Building with Cob

[tetsuyanabashy]

awesome

[000Winter000]

I visited your website but I can't find the step by step tutorial..

[Rockonchick2]

artful

[wheelori814]

when building a home with cob, do you have to get walls all up in one day? Or does the holes you poke into it allow it to be done gradually?

[cultureartist]

@wheelori814 You can take as long as you want. You poke holes in the top layer so the next layer will key in, Lego-style. It's best to keep a tarp over the wall to keep the moisture from evaporating until you can start the next layer. It may also help to moisten the wall before starting to work again the next day. Some cob homes have taken up to three years to complete.

[wheelori814]

@cultureartist thanks, I might just have to try this. I live in arizona so it only makes extreme sense to build this way. How can I get tutorials from the foundation to the roof?

[cultureartist]

@wheelori814 I can't post links here in the comments section, but if you go to the Culture Artist website, there's a link on the main page that says 'Cob Tutorial.' Click on that and it'll come up.

The link for the website is at the end of this video.

[000Winter000]

@cultureartist I read somewhere that each layer of wall must dry for a min of one week before the next layer can be built.

[HappyHooker83]

@cultureartist Where to get the materials for cob??? How much are they?

[kesterratcliff1]

is that a bath made of cob at 3:18?? if so, how did you waterproof it enough? Just huge amounts of linseed oil?

[cultureartist]

@kesterratcliff1 The tub wasn't mine, but Since the water stays inside the tub, not that much moisture gets into the cob. The outside is plastered or waterproofed with linseed oil, as you mentioned. Plus, the straw in the cob tends to 'wick' the water away over time, as long as it's not a huge amount.

[jimkleager]

Hi my name is jim, do you have to replaster the whole outside of the walls or just where it has cracked? nice video

[cultureartist]

If you know what the original plaster was, and can replicate it, you can just do the cracks. If you're not sure, you can go ahead and plaster the cracks, but if the new plaster is substantially different from the old, it may expand and contract at a different rate, leading to new cracks.

[akarate08]

For example, where should I begin to truly master the technique of cob building, how to design and make it my own, the best places to own a cob home, the costs that go into both initial and recurring, etc...

[cultureartist]

Unfortunately, youtube won't let me post links. But if you go to the website mentioned at the end of the video, there's a link at the top called 'cob tutorial.' That should get you started.

[akarate08]

This video was awesome. I'm only 22 years old, but I'm very interested and plan on living in a cob structure one day. I have helped build mud structures using the method with sand, dirt, rice and water to form mud bricks with an organization I volunteer with in Thailand. They gave a presentation that enlightened me to the idea of having a mud or cob house when I return to the states. As a newbie, I was wondering what advice would you give on starting on this journey?

[Mikdeelo]

So a rock foundation and cob wall would be right up their 'alley'. In standard (earth killing) construction, they stop termites at the foundation, a problem with cob. With cob one has to do it at the top of the wall, interesting. Plastering the top of the wall may be prone to cracking. I'm going to contact a cobber in the UK to find out the proscribed method over there.

[cultureartist]

I"ve been building with cob for over twenty years, and I've never had such a problem with termites.

As stated earlier, as long as the rock foundation is at least 18 inches, they don't climb any further.

You don't have to plaster the top of the wall, as that's where the rafters sit.

[000Winter000]

@cultureartist Does the rock foundation sit on dirt? Would it benefit me to place the rock foundation on a well formed concrete slab?

[dayworld26]

can you use soil,clay,straw and water

[cultureartist]

Yes, that's what cob is. ;)

[Mikdeelo]

Ok, I've asked this Q @ a few places, no answer yet. Maybe you can give me an answer.

How does a cob builder prevent termites from tunneling through the cob and eating the wood in the roof?

How did the original builders in the old world stop them? They must have had an effective way, some structures are hundred of years old.

Today we have treated lumber (I hate it, nasty stuff) and sheet metal, is that the way people are doing it?

[cultureartist]

They can't break through the plaster...so you have to do a good job of plastering. Also, most termites don't climb higher than 18 inches or so. So if you don't have any exposed wood less than two feet off the ground, you should be okay.

[Mikdeelo]

Thnx for your prompt response.

I have heard from a reliable source that termites will form their 'mud tunnels' to reach quite some distance. A pest control man told me of seeing a wooden ball on top of a steel flagpole hollowed out by them, over 40 ft. up. They had formed a mud channel up the inside of the steel pipe of the pole. They do this to keep the air at the right humidity. They have a very good 'nose' for wood, lol!

[Mikdeelo]

I would say, beats huffing aerosols, :P

Cool video, thanx!

[cultureartist]

@Mikdeelo You're welcome! And yes, it most definitely beats huffing aerosols.

[BlackCappa]

@cultureartist

Is it possible to build houses with two storeys entirely out of cob? Most cob houses with two floors I found had a wooden second flooring.

[cultureartist]

@BlackCappa Yes, there's an apartment building in Turkey made of cob that's 9 stories high, and nearly 1000 years old.

[BlackCappa]

@cultureartist

Wow, thanks for the fast reply! That sounds really awesome.

Great video btw!

