Smith has a background in environmental engineering, ecology, and sustainable resource management. The cordwood, thus, becomes infill for the walls, usually between posts in a timber frame structure. A guide to building an affordable home from earthen materials, including the pros and cons of adobe, cob, rammedearth and soilfilled tire techniques. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read building a practical backyard cob hut. Natural building books part1 thannal hand sculpted homes. Cordwood construction is a term used for a natural building method in which cordwood or short lengths of pieces of debarked tree are laid up crosswise with masonry or cob mixtures to build a wall. Earthbag building is the first comprehensive guide to all the tools, tricks, and techniques for building with bags filled with earthor earthbags. Cob was a common building material in england in the nineteenth century, and many of those buildings are still standing. An introduction to ecological and natural building techniques.
Cob, cobb or clom in wales is a natural building material made from subsoil, water, fibrous organic material typically straw, and sometimes lime. Most important to me was the book s detailed instructions on how to build a reciprocal roof the only printed documentation anywhere. Sculpting a simple dwelling with cob ebook written by matthew j. Experiment with cob mixing techniques for speed, ease, enjoyment, and different numbers of workers. I would say this is the bible of cob building and a classic that will live with you for a very long time. Cob is an earth based building technique that may be an alternative for the construction of new homes in developing countries. The contents of subsoil naturally vary, and if it does not contain the right mixture it can be modified with sand or clay. Cob building uses hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed with sand and straw, a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay. During the world war ii he was an anaesthetist to a surgical team in china where he also worked on control and treatment. This mixture is then formed into cobs lumps of material which are then pressed together to form the walls of the structure. Cob construction technique involves the direct placement of a mix of moist soil and straw to form a wall. I want to talk about cob house cost realities here. Cob building is easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and uses sustainable materials.
The oldest cob house still standing is 10,000 years old. A similar layered technique has been described in oman and iran. Earth based constructions techniques commonly used in the past, like adobe and wattleanddaub, have increasingly been replaced by buildings using more processed materials. Note heated cob bench, massive cob walls, window seat, glasswall to south and east. Because there are no forms, ramming, cement or rectilinear bricks, cob lends itself to organic shapes.
Locally tuinhuis at the houses of parliament in cape town is over 300 years old. This book covers various types of earth construction including adobe, cob and rammed earth. These books lead all the potential builders through the entire process of building monolithic dwellings of cob, wattle and daub and rammed earth techniques. What we do and why we are doing it cob cottage company.
This is a massive book, but well worth it to investigate the process of four different construction systems. Tony wrench details the entire process of building his own hybrid roundhouse with cordwood, cob, etc. It is a fascinating read and should inspire the reader to broaden their understanding of an alternative house building technique as well as the desire to learn even more. Cob building systems foundations and walls this cob house. We are the authors of the handsculpted house published by chelsea green with 20,000 in print, the most comprehensive book available on cob construction, also the cobbers companion, rocket mass heaters and earth. The best book so far that i am still reading and would recommend it as very easy to understand, thorough introduction to the principles of cob building for novice and builders alike.
Specialist earth builder, president of the earth building association of australia, and guest researcher in the faculty of engineering and information technology, peter hickson, has combined one the worlds most ancient building techniques, cob construction, with modern engineering methods to develop a model house as part of an effort to createlow cost earthquake resistant housing for. Frame the roof, either on permanent posts or on temporary posts that will be removed when the walls are complete. Cob house construction is an ancient building technique using lumps of earth mixed with sand, straw, and water. The search for housing that is healthy, affordable, and environmentally responsible is leading a growing number of people to take a fresh look at building techniques long shunned by the modern construction industry. Building an affordable home from earthen materials mother.
Having been introduced to sandbag construction by the renowned nader khalili in 1993, the authors developed this flexible form. Michael smith is my goto brilliant cob builder and allaround knowledgeable expert in conventional and ecologicallyfriendly construction methods. Devon earth building association deba was founded in 1991 to provide a forum for issues relating to the conversation of earth buildings in devon and the south west of england, also to provide technical guidance on the repair and maintenance of earth buildings including renders, plasters and cob construction. No complicated machines or tools are required, simply lots of labour and only very basic skills. The wonderful thing about cob construction is that it can be a wildly freeform, sculptural affair. 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 authors give huge amounts of information about each of them and connect the information to the project of building a cabin with a green roof and four different wall systems cob, strawbale, cordwood, and modified stick frame. Green tools by king county, created by the solid waste division, serves as a resource for information on green building certification programs, guidebooks for residential remodeling, construction recycling, deconstruction techniques and a green building evaluator. For thousands of years, people have been building their homes out of the dirt beneath their feet. A complete howto guide to alternative building methods earth plaster straw bale cordwood cob living roofs by. Best cob building books a list to guide you about what cob building is and how it is done. Jackie craven has over 20 years of experience writing about architecture and the arts. The best cordwood construction books cordwood building. Building with cob may be fairly labor intensive, but the rewards can be countless.
