Cob building
 

Anyone know about cob building or have some experience with it (especially in Ireland, Scotland, or Wales)?

It's interesting to me... am learning about it... here's an article:

-------------------------------------
Why Cob Building?


Cob building -- building with the elements of the earth ~ cob: earth, clay, sand, straw, and water -- enables one to create a living environment that perfectly suits one�s needs and desires in every way. Cob structures can be built to suit us, as we are the creators, instead of trying to fit into an already built structure of someone else�s ideas, notions or needs.

http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/...nishedcob2.jpg

A cob home can be built in alignment with the sun, moon, and the planets. This is vitally important, as aligning is what it is all about in the higher realms. The ancients knew this, and consequently built in this way, with openings for sun daggers, for viewing and aligning with certain planets and their cycles, and for the movements of the moon. Alignments bring in portal openings for higher energies, and allow us to be in continuous spaces of harmony.

Cob homes are perfect for a sustainable lifestyle. They provide immense thermal mass with good insulation, and are ideal for passive solar construction. They remain cool in the summer and require little additional heating in the winter. As all our needs are met from the earth herself, a cob house can be built to totally sustain itself while it disconnects from the "Old World." Totally fireproof, wind resistant, and fairly earthquake resistant, a cob house will last for hundreds of years.

Extremely economical, a cob home can be built for as little as $500, for a modest cob cottage. Many homes are built for under $5,000. With the help of a team, cob building is ideal for a "barn raising" experience. One person can build a two-story wall in about a month.

http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/.../cobliving.jpg

Aesthetically pleasing, cob structures blend in beautifully with the environment. Many that live in cob homes have said that they feel they live in the earth and that their homes are growing out of the earth. Harmony!

Building a cob structure is a spiritual experience. The process itself is a sacred one. Ideally suited for children and the elderly, as well as adults, submerging oneself in creativity with elements of the earth can really bring one to center with Source. And building with cob can be an on-going creative experience as long as it needs to be. Starting small and adding on as one�s resources become available, is a reality of cob as well.

http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/...nishedcob1.jpg

There are many other forms of natural building besides cob. Adobe, rammed earth, wattle and daub, poured earth, earth bag, straw bale, and bamboo, to name a few. And then there are hybrids, which are a combination of more than one, ideal for suiting one�s specific needs. I chose cob because of its naturally flowing forms that greatly resemble the natural forms of nature. With no square shapes or perfect 90 degree angles, cob interiors are more temperature efficient, and the curving, flowing walls and interior designs brought me great peace and tranquility. In addition, cob lends itself to a great amount of creativity in regard to clay sculpting unique interior and exterior forms that become a part of the structure itself. (And then there�s mosaic and stained glass!)


Helpful Links

Below are various links that may be of assistance to you regarding cob building. Although I have not been personally involved with most of these organizations or resources, you can at least get a better idea about cob and save yourself some Google time on the internet. Most of these links contain many more links within them:

House Alive
Lists several wonderful links to organizations that teach natural building. House Alive teaches their own workshops as well.

Cob Workshops
Lists cob workshops in North America.

Green Home Building
A comprehensive site containing a wealth of information about natural building. Has a wonderful Q&A section about cob with Michael G. Smith. Very informative. Also lists several books about cob building and has a list of links to many cob resources.

The Last Straw
Calendar of events for natural building with many great links and resources.

Earthed World
Cob building in the UK.

Cob Projects
Cob information and resources.

Natural Building Network
The Natural Building Network serves to connect natural builders and information.

Builders Without Borders
A worldwide network of natural builders



reproduced from K. Bishop http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com

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Re: Cob building
 

Great Post!!! The GubMint ain't gonna like these "very affordable" homes though.


The Cob Gallery <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="general_sub_header">To give you an idea of the types of things that are being done with Cob Building.

