She is the author of two books on home decor and sustainable design. Thats pretty dang impressive considering the simple nature and composition of the material. A few months before we started on our cob building henry we went to a natural building workshop an hour from where we live. Building a cob cottage stepbystep excerpted from part ii. It is an ancient method of construction and one that is found all over the world.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Some codes require that you have some wood framing and allow you to fill the framing with the material of your choice including natural building methods like cob or straw bale. Cob building dates back hundreds of years ago, and cob houses built over 500 years ago in europe are still inhabited to this day. Learn how to build your own cob house and other natural cob constructions. A glimpse at how to build a cob cottage from the foundation to the roof. Often called earth homes, cob houses are fun to build and economical. Becky bees manual is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob. Because its mainly clay and sand, you dont have much for forest fires to burn up. Cob building is easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and uses sustainable materials. A practical and philosophical guide to building a cob cottage. Part story of rebel women, grassroots selfgovernance, and communitybuilding, part incendiary political and economic tract, and part practical guide to building natural homes for real people.
Cob houses are constructed using clay subsoil, straw and water. A stepbystep guide and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The real goods solar living book ianto evans, michael g. Cob building gets its name from the old english term for lump, which refers to the lumps of clayrich soil that were mixed with straw and then stomped into place to create monolithic earthen. Designed for everybody, what ever your previous experience, what ever your cob building dreams or plans are, we will empower you to build your own cob house or studio after just 4 days. A standard weeklong cob workshop is usually focused so much on mixing large quantities of cob and building cob walls that a whole list of other important topics is passed right over. This video course educates you on how to design a more codefriendly, modern cob building. Cob houses are becoming more and more popular again, thanks to how amazingly inexpensive they are to build and the fact that just about. This particular example, called the cob cottage, is situated on mayne island, a quiet and laidback locale in the gulf islands of british columbia. For a firsttime builder, it can be very useful to map out the sequence of all construction tasks.
A practical and philosophical guide to building a cob cottage chelsea green, 2002. Additionally, healthy air quality is naturally maintained because the structure breathes via its tiny pores. How to build a house with cob learn how to build earth homes using cob building techniques. Weve empowered thousands of people to take their own futures into their own hands giving them the skills to build their own affordable, sustainable and beautiful. Cob, cobb or clom in wales is a natural building material made from subsoil, water, fibrous organic material typically straw, and sometimes lime.
Building a tiny cob cottage in northern california, usa. This 12 hour video course educates you on how to build a cob house, stepbystep. Building with cob may be fairly labor intensive, but the rewards can be countless. Cob an old english word for lump is oldfashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Free book teaches how to build a cob house a magical life. Cob is strong, durable and cob houses should stand forever as long as their roof is maintained and the property is looked after properly. The house was designed to make the most of passive solar energy. Mar 03, 20 hey there actually cob houses can be made with wood framing or without it just depends on the tastes of who is building it. Feb 16, 2019 learn how to build a cob house with these books and online video. Cob structures can be used as homes, chicken coops, barns, and even smaller ones for ovens. Cob is a popular choice for areas that prone to wild fires or other extreme weather. The hand sculpted house, a practical and philosophical guide to building a cob cottage, is a must read for anyone who wants to have the freedom to build a one of a kind creative and artistic home. With the thick walls of the cob house, you have a lot of thermal regulation happening. Cob is an ageold method of building that can be used to create very unique organicallyshaped structures.
Building a house, cob house plans, cabin plans, earth bag homes, wattle. You will get all the howto information to undertake a cob building project. See more ideas about earth homes, natural building and earthship. Cob really is not rocket science and with a little practice and experience anybody can do it. Im very interested in cob building and would like to build my own house eventually. In addition to teaching ecological building, ianto has consulted with usaid, the world bank, the peace corps, and several national governments. Becky bees the cob builders handbook chelsea green publishing, 1998 is a friendly.
Cobbuilding community thirty years after its founding, cob cottage company has much progress to report. People have been building with cob for hundreds of years some say thousands. The etymology of cob and cobbing is unclear, but in several senses means to beat or strike, which is how cob material is applied to a wall. I wonder how long some of our suburban homes will last. In the article cob building, ancient and modern, from the book the art of natural building new society publishers, 2015, michael g. Most of the wood used throughout the home was salvaged from fallen trees. It was reportedly the first cob house in canada to go through the building. One of the things we learnt at this workshop was how to make cob. The building materials needed for cob homes lack both pollutants and environmentally unfriendly production techniques. Hey there actually cob houses can be made with wood framing or without it just depends on the tastes of who is building it.
