Modern hobbit house: a tiny cob home

Margaret Krome-Lukens shows us the cob home being built by interns at North Carolina's Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute. Since iher new home is less than 150 square feet, she talks about the joy of giving up stuff to move in.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• tiny home
• small space
• small apartment
• downshifting
• home size
• simple life
• simplicity
• downsizing
• small house movement
• small home
• microhome
• tiny house
• green building
• frugality
• small house
• cob
• cob building
• mud building

[pianosyrup123]

Out of curiosity doe you have indoor plumbing,or electricty, and can a personbuild a cob just by oneself

[kirstendirksen]

@pianosyrup123 I know Margaret was on the farm property of others. I know they had solar and wind power right by her cottage. I'm not sure if she had plumbing in her cottage but I know others with cob cottages who do.

If you look at the videos in the video responses above (and there are 7 or 8 more with Michael) you can see cob and other earth buildings that are finished and appear more like conventional homes when done (plumbing, electricity and all).

[monteshasta1]

how much did you invest in that kind of house???

[kirstendirksen]

@monteshasta1 The investment wasn't so much in materials as labor. It took 10 months to build the cottage with anywhere from 1 to 10 people helping when they had time. I've talked to other people who have built their own earth homes and they've done things like "work parties" to get friends to help out (e.g. making things like mud bricks in a weekend). I did a video with a natural building expert who talked about the labor/materials costs of earth building, see: "DIY home from earth and straw".

[spider23000]

Is there a video of the finished house?

[kirstendirksen]

@spider23000 I haven't been back to North Carolina to do a follow-up, but there are some photos of the finished cottage. Try a google photo search using "Pickards Mountain cob cottage".

[pukoh]

those guys are hot

[Damis10001]

You people look super-healthy! Must be the environment and choice of work.

[livfreeordi3]

any reason why it was not built into a hill to increase geothermal temp. regulation?

[strychnineumbrella]

i like how the lady says "horse manure." It's just cute.

[seocom]

I love how the clay come from the same property.

[GouledXD]

@Rannos22 My school had banned bottled water because the companies who produce it are ripping you off, and they also cause suffering in third world countries. I say it's a righteous cause, and the school has water fountains anyway.

[Furby1369]

@Rannos22 nobodys perfect

[Rannos22]

Wait, you're drinking bottled water while building an eco friendly home? Am I the only one that sees the hypocrisy/irony here? : /

[filipposmf]

LoL who is the guy with the jockey and the black hair? He is so fuckin hot :P

My sister wrote that :S