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr valign="top"> <td align="left" width="27%">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...obkitchen1.jpg</td> <td width="1%"> </td> <td align="center" width="44%">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...weav_REACH.jpg</td> <td width="3%"> </td> <td align="right" width="25%">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...ll/Stark03.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...vingRoom01.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...l/andrecob.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...l/hottub02.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...b1-9-1.low.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/cob/small/cob04.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/cob/small/cob06.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">
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</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/cob/small/ecu3.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/.../entrance2.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...saicwindow.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...weav_RIDGE.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...st_Gifford.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...LivingRoom.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/.../reception.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...eenHouse16.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...Nautilus12.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...l/overview.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...lasterall2.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...all/stairs.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/.../Denmark06.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...ll/leewall.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...all/BST-05.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...cobliving8.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...s_interior.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...livingroom.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...cobliving9.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...er_Bedroom.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...cobworks02.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/.../shelter01.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...l/Weaver02.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...ancouver01.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/.../Vancouver.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...o_entrance.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...s_cabin_9w.jpg</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="center"> </td> <td> </td> <td align="right"> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td align="left">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...ngMachine1.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="center">http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...vingRoom02.jpg</td> <td> </td> <td align="right">
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And the County 'Permit' Office says........................... :smokin:


To Protect (the banksters) and to Serve (you papers)...

http://www.madisonsheriff.org/images/FL000003.jpg

Re: Cob building
 

<center> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cols="1" width="500"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>What is cob?</td> <td>http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...ysandstraw.gif</td> <td> http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...ges/church.gif </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Earth is universally and easily available. It has been used a a building material throughout history and in most cultures around the world.
<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...ges/oldcog.gif
Ancient cob building in Devon, England. Inhabited since 1539</td> <td>Cob building is a form of earth architecture and was for centuries a staple of British and Western European home architecture.

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Cob was used as a building material in Canada by early immigrants from the British Isles. As recently as the great depression of the 1930's, cob was promoted by the Roosevelt administration. It was subsequently subverted by powerful lumber barons who smeared it as Bolshevik inspired. Earth archecture became another casualty of the cold war.
</td> <td>http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...useontario.gif </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </center> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>The tradition of earth building is again enjoying a revival in Europe and North America. http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...s/devoncob.jpg
Contemporary English cob home.
</td> <td>People from all backgrounds are looking for building methods which place the highest value on social and ecological sustainablity.cob buildings meet these standards.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cols="3" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>It is an easy to learntechnique based on locally available resources using a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water to build the walls.</td> <td>Cob earthen walls are extremely durable, lasting for centuries, and create no pollution or disposal problems for future generations.</td> <td>Cob structures are well suited to a variety of temperate climates. They can withstand earthquakes, won't catch fire, are energy efficient and inexpensive to build.
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="CENTER">Clay, sand and straw is mixed by foot on a tarp or with a cement mixer to speed up the process.</td> <td valign="CENTER">http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...inginearth.gif</td> <td>Clay acts as the glue, sand hardens the structure, and the straw works like rebar to give the walls tensile strength.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...manandwall.gif</td> <td>Cob is Mixed into a dough like consistency, and then placed onto the walls up to two foot thick and worked in to create a monolithic wall structure. No forms are used, allowing the builder to create any shape desired. Think of cob building as house sculpting. Typically contemporary cob has beautiful curvilinear walls and many sculptural details.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top">The process of cob building is loads of fun. Allow your inner child out to play in the mud.
Not surprisingly, many cob builders experience a personal transformation.</td> <td>Cob building releases our creativity and
the easy-to-learn technique is personally empowering. It demonstrates that most people can easily acquire the skills needed to build a home.</td> <td>http://www.alternatives.com/cob-buil...obinterior.gif
Cob massage studio, Oregon. built in 1996</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Interest in cob and other forms of natural building is growing. The Down To Earth Building Bee is helping to make earth architecture more accessible to the public through educational outreach and through our summer workparty program.</td> <td>
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </center>

Re: Cob building
 

Do you have to cook and eat children too?