Best cob building books meet your next favorite book. For me, it might be a bit out of the box type of building. Linda smiley and ianto evans who pioneered the use of building with earth, straw and sand called cob in the u. My rule for the underground cabin is that it is built handmade using alternative materials that are. Building with cob is a powerful political action, greatly reducing the need for the mortgage systems, lumber and construction industries, and petrochemical companies. A philosophical and practical guide to building a cob cottage. The contents of subsoil naturally vary, and if it does not contain the right mixture it can be modified with sand or clay. Your building will only last as long as the foundation does. Photo galleries features a wonderful collection of pictures of earthen sturctures from around the world. Learning how to make and build with cob diy house building. When people first learn about building homes and structures out of cob they get really excited and their imaginations go wild with creative ideas and all the possibilities that the material offers for creating things. Apr 24, 20 cob an old english word for lump is oldfashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Cob is a very old method of building with earth and straw or other fibers. The real goods solar living book by ianto evans, michael g.
Some codes require that you have some wood framing and allow you to fill the framing with the material of your choice including natural building methods like cob or. Natural building and a new sense of the earth youtube. So in the heat of summer, the walls keep things cooler. Evans, smiley and smiths book, the handsculpted house, has sold more than 30,000 copies. Stepbystep video lessons how to build your own beautiful cob house out of earth and natural materials with. Smith explains that in 18th century england and wales, many cob cottages were built by poor tenant farmers and laborers who often worked cooperatively. The hand sculpted house, a practical and philosophical. Home owners can build their own homes with materials that are local and. Cob house construction is an ancient building technique using lumps of earth mixed with sand, straw, and water. They used to mix cob with oxen and pitchfork it onto the walls. How to build a house with cob farm and garden grit. A practical guide to building a cob cottage the real goods solar living book. Cob builders spend less of their lives working to pay for all of the above, and more.
Begin building with a clear plan in mind, but let your creativity guide you. Building with cob shows how to apply this ancient technique in a wide variety of contemporary situations, covering everything from design and siting, mixing, building walls, fireplaces, ovens and floors, lime and. Cob houses are part of the earth house, ecofriendly house, natural building architecture. Part story of rebel women, grassroots selfgovernance, and community building, part incendiary political and economic tract, and part practical guide to building natural homes for real people. In the uk we ensure our cob houses last for hundreds of years by incorporating a few basic design features that make them suitable for our climate. Building a solid foundation for your cob house this cob house. Cob builders spend less of their lives working to pay for all of the above, and more time living. This website has loads of informationabout cob houses and other forms of earth buildings so you can start learning about this incredible sustainable, affordable and beautiful material right now. Creating a cob house often creates a very healthy home for air quality. Jackie craven has over 20 years of experience writing about architecture and the arts.
Making homes with natural materials gathered gently from the earth. Mudgirls manifesto is about respecting the earth, each other, and crafting meaningful lives. As the modern world rediscovers the importance of living in sustainable harmony with the environment, this book is a bible of radical simplicity. The real goods solar living book 97818902347 by ianto evans. At the left are cob houses in the uk, hundreds of years old fm hand scultped house book. The book provides background information, maintenance guidance and even offers advice on building a clome bread oven for the garden. Uncle b live in canada will the winter frosts destry a cob house. Cob an old english word for lump is oldfashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Ianto evans is an applied ecologist, landscape architect, inventor, and teacher with building experience on six continents. Roof insulation options for cob houses diy mother earth news.
I own tons of cob building books and this one is by far the best one i have found. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Im heavily considering purchasing land in florida in the near future, but cant seem to find much precedence for cob houses in the southern us barefootbuilder has built a cob pottery studio in pensacola, fl. Consequently, the carbon footprint of a cob house is exceptionally low.
No house can be considered more warm and cosy than that built of cob, especially when thatched. Every cob building is unique, but most require the same basic steps. It is warm in winteand cool in summer, and i have known labourers bitterly. Cob house under construction in greyton, western cape province, south africa. Linda smiley and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The handsculpted house meet your next favorite book. May 12, 2011 brian liloia, a former green building elements writer and a resident of an ecovillage called the dancing rabbit, recently selfpublished his first book, the of year of mud. It is quite similar to adobe in that the basic mix of clay and sand is the same, but it usually has a higher percentage of long straw fibers mixed in. Choosing the frame work of your cob house is one of the first steps in cob building.
Cob is an english term attested to around the year 1600 for an ancient building material that has been used for building since prehistoric times. Design, construction, resources new society, 2002 and the handsculpted house. Having a good foundation is of critical importance for your cob house. In 2008, i launched the year of mud while building my first cob house. What ever your interest in cob, earth building or strawbale construction, we have a natural building course, or cob solution for you. Photo by melissa west choosing the frame work of your cob house is one of the first steps in cob building. Some modern houses fall apart after 30 years, cob homes will last for several generations and are easy to repair when they do need repairing.