about us

The Natural Builders are a design, build, and consultation construction company based in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay, CA). Marisha Farnsworth and Kevin Rowell founded the company in 2005 after working in the natural building and sustainable development movement in the U.S. and abroad.

Marisha Farnsworth & Kevin Rowell live on a half acre farm in El Cerrito, California, affectionately known as Grandma Mary's Organic Farm. The site is currently home to west coast hub of Kleiwerks, a center offering hands-on workshops and presentations dedicated to sustainable solutions for urban living. For more information visit:

The Natural Builder's Calendar

We teach classes and give talks and lectures through various institutions. We've posted these events on iCal along with other natural building related events that we are attending, or just find interesting.

View the Natural Builders Calendar: http://ical.mac.com/naturalbuilders/Natural%20Builders

Subscribe to the Natural Builders Calendar: webcal://ical.mac.com/naturalbuilders/Natural%20Builders.ics

Press

Down and Dirty; from The New York Times

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; from SF Gate

Building 'Green,' Building Community in Two California Dioceses; from the Episcopal News Service

about our friends (links)

KLEIWERKS: an international non-profit dedicated to teaching Natural Building
www.kleiwerks.org

Merritt College Hort Dept., Oakland, CA: Natural Building, Permaculture, Mushroom cultivation
www.merrittlandhort.com

Bay Localize, A non-profit dedicated to creating a sustainable Bay Area.
www.baylocalize.org

DeBoer Architects: architects designing natural homes in straw bale, bamboo, poured earth and green materials
www.deboerarchitects.com

San Francisco Institute of Architecture is now also teaching workshops on "everything eco"
www.SFIA.net

GHA: Geoffrey Holton and Associates
www.ghadesign.net