Lisa sets the dining table in sustainable home Booken House

Simple Sustainable Build Online Workshop

Do you dream of a different life? One that’s easier, better, simpler, with fewer bills and less impact on the planet?

Learn how to build or renovate your own beautiful, sustainable home in ANY location — and without breaking the bank — by joining our 3-week Booken Online Workshop. We are open for bookings twice a year.

A clear pathway to creating the earth-friendly home & life you want.

 

The Booken Online Workshop is our tried-and-tested approach to learning must-know info about planning, designing and building your own sustainable home, in just three weeks.

You’ll gain the confidence to select a site, floorplan and builder, get tips to unshackle from the bank, gain an understanding of the simple passive design behind Booken House and get feedback about your own building project.

Imagine

if you could

Imagine

if you could


  • Simplify your build or reno

    With key knowledge under your belt, you’ll feel empowered to shortcut and simplify your build or renovation process.

  • Create a purposeful home

    You CAN create an intentional, planet-friendly home that you are proud of, regardless of the depths of your pockets or where you live.

  • Save time and reduce stress

    The building and design industry can be oh-so-frustrating when you don’t understand the jargon. Knowing how to avoid the pitfalls saves you time, stress and lots of moola.

  • Gain confidence to design and build

    We’ll skill you up with everything you need to know to plan, design and build an energy-efficient, light-filled, envy-of-all-your-mates home.

  • Access 100% independent information

    No sponsorships, affiliates, deals, collaborations or brand ‘bonuses’. Just good old-fashioned simple science and knowledge sharing.

  • Hear real-life stories

    You’ll go behind the scenes (warts and all) on our own personal build, plus learn from the trials and tribulations shared among the Booken tribe.

Sustainable home Booken House sits a top a grassy hill

You don’t need to be an expert to build your own sustainable home!

During the Booken Online Workshop, we share the key strategies, tools, real-life learnings and time-tested techniques we used to build our own much-loved earth-conscious home.

Step-by-step across six modules and three weeks, we show you how to plan and design your own unique, affordable, planet-friendly home in ANY style and ANY location. 

Join sustainable home lovers worldwide who are creating warm, light-filled homes and discovering the joy of living and thriving in a low-impact home.

  • Booken Blend sustainable build workshop participant Emma and her family

    Lisa simply and effectively breaks down a complex and overwhelming process into achievable goals and outlines the steps we need to get us there.

    — Emma, Gippsland, Victoria

  • I now feel educated, empowered and ready to go.

    Wow, what a gift you have given me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, home and advice to help make the places we live not only better for ourselves but also for our children. I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

    — Cherie, Grampians Central Highlands, Victoria

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Take a look inside!

Take a look inside!

What’s included:

 

6 modules: Step-by-step modules guide you through the build and design process of your new home, with tips and hints every step of the way.

20 videos: Sit down with Lisa as she shares everything you need to know about good sustainable design, from finding a builder and designing your passive home, to getting it built.

6 workbooks: Detailed downloadable workbooks allow you to quickly and easily refer back to your learnings at any time in the future (you’ll have lifetime access to all resources).  

Design brief: Create your unique, watertight design brief to share with designers and builders, which clearly articulates your vision, minimising miscommunication and saving you money.

Live Q&As with Lisa: *Brand new* For the first time this year, we’ve added three live group calls with Lisa. Jump onto Zoom and get all your burning questions answered during weekly live Q&As.

A laptop, Mac and tablet displays information from inside the Booken Blend Sustainable build workshop
 

Self-paced online learning + live weekly calls

The Booken Online Workshop combines the convenience of online learning with live support. Get instant access to all six modules to work through at your own pace, plus jump into three live Q&A calls to solidify your learning and ask questions about your personal build project. 

 
 

MODULES

 
 

What you’ll learn

  • Be part of a ripple effect of positive change

    Whether you’re building in the country or the city, in Australia or in Austria, the Booken Online Workshop gives you a clear, no-nonsense pathway to creating the affordable eco-home and sustainable life you want.

    With the right info under your belt, you’ll short-cut the indecision cycle, know exactly where to start and feel equipped to have robust convos with builders & designers.

    You’ll become part of a grassroots movement that’s forever changing for the better the way homes are designed and built.

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But wait, There's more!

But wait, There's more!

