LOL, here's a slide show from the cob building workshop I attended this month. Wonderful, incredible people, simply amazing experience. Totally inspiring. I'll be getting dirty again real soon .

[vimeo.com]

Ah, they wrote such a nice journal entry about our course, so wonderful!
[journal.goingslowly.com]

An article in the Vancouver Globe and Mail too! Woot!
[www.theglobeandmail.com]

whoah.. this is kickin awesome!!

coco

did u all build it from scratch?
how long did it take?

do u think two people alone can build one of those?

what were all the materials used?

nice

Cob is made from clay, sand, straw and water. The plaster and floor are versions of this mixture as well. Anybody can build with cob, it's easy and it's a super safe worksite that's fine for kids to participate at. 2 people could do it but it would certainly take time, it's better to get a work party together (people are generally eager to learn about cob and will trade you labor for learning) or use a rototiller to mix the cob. There is a LOT of mud stomping, many feet make short work of that.
The framing, main floor and roof were up when we got there, we did the second floor walls, much of the outside and inside plastering, built benches on the inside, set in many windows with lintels, cut down, stripped and set in young cedar trees as stair supports, and put in the floor. Because cob needs to dry in stages it can take a season or two to finish a building. This of course depends on how much time you can dedicate to working on it, how much help you have, and of course problems you encounter. Weather is a factor too.
This is the best book I know of on the subject though Becky Bee is a great resource as well.
[www.amazon.com]

I'm going to start with outdoor benches and ovens here and then a small shed or kid play house. I need some more knowledge about framing and the roof but at this point I could build a livable dwelling. Amazing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2012 12:33PM by coco.

Thanks for the link, coconuts

Coco, was there a reason why women do it together (like a feminist group ethic)? I also wanted to know what you guys do with the house you built! Do you just leave it there? (I saw it was on an island...very cool...)

They are a woman's building collective, they might have a mission statement about that on their website, but workshops are not limited to women only. There were 3 men in our group of 17 participants. Construction is typically a man's realm, women get more than the cold shoulder from a lot of old boys clubs, ye know? If a woman wants to do that sort of work she can grow a really thick hide or figure out another way to do it. Smart ladies, that group.

The house we were working on belongs to the land owners, they paid the collective to build it, we paid for the food we ate during the 6 days we were there and traded our labour for learning. It was an awesome exchange, I learned so much.

I thought I saw some male people present It looks like a very cool experience!

One thing about that type of house and the dome houses - if they could be built with a lot of big windows, I think they'd feel better, not so 'heavy', small and dark. Is it easy to put in a bunch of big windows? It would be more energy efficient, too, if the windows were facing south.

You can put in whatever you want, it's literally a big clay sculpture, ha ha.
Yes, passive solar is generally used with cob. In a cold climate the north facing wall would possibly be strawbale.

yeah but how would i get a "party" to help me build a house
if i can't teach them anything? LOL

i would love to have people build me a straw bale house
but unless i could teach them how to do it ( which i'm definitely not the expert in)
don't see how that could take place

s'pose i could learn how to do it
get off my tuff, roll up my sleeves and just learn
the good ole fashioned way

by then, i would probably have built my own house
i think i would like to "learn" by building my OWN house
not someone else's house

i guess that's where the book comes in handy

how bout electricity and plumbing for water

did they discuss and teach that?

maybe i should take a class or something

or just hire people

or solar

hmm...

book looks cool
thanks

books are great

Depends on what sort of electricity and water systems you want, there are tons of green options like solar, rain water cachement, grey water systems, etc. For anything fancy you need to hire or read up to try doing it yourself.
And you'd be amazed at how people flock to cob projects. There were 3 extra people who just showed up to help on our build. Who doesn't like to play in the mud? LOL.
Start with a bench or an oven to get a feel for it, that's what I'd do.