Cordwood masonry can be combined with other methods e. Surprising material for home construction off the grid news. Cob house cost realities how much does it cost to build. Cob house under construction in greyton, western cape province, south africa. To build a cob house you will essentially need three main components. This six day workshop will cover considerations on picking a house site including passive solar design, building a rubble trench and natural rock and lime mortar foundation, wattle and daub wall construction, earth bag construction, cob construction, natural, earthen plasters, and rocket mass heaters. Different materials are employed for different construction techniques. 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. Cob building techniques at building diy advice and tips. Recently, books on specific techniques such as strawbale construction, cob or rammed earth have become available, but there has been little to introduce the reader to the entire field. A few months before we started on our cob building henry we went to a natural building workshop an hour from where we live. He has taught hundreds of handson workshops in cob, strawbale, natural floors and plasters, earthen ovens, and many other natural building techniques.
Cob and natural building books recommended cob and. Cob, a vernacular earth construction process in the context. Its a good book at first glance but just ok once you get into it. Home and garden environmental issues crop residues usage green buildings design and construction straw bale construction innovations materials methods. The word cob is derived from the old english word for loaf, and similar techniques are known by different names in different cultures, such as chineh in farsi and pakhsa in uzbek. This book is interesting and provides basic cob building techniques along with ideas and suggestions to give it a try for yourself. For starters, you will want to check out some of the websites that are dedicated to cob and also look at some of the many videos available that will introduce you to the techniques involved in cob making and construction. Devon earth building faq about cob and earth building. Mud architecture is one such construction system that involves use of mud as a building material and has various techniques for the construction. Cob construction technique architecture student chronicles.
Most importantly it adequately addresses all critical issues faced by natural builders, summarizing many of the technical details that are essential for successful and durable construction. In 1993, along with ianto evans and linda smiley, he started the cob cottage company, a research and teaching group focused on reviving and improving traditional forms of earthen construction. This hybrid of cob and straw bale building techniques can offer unique flexibility to the natural builder. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and uses lowcost materials, although it is very labour intensive. The materials used are earth, straw, sand and water which are then mixed either mechanically or by hand. Earthwood building school has been teaching cordwood construction, timber framing and earth sheltering around the world since 1978.
Numerous cob buildings found in devon and cornwall are well over 500 years old. 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. The first part of building your cob home will be the foundation. A complete introduction to earthen building techniques cob. Smith teaches practical workshops and consults on cob construction, natural building, and permaculture. Building an affordable home from earthen materials. Cob houses are made of claylike lumps of soil, sand, and straw.
This is the first detail to consider for building any structure, and the information presented in this video is relevant to just. Cob really is not rocket science and with a little practice and experience anybody can do it. It is enjoyable as light reading and some good pictures about the couples experience, but just needs some more work to rate higher. She is the author of two books on home decor and sustainable design. I havent compared it with other cob books but it falls short compared with most of the other earth construction books ive read. Cob is part of vernacular earth construction techniques. Tony wrench is a resourceful builder with a fine writing style. Cob building is one of the oldest building techniques and has been used for thousands of years. As other earth construction techniques, cob encountered a renewed interest for its low environmental impact in comparison to conventional construction materials. Next, you should purchase one or two books on the topic so you will be able to get a better feel for what working with cob. Cob house cost realities how much does it cost to build a. May 06, 2016 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 construction system is less energy intensive and very effective in different climatic conditions. I build cob as well as straw bale in texas, just northwest of houston, we are currently offering 2 workshops starting in march, the first is a split 20 day workshop, 10 day cob and 10 day straw bale, crammed together and the second is a 10 day cobwood cordwood, cob free standing bathroom in april.
Jan 08, 2001 recently, books on specific techniques such as strawbale construction, cob or rammed earth have become available, but there has been little to introduce the reader to the entire field. Cob structures can be used as homes, chicken coops, barns, and even smaller ones for ovens. Dec 15, 2005 this is a massive book, but well worth it to investigate the process of four different construction systems. Learning how to make and build with cob diy house building. Cob, a vernacular earth construction process in the. Here are some of the different styles and systems for building a cob or a hybrid cob home. It consists in stacking clods, made of a mix of plastic earth, in order to build a monolithic wall. 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. Natural and vernacular building techniques have roots in every culture around the world, but share the distinction of using local materials, being energy efficient, and having a low ecological footprint. Now, ive talked about this a couple of times before in the past and its sort of my opinion that the cost of building a cob house generally is going to be about the same cost per square foot as a conventional construction.
One of the things we learnt at this workshop was how to make cob. The art of natural building fills that void wholly by being a complete and userfriendly introduction to natural building for nonprofessionals as well as. Jul 04, 2014 building a practical backyard cob hut. Cob construction is particularly easy to learn, requires no fancy equipment, uses local materials, and can be done in small batches as time allows making it extremely accessible to a wide. Devon earth building association deba was founded in 1991 to provide a forum for issues relating to the conversation of earth buildings in devon and the south west of england, also to provide technical guidance on the repair and maintenance of earth buildings including.