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD align=middle></TD><TD></TD><TD align=right>http://ad33today.com/catalog/images/...l/hottub02.jpg</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I looked into it a while back and found out there are some very old structures that are cob.

E-A

Re: Cob building
 

We've been looking into alternative building styles for about 2 years and cob is labor intensive compared to the others I've checked out. You better have some cob building workshops and friends over if you're building anything over 500 sq. ft.

Not sure about your area but I'd also look into straw bale and cordwood (which seems to be the easiest of the one's I mentioned).

I've done workshops for cob and log as well as speaking with people who currently live in homes with cordwood, strawbale and rammed earth and we're probably going to go with log. If something changes with log our backup plan is cordwood.

As an aside one person I spoke with has done cordwood and strawbale on their property as well as helping with cob (if I recall correctly) and he said if he had it to do all over again he would have done everything in cordwood due to simplicity and ease.

Re: Cob building
 

Here's videos on straw bale homes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUuMl75Z9UY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yX-KFMFvTo

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...le+homes&hl=en

Re: Cob building
 

the cob building looks real labor intensive,

but those are sharp looking projects.

Re: Cob building
 

Those are soooo nice! Bet the "boys" at 1313[Room 1313 at the University of Chicago where all our "zoneing"and building code laws are said to originate at] get a snarl on their faces looking at these.~~~~~~~Helped a friend a little bit on some stacked log structures in the early 70's. Still standing! Make sure you have long dead very dry logs to start with!

Re: Cob building
 

Hey-

Anything with almost zero embodied energy, that requires a functioning brain to work with, and does not involve the use of a great amount of factory-manufactured fiat script is (you guessed it) probably somehow illegal.:realmad:

Because that is the case, it's the only way I would build anything. Which isn't much, because I really don't "own it" anyway.

The best cob I have used is a mix of a dab of cement, local silicate clay, ground styrofoam, sand and straw (binder). This concoction is the mortar for cordwood construction. Personally, I would use cordwood for lower layers and then strawbale (due to crush) higher up.

Since the bankers, fascist gov't stooges, and industrial magnates have control of almost every facet of human endeavor, inquiry into the legal ramifications of non-conventional building techniques is a "must do" in order to avoid becoming entangled in their "justice system". DYODD.

End rant.

Volzka

Re: Cob building
 

Hey-

IMHO, don't just start building without knowing the legalities.

Another consideration might be that if you ever decided you want/need to sell what you have built is: what will a banker be willing to lend on that unit? Personally, what I try to build is more like an art form and not for sale. Building is for fun and fiat is for changing into PMs. But that's just me.

Volzka

Re: Cob building
 

That was the major consideration that pushed us to log instead of cordwood, log is still considered a harder sell than stick built however of the alternative styles IMO it is the easiest to sell if necessary. There are people building log homes themselves and making some serious cash, tax free after the 2 year rule.

Re: Cob building
 

R M, all those homes you posted are GORGEOUS - I esp love the two above.


Here's a group on the west coast that does Cob workshops FYI to all....

http://www.solarliving.org/store/pro...id=13&pid=1535

NB 101A: Introduction to Cob Building
Apr 28-29 2007

http://www.solarliving.org/store/images/large/NB102.jpg

Cob is known as the “duct tape” of natural building. Made up of simple materials available almost everywhere including clay, straw, and sand, cob embodies the spirit of natural building: low-impact, durable, and useful for projects ranging from small bread ovens to full-size structures. We will learn how to assess clay soils for building, how to develop a cob recipe, and the basics of making and building with cob. The class will work on a section of the intern shower-house at the Solar Living Center, and will look at many other examples and case-studies of cob buildings around the site.

$190.00 $171.00 (Sale) ITEM W07SNB101A
QTY

Thanks for the responses on this thread everyone... learning alot... and I'll be referring back here as I learn more...

.

Re: Cob building
 

I like that old world joinery they do on those beams.