Practical Retrofit Skills Courses - School of Natural Building

At The School of Natural Building, we believe that the future of our housing stock lies in the hands of the people who live in and care for it. For too long, the essential skills needed to maintain and improve traditional buildings have been treated as “specialist” secrets or replaced by quick-fix modern materials. We are here to put that knowledge back where it belongs: with homeowners, renovators, and tradespeople.

There is a growing movement of people who want to move beyond the theory of “fabric first” and actually pick up the tools. Our Practical Retrofit Series is designed to bridge that gap. We provide the time, the space, and the expert guidance needed to complete professional quality fabric improvement projects.

Our Approach

Our courses are intensive, multi-day programs hosted on real-life projects, where the goal is to build your confidence alongside your technical ability. We don’t do “taster days” because real mastery comes from repetition and understanding the rhythm of the materials.

We prioritise working with natural, flexible materials—wood fibre, hemp, and lime. These materials respect the building’s history and ensure its thermal performance for the future. Building physics is embedded throughout and put into immediate practice – the best way to make complex knowledge stick.

Core skills covered across the series include:

External & Internal Insulation: Setting and fixing rigid wood fibre boards to create a continuous thermal envelope.
Lime Pointing: Removing damaging cementitious “strap” pointing and restoring a wall’s ability to manage moisture.
Detailing & Junctions: Mastering the precision work required at eaves, corners, and window reveals to prevent thermal bridging.
Insulating Plasters: The application of hemp and cork-lime renders that provide both warmth and breathability.

Who This Is For

This series is an invitation to anyone who wants to take a responsible, hands-on role in the retrofit revolution. Whether you are a DIYer looking to save your own home or a tradesperson wanting to offer a more sustainable, high-quality service to your clients, you are welcome here.

We pride ourselves on an inclusive, methodical approach. We start with the fundamentals, making professional-grade skills accessible to everyone.

Upcoming Dates

If you don’t see any dates here or can’t make these, then you can express your interest here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the course cost?

Our prices include tuition, all materials, tools and equipment, and daily refreshments.

Are accommodation and food included?

Typically, neither accommodation, nor food, is included in the course cost. It will be clearly stated otherwise on the specific course booking page. Sometimes course hosts will be able to provide on-site camping or accommodation, but this is on a course-by-course basis. Hosts will always provide a list of local accommodation options (see specific course booking page). Typically, participants bring a packed lunch, and we eat together, though there may be local options depending on the training site.

What are the daily timings for the training?

Practical courses are usually 9am to 5pm. We ask people to arrive at 8.45 if they want a cuppa beforehand, and we’ll have breaks mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Lunch will be about 12.30 -1.30. Participants need to provide their own lunch, but light refreshments will be provided – tea/coffee/herbals etc.
We normally finish at 4pm on the final day in case people have to travel.

Can all physical abilities join this course?

This is a practical training course, and can be quite physical. Participants need to be aware of this and be physically fit to take the course. If they have health needs or injuries, we will do our best to accommodate them, and participants are free to take time out over and above the breaks, mid-morning and afternoon, and at lunchtime, subject to informing the trainer.
We ask that participants communicate their health needs to us prior to the course if at all possible, or to make the trainer aware before the course starts. If you are not able to fully participate in all of the practical work, you will still gain valuable learning from observing and asking questions.

What is your refund policy?

The full terms and conditions of purchasing a SNaB training course can be found here – this includes our refund policy.

How do participants arrive to the training?

The School of Natural Building believes in the urgency of the climate challenge, and our work is fundamentally about supporting a low-carbon future where people live in ways which bring us closer to the earth, back into community with our ecosystem and back to ourselves. For this reason, we urge participants to travel to our course locations via public or shared transport where possible. We’ll connect course participants via an optional WhatsApp group in advance of the course, to facilitate ride-sharing.

Course Formats

5-day External Wall Insulation (EWI) and Lime Plastering Course

Join us for a 5-day practical course where we will be applying wood fibre external wall insulation and protecting with lime plastering. This is a sustainable way to improve your building’s thermal efficiency and must be applied with care and precision.

Solidarity: £495.00 | Standard: £395.00 | Subsidised: £295.00

3-day Lime Pointing Course

This 3-day course provides a practical foundation in lime pointing, specifically focused on the repair and thermal performance of traditional solid-wall buildings. Pointing cannot be learned in an afternoon. It is a multi-stage process that requires an understanding of building physics and the patience to follow the material’s curing cycle. Over three days, we cover the entire sequence from initial raking out to the final batting back of the mortar.

Solidarity: £395.00 | Standard: £295.00 | Subsidised: £195.00

5-day Internal Wall Insulation (IWI) and Lime Plastering Course

Join us for a 5-day practical course where we will be applying wood fibre internal wall insulation and protecting with lime plastering. This is a sustainable way to improve your building’s thermal efficiency and must be applied with care and precision.

Solidarity: £495.00 | Standard: £395.00 | Subsidised: £295.00