Make a house of mud?

[urbpan]

Have any of you ever built a cob house, or been involved in any similar project?

Comments

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

Nope. But I have a friend who's here on LJ who has taken cob-building workshops. I can try to put you two in touch if you like.

P.S.

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

Actually, I see you two are already LJ friends -- it's ardaraith.

Re: P.S.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I think it was ardaraith's link to a workshop in Texas that put the bug in my ear about it.

[hhw]

No, but in case this is relevant, there are cob benches and outdoor structures all over Portland (often with a bit of green roof overhead).

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=35621
http://www.cityrepair.org/wiki.php
http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist

[dragonwrites.livejournal.com]

my sister has a lot of experience and loves to talk about it. her userid on yahoo is ycats77.

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Not quite, but maybe I'll give it a shot at some point out here. I have used a mixture of our particularly clay laden soil and hay as the morder for walls made of salvaged concrete and they're still holding up pretty well.

[sin-agua.livejournal.com]

There are many classes on straw bale construction where I live, though I've never attended one. Also "make your own adobe," which sounds to me like making cob bricks and then stacking them with mortar. I love the organic lines of cob houses, especially more modern ones.

[nysidra.livejournal.com]

No, but...

When I was 11 I heard that houses could be made from mud and grass and set out to build a play house in just such a fashion. I got the walls 2 feet high before my younger cousin went on to tearing it down on a regular basis. ^_^

[stephanietberry.livejournal.com]

I participated in a cob building workshop in Arkansas several years ago. It was very cool! We were doing the final work on the building, so it wasn't a from-the-ground-up project, but it was very interesting how flexible and creative the process was. Such a hands-on house! A great option in a dry climate and with lots of friends to help. I'll come help if you build with cob!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Okay! It'll be a few years before we're able.

How is it that they built with cob in England?

[kimcob.livejournal.com]

We have done our family vacation at the Natural Building Colloquium in Bath, NY for the last two years. We have built with cob, cordwood masonry, straw bale and light clay as well as timber framing. It is really fun!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Have you built a house? Looking around online, I've seen lots of cool little cottages and stuff, and lots of off-the-grid, sustainable living philosophizing, I'm just wondering if it's possible (or desirable) to build a house that you will live in full time, with normal electric company power and normal plumbing and everything.

[kimcob.livejournal.com]

There is a Texas natural building colloquium in Oct. We met Frank Meyer in NY this year who is one of the organizers of the Texas event and is VERY talented as a builder and musician. SOngs like "I like to pee outside" and "Yur so Pretty when yur so dirty"

[kimcob.livejournal.com]

It is absolutely possible to live in the house with electric and plumbing ( although I am highly interested in Humanure after meeting Joe Jenkins). There are lots of houses in Vermont in the Montepelier area. There is one in Shutesbury, Mass part of the Sirius community but no one is living in it because the builder did not make nice with the building inspector. I think in general Straw Bale is easier to get through the zoning process. Cob is more user friendly. We have worked on a house in Vermont but have not done one from start to finish. It is my dream to do an earth bermed on three sides and straw bale on the fourth side with a cordwood sauna for our eventual home. There are lots of wonderful books on it. I would say that in general you must be a worker bee with both initiative and staying power to get through it. But that is true with anyone trying to build their own house.

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

I made a pinata once.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Are you making a pointed joke about the durability of cob houses?

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

Oh I think it would be sweet to live in a cob house. I don't see why it would be less durable than a modern plywood and sheet rock structure. The joke was that the only similar experience I had was my extra credit project for Spanish class. I recommend watered down Elmer's glue for your house. The water and flour recipe works, but then bugs will eat your project. My poor giant goldfish....

[ardaraith.livejournal.com]

I took a week-long workshop last year. And yes, we actually built a house...with cob.

clay, dirt, sand and straw.

some photos
http://pics.livejournal.com/ardaraith/gallery/0000hz43
http://www.claysandstraw.com/projects/CaretakersCttge/workshop/worshopphotos.htm

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks! That's pretty inspiring stuff. I like how (in the second set) there are pictures of the setbacks and challenges. I'm still not really sure how one would go about building one outside of a workshop setting (not to mention that I would want to build one about twice the footprint of the one in the pictures) but now I have a picture of the process. Thanks again!