcome. We recommended participants be 18+.

Workshop Registration

We are offering registration for this workshop as a full workshop only, which includes all 4 days (March 6th-9th) of instruction and all meals. Registration is limited to 15 participants, so don't wait!

Location and Transportation

School of Constructive Arts Main Campus
1316 Snake Road
Alpine, TX 79830

The School of Constructive Arts is based in the Big Bend Region of West Texas, in an International Biosphere Reserve, between Big Bend National and State Parks, and within the largest dark sky reserve in the world. This remote location requires some planning to get to. Our campus is just off the Terlingua Ranch Road, 60 miles south of Alpine. The closest airports are in Midland/Odessa (3.5 hours by car) and El Paso (4.5 hours). There is an Amtrak station in Alpine, TX. It is not necessary to have a vehicle through the duration of the workshop, but we cannot guarantee carpooling can be coordinated. If you are willing to ride share from the airport or a major city, please let us know. We will do our best to arrange pick-ups in Alpine and Marfa for arrival and departure. 

Accommodations

We have reserved a number of cabins for workshop participants at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge (13 miles from SCA). Rooms each have two queen-size beds and a private bath. You have the option to book a room to yourself or to share a room with another attendee.  Campsites with hookups are also available. There is a restaurant (Bad Rabbit Cafe), laundry, showers, and a swimming pool (seasonal) at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge. Cabins are limited and first come first serve, so availability is not guaranteed.

You are also welcome to camp at our campus. We provide camping in shared large canvas bell tents with wood stoves, cots, and camping pads (please bring your own sleeping bag / blanket). We have a private composting outhouse and a shower facility on our campus. Camping arrangements include the use of our shared outdoor shower facility, which have hot water and ample privacy. We can also accomodate those who would like to camp independently with their own tent and camping gear, or in a car or camper van. Generators and RV’s over 20’ are not permitted on our campus. Please contact us with any questions about our facilities.

If you would like to arrange lodging beyond the program dates or have other specific requests please reach out to us. Because we cannot anticipate the number of participants who will require accommodations, rooms are available on a first come first serve basis. We recommend reserving your place as soon as possible. 

About Us

The School of Constructive Arts is a field-school teaching design, building, and ecology through direct participation and experimentation. Our approach combines ancestral knowledge of natural materials and energy with advancing technology and contemporary building techniques to advance sustainable models of living for our time. Through our ‘build through teaching, and teach through building’ approach we are establishing our campus in the Big Bend. The workshops, residences, and land here allow us to support hands-on educational programs, individual research, experimentation, and innovation.

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