  • Bonus 1: Virtual tour of Booken House

    Boots will take you on a video tour through each room of our own passively designed home. We *never* share all our spaces or rooms publicly online, so this is the only way you can see the full Booken House.

    Boots happily making a cup of tea for Lisa in their light-filled kitchen at Booken House
  • Bonus 2: Floorplan sneak peek

    We’ll use the Booken House floorplan as a practical example to help you deeply understand simple passive design — and how you can pull these principles into a cohesive floorplan unique to your own needs, lifestyle and site.

    Aerial view of Booken House, a sustainable home built on passive design principles
  • Bonus 3: Private community access

    You’ll be invited to join our private Facebook group, open only to folks who’ve completed the Booken Workshop. Share ideas, ask questions and get support from like-minded home lovers who are also on the sustainable design and build journey.

    Office nook desk space inside Booken House
  • I loved the workshop and was able to go into our build feeling confident about our design.

    — Alyssa, Michigan, USA

  • Booken Blend sustainable build workshop participant Amy

    I have confidence in our design and build now and feel good about how our house will perform.

    I’ve heard so many horror stories about building, but I think people can offset lots of these by getting more info under their belt.

    — Amy, Hunter Valley, New South Wales

About your teacher: Lisa Booth


For 20+ years, I’ve championed sustainable living and energy efficiency community projects in government and private sectors.

Then, in 2016, we built our own sustainably designed off-grid home from scratch and discovered a massive information gap for ordinary folks with limited budgets who want to live more lightly at home.

I never dreamed my passion project that started here at my kitchen bench would turn into a DIY sustainable housing movement reaching a global audience.

These days, I’m on a mission to move purposeful homes into the mainstream and help everyday people build affordable planet-friendly houses that are a joy to live in.

Students are building all over the world

  • By the end of the workshop, I could go through our house plans and understand what needed to change.

    It was then much easier to find the right professionals to guide us on the technical nitty-gritty detail.

    — Amy, Hunter Valley, New South Wales

  • Booken Blend sustainable build workshop participant Sarah

    This workshop has given me the confidence to forge forward on my sustainable home journey.

    I loved the storytelling, honesty and practicality. The workshop gave me confidence in what I am doing and it was great to understand the science more. I feel far less bamboozled - thank you!

    — Sarah, Grampians, Victoria

 

We promise not to teach you how to choose the perfect shade of white.

Instead, learn practical skills to build a home that works with nature, wherever you live in the world.

 
 
 

Inside the Booken Online Workshop, you will get:

The inside scoop on how to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in build costs and running expenses.

A fool-proof design brief and confidence to select the right site, floor plan, designer and builder.

Real-life examples and helpful tips to unshackle from the bank sooner.

An understanding of the simple science behind Booken House and skills to apply cost-effective passive design principles to any home.

Ongoing support via the private Booken Tribe Facebook Group.

A workbook containing your step-by-step plan.

  • The Booken Online Workshop – For everyday folk wanting to build or renovate a home, in any style and at any location. Custom homes, volume builds or even renovating a small west-facing shitshack :)

Tried and tested with hundreds of students


Since 2021, we have hosted in-person workshops here at our Booken House in northern Victoria (Australia), teaching participants how to plan, design and build their own simple, sustainable home on a realistic budget. 

Wildly popular, the workshops attract participants from every corner of the country and sell out at lightning speed.

Unable to keep up with demand for in-person events, we have converted the training into a convenient video-based format.

Great care has been taken to ensure you feel like you are right here with us on our hill.

All the information shared at in-person workshops is now available via the comprehensive six-module hybrid online workshop so you can learn at your own pace, from anywhere.

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Let's get started

Let's get started

 

Your Investment

 

The Booken Online Workshop opens for bookings roughly twice a year. Join the waitlist to be notified when our next class opens for bookings

Upfront payment

One payment of $699

Includes:

  • Unlimited lifetime access

  • Easy to follow workbooks

  • Comprehensive Design Brief

  • Ongoing support via the private FB group

  • Three weekly Q&A group sessions with Lisa

  • 100% action taker’s money-back guarantee

Monthly payment

Two payments of $359

Includes:

  • Unlimited lifetime access

  • Easy to follow workbooks

  • Comprehensive Design Brief

  • Ongoing support via the private FB group

  • Three weekly Q&A group sessions with Lisa

  • 100% action taker’s money-back guarantee

Frequently asked questions

 
 
  • The course includes 20 instructional videos on a password-protected site, plus a 41-page workbook. For each of the six modules in the workshop, you'll watch multiple video lessons, which are broken down into bite-sized pieces, making it easy to go back and rewatch particular segments. You then also get access to three one-hour weekly group Q&A Zoom sessions with Lisa. As a student, you're also invited to join the Booken Blend Tribe, a private discussion group where you can submit questions and share experiences.