[jaker2880]

YOU COBHUFFERS!

[cultureartist]

The main downside is that it is very labor intensive. Each batch of cob only covers about 2-3 square feet of wall space. If you consider that a round home 20 feet in diameter contains about 500-600 square feet of surface area, you're talking over 200 batches of cob.

It also needs to be re-plastered every year to repair cracks, unless you're an expert plasterer.

[rustydusty40]

you can literally shape out your home. yeah what is the dounside of cob building?

[iseecheese]

does the cob absorb too much heat if you live in a high temp area like the dessert sw or FL

[iseecheese]

whats the downsides to cob

[cultureartist]

There's no more smell to a cob house than there would be to the dirt in your yard. If it has any smell at all, it's an earthy smell...but you'd have to have a pretty sensitive nose to detect it.

If you build the foundation with proper drainage, and build a proper overhang, there's no problem at all keeping the moisture out of the walls.

[jailarson]

If someone is disgusted with the smell of the Earth, perhaps they should find another planet to inhabit. ;P

[cultureartist]

LOL...good ponit. ;)

[vatrenikrug]

Nice beatiful work,...

tell me,is the some smell to the house of cob? how hard is to ceep moisture from the walls/? or is just good fundation that is needed and everything works perfekt ?

i wood like to bild something like that :D

[TheAcacia1984]

Cultureartist,

Thanks for your quick reply. I really appreciate it. I will check out your website.

Acacia

[cultureartist]

I don't have a 'how to' video yet, but if you go to the Culture Artist website on the video, there's a free tutorial there.

[TheAcacia1984]

Do you have a how to video? I am very interested in making my own home like this. Either cob or using mud bricks. I am in the process of testing the right consistency of my own soil(clay & sand). Please let me know. Any how to or helpful info would be great, thanks!

[peterkr1]

sehr schöne bilder und anregungen wie man bauen könnte

[nostragoth]

Vielen Dank! Natürliches Gebäude ist schön, schöpferisch und preiswert!

[BrutusJones]

Nice video and even though the music is simple , there is something very special about it.

[cultureartist]

Thanks! I wrote it for a meditation CD. Getting too complex would have been too distracting for meditative purposes.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[cultureartist]

LOL...it's called 'Nocturne by the Sea.'

[wrightylaaad]

oops , shudve been patient +i would have seen the song name at the end

[wrightylaaad]

I like the tune , whats it called?

[cultureartist]

Most of the homes in the video are in the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon). For example, Portland is a hotbed of cob construction...the current method was invented there. :)

I usually recommend a two-foot overhang. Then, if they're plastered properly, they're extremely durable.

There are homes in England made of cob, that have been around since Elizabethan times (Shakespeare's home, for example), and the climate is similar to the Pacific Northwest.

[SargonMan]

I live in Seattle and built a Cob wall for my outside wash area. Can I use latex paint to paint the wall? I like the grey color of the wall now in it's natural state, but was wondering how soft blue paint would adhere (or any color for that matter lol) Thank you.

[cultureartist]

I wouldn't recommend latex. Cob walls need to 'breathe.' This allows moisture to escape. Latex would block the moisture from escaping, and could cause the walls to buckle. When coloring cob walls, washes are better than paints. Just crush pigment in water or plaster.

[oregoncoastman]

how well do cob homes do in wet climates, like the pacific northwest where I live?

[Tidnull]

wow first time researching this stuff. building a home with cob would really bring me back to when i was building mud homes for snakes and lizards as a kid. totally my kind of construction!!

[cultureartist]

Yup. :)

[rblwoaclu]

isnt it amazing what we humans can do?

[cultureartist]

Well, apparently I couldn't post a link to my website. My message didn't post.

Anyway, the info about building with cob is in the Cob Directory section of my website.

Let's try it this way: cultureartist (dot) org.

[smcgro12]

hello, have just seen a cob building on britains best home tv programme and think this would be a unique and interesting dissertation subject for my degree. can anyone recommend any sources of information/ literature that would provide information on the subject. i would also love to hear from anyone who has experience with building control regarding a cob build. feel free to private message me any info regarding cob.

many thanks in advance, scott

[Mojopokey]

I want one that looks like Hobits live there....

[cultureartist]

Cob is just a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Once the structure is built, it is weatherproofed with a plaster coating.

[pipari44]

really beautiful and interesting structures

but what is cob?

[fieryflyingserpent]

I've been a carpenter for 22 yrs. and now Im kicking myself in the rear.

[cultureartist]

Yeah, there are several places I know of in Canada and Alaska. The people I know in Canada live near Vancouver and they can heat their cob home using only a wood stove.

Cob homes have great thermal properties!

[ElliotJohnNovak]

Are any of these structures in climates that experience snow and cold winters?

[cultureartist]

The work seems hard until you actually get into it. It's actually quite fun once you get started. It takes a long time, but if you have a group of friends helping, it's more like entertainment than work.

[inspctrgrl34]

That was awesome, I'd love to build a cob home. It would be a lot of hard work, but you would take great pride in your creation. Plus the homes seem to have such character.

[FaeryComeDraw]

Beautiful!