What the Rogmans have done is a fine object lesson for anyone. They have a lovely property in the country and have built a very nice business teaching workshops on how to build with natural materials, "cob" and "bale" being their specialties. People come from all over the world to learn from them. This kind of entrepreneurism takes a lot of initiative and attention to detail and is quite admirable. Any community would benefit by taking similar steps.
The Rogmans built their home with conventional sticks and plywood, but on the interior they used straw bale so their walls are two feet thick and very well insulated.Their home has a cozy, inviting feeling and the vaulted ceiling makes it seem larger than it is. The place is charming and just plain livable.
Their front porch has a very high ceiling and they have strung silks from the rafters for their children to learn on. You may have seen performers working the silks in a circus perhaps. Cirque du Soleil often features silk performances.
We got to learn a little about cobbing while we were there. We had just missed a workshop, but there was still some finish work to do on a couple of the structures.
Here some windows needed to be added after the cob had dried, so Coenraad cut an outline with a rotary saw, and Janet dug two 
inches of cob out. Then, the window is mudded in.Cob produces some of the most beautiful, compelling, and sweet buildings I can think of. This is the stuff that Tolkien's "hearth and home" is made from! Below is an example of a nearly finished cob house that we saw at Cobville, near Mountain Home.
I particularly admired Coenraad's teaching style. He understands that a person learns by doing and so he gives just enough direction to get you past a rut and lets you experiment to find your own style. Khaliqa made some wonderful meals and we really enjoyed sharing meals and good times with these wonderful people.
If you are interested in learning more about cob, take a House Alive workshop.
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