  • Yes! You don’t have to like the style, layout or genre of Booken House, we simply use our home as an example to teach you how to apply smart, affordable, science-based design principles to your prefered style of build, and to any site.

  • Yes. The workshop covers how to plan your home according to your specific location and site.

  • No stress, use this link to sign in using your original email and password to return to the workshop at any time:

  • Yes, in fact, the workshop is designed to be a practical simple introduction to good design and will equip you to have informed conversations with professionals in the building and design industry.

  • No, access to learning modules is via participation in the Booken Blend Online Workshop only.

  • The Booken Blend Workshop assists homeowners to plan an affordable sustainable build. Design is one part of the workshop, however, course contents and resources are focussed on a holistic end-to-end process from the consumers perspective.

  • No, workbooks are in pdf format for easy download.

  • In the workshop, we refer to the Booken House floor plan as a practical example of how to apply simple, inexpensive passive design principles to create an efficient, comfortable home in ANY style or location. The Booken House floor plan we refer to is, however, a very basic sketch floor plan and does not include any dimensions, specifications, materials, colours, or detail of any kind, and is 100% copyright protected (can not be reproduced in part or full). For in-depth information on the Booken House floor plan and design, you can access one of our handy design packs.

  • Once you purchase the online workshop, you will have immediate access to all learning materials, including videos and workbooks. The weekly online Q&A sessions will begin in week one and continue for three weeks. Students have lifetime access to the workshop content, plus any new material we add to the course in the future.

  • We generally only run a couple of in-person workshops every year, and each is limited to 12 participants - so they are very hotly contested! Pop your name on the waitlist to be notified of ticket launches.

    We also offer the option of corporate events, mini workshops and keynote speaking on an individual basis, use the link further down the page for more info.

  • No, unlike other online courses that restrict access to the content after a year, or only allow you to view it on one device, you will have lifetime access to all of the content and any updates we make to the course.

  • The course is self-paced, so the time required for completion will vary between participants.

    Each video is approximately 10 minutes in length, and there are multiple videos in each of the six modules. We encourage undertaking two modules per week as there is lots of information to take in!

    We also encourage you to work through the workshop with your ‘build buddy’ if you have one (ie your partner in crime), as it’s super helpful to both hear the same information when planning a build.

    Also, an extra heads up… Module 03 is a whopper (the DESIGN module), so we suggest putting aside plenty of uninterrupted time to work your way through this module.

  • Absolutely not! The principles we teach in the Booken Workshop can be applied to any home and in any location or style.

  • Many of our workshop participants travel from interstate. Our home is in Kyvalley, near the small town of Kyabram in Northern Victoria, and the closest airport is Melbourne (approximately a two-hour drive).

    We are about 40km from both Shepparton and the picturesque riverside town of Echuca, which is known for its paddle steamers and lovely restaurants.

  • The Booken Online Workshop comes with a 30-day action taker’s money-back guarantee. If you find within the first 30 days that you can’t continue or the course is not to your liking, submit completed workbooks for the first two modules and we’ll happily give you a full refund. The reason we ask for two completed workbooks is simple: if you do the work, you’ll get tremendous value. Please note that eligibility for a refund has a firm deadline and also applies to payment plans, which means you will be responsible for all payments after the 30-day refund deadline has passed.

  • "I cannot recommend this enough. To be inspired and then receive this achievable, cost-effective advice — loved it!"

    — Megan, Melbourne, Victoria

  • "You have brought together so many pieces in my head and organised it all for me. Thanks, Lisa, it's been invaluable."

    — Melinda, Ovens Murray, Victoria

 

  • Gain unimaginable confidence to chase down your sustainable house dreams.

    You don’t need to be an expert to build your own sustainable home! Join the Booken Workshop and we’ll show you how to plan and design your affordable, planet-friendly home in ANY style or location. And all while learning from the comfort of your own home.