A cob home will have a very distinct and unique quality to it that you will not find among conventional homes. Living in a cob house is more than just abiding in a shelter. It includes a unique experience that is both uplifting and healthy.

Here are some concepts and advantages of cob homes to consider:

Cob Home Concepts

Small

Cob homes are known to be small and size efficient. There are many reasons that they are built to “tiny home” standards. Most builders and residents of cob homes understand and appreciate keeping things simple and down to earth. You won’t find cob homes built to mimic the McMansions of conventional, mainstream planning.

Cob homes are also labor intensive to construct and they are often times built by the owners. It is usually more intelligent and efficient to only build to the size of your everyday needs.

Local

Building with cob falls under the umbrella of “Natural Building.” Hence, the need for natural resources which can typically be found in your local area. A cob house can be built from the earth right beneath the building site, and whatever natural resources (sand, gravel, stones, timber, etc) not available on site can usually be sourced locally.

Artistic

People are drawn to cob homes in large part due to their beauty and creative designs. Builders are not limited to ninety degree angles and they can sculpt and mold cob to whatever shape they desire. There is so much room for creativity and flexibility of design when it comes to building with cob. You can freely use your imagination. A cob home could be considered a place of shelter but could also be considered artwork.

Natural

The main ingredients for making cob are: clay, sand, and straw. All “natural” resources. A cob house is not mainly composed of synthetic materials, but is instead built out of natural materials found in nature.

Social

Building a cob home can involve your community and friends to come together in the construction. You do not have to be an expert to help in the building process either. Even children can help build in many instances. Building with cob can be a good social activity and is good for strengthening a community.

High Standards

A house made out of cob is actually a high standard home. Many uninformed people would label a house made out of materials such as mud as a poor living environment like something that would be found in a third-world country. However, this is just not the case. On the contrary, a standard conventionally built home could easily be considered low standard if you think about all of their negative health effects they can have upon their inhabitants.

Cob Home Advantages

Energy Efficient

With a cob house, you will not have to heat your home with nuclear electricity, Persian Gulf oil, or strip mining in Wyoming!

Cob is a “thermal mass” that absorbs sunlight and warms the building over the course of the day. This is called passive solar heating, and it will keep the inside of the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Inexpensive (Mortgage & Debt Free)

The primary materials for cob are: clay, sand, and straw. These are very easily accessible and cheap resources to acquire. Other parts like windows and doors can also be salvaged or purchased as used from restoration depots or dumps.

People have built high quality cob homes for as little as a few thousand dollars. It all really depends on what you want your home to be like. You should never have to take out a loan or go into any kind of debt to construct a nice cob house. If you want to live mortgage and debt free then a cob home is a very good option to consider.

Owner Built

Cob houses can usually be built by the owner. You don’t need a degree in architecture or to be a structural engineer to build a cob home. Many people build their own homes after taking a one week long cob building workshop.

It is very rewarding to be able to build your home with your own two hands.

Healthy

Unlike conventional homes which are constructed with synthetic, industrial-formed materials, cob homes are built almost entirely out of natural, clean materials.

Industrial homes are full of indoor air pollutants and off-gassing of chemicals contained in the building materials. Cob homes do not have this problem. In fact, cob actually “breathes” through its tiny pores and keeps air fresh and clear. If you suffer from indoor allergies then living in a cob house could significantly improve your quality of life by eliminating the toxins that may cause them.

Strong

The straw, which is part of the cob mix, acts like a natural re-bar to hold the whole structure together as one monolithic piece. This makes cob homes extremely solid and resistant to earthquakes. Many cob homes have lasted for hundreds of years with minimal upkeep, whereas wooden structures generally survive only a few generations.

Build a cob home for your family and it will last for many many generations to come.

Acoustic Privacy

Earthen walls have very good sound-absorbing properties that keep it quiet inside, both from exterior noises and noise generated in the same building.

Termite Proof

Since cob is a mixture of soil, aggregate sand, and straw it is not attractive to termites. To add to that, cob homes have not been known to become burrowing grounds for insects or animals either.

Fire Proof

Cob does not catch fire. However, still be aware of your ceiling or roof as it might not be flame resistant like the body of the cob home.

This Cob House

Since the time that I purchased Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter, I have shown it to quite a few people and as soon as they pick it up they get really excited at all the amazing tiny homes pictured in the book.

There is something really special and inspiring about this book. I also own Lloyd Kahn’s previous book called “Homework: Handbuilt Shelter”, and it too is amazing but for some reason I feel a stronger draw to this “Tiny Homes” book.

Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter by Lloyd Kahn is Outstanding!

For me, this book offers a glimpse at what I’m trying to accomplish with my work. It gives me hope, inspiration, motivation, and new ideas to accomplish my goals. Not only does it provide me with wisdom on building, but it shows me more ways that I can live the type of life that I want. It is like taking one more step toward reaching my goal of freedom and a debt free lifestyle.

This book is packed full with more than a thousand vibrant color photos all displaying the awesome craftsmanship of all different types of tiny homes.

There are tiny homes:

• on foundations
• on wheels
• on the water
• designed and built by architects
• designed and built by regular do-it-yourselfers
• prefabs and kits
• built with earthy materials (cob, straw bale, adobe, etc.)
• treehouses
• and more…

Scaling Back in the 21^st Century

Each home has a story attached to it and tells the story of the builder and how they constructed their tiny home. I respect these builders a lot for not being afraid to take risks in order to create their own lifestyle. Through their hard work and outside-the-box thinking they have significantly improved their lives and freed themselves from a mortgage and mindless lifestyle grind.

Apart from all the great photos and stories from the builders, there are some interesting articles to read too. I enjoyed the one on downsizing and minimizing your lifestyle for added happiness, and the advice on the planning process when you have to go through the bureaucratic system in order to build.

This book is not a “how to” guide or do-it-yourself instruction book, but it will teach you how to think for yourself! You’ll have to buy some other books for specifics on how to build the structures pictured in Tiny Homes. This book is full of thought though. You will get a ton of new ideas by reading and looking through it. It may help you decide what type of home is best suited for you and your situation.

This is a book you will keep coming back to. You can’t ever really finish with this book. You might want to put it on your coffee table to just gaze at each morning.

If you’re a rugged individualist like me and want to build a small and efficient home then this is a must have book! Or if you just enjoy looking at creative homes then you must get this book! It is beautiful, inspiring, and is full of valuable resources. I highly recommend getting Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.

This Cob House

When people first learn about building homes and structures out of cob they get really excited and their imaginations go wild with creative ideas and all the possibilities that the material offers for creating things.

Then at some point in our excitement we get a rude awakening to the thought of how we might actually go about building a cob building in our bureaucratic, twisted society. We tend to worry about how we’ll make it past all the laws, regulations, and building codes required to build according to our own imaginations. Not to mention the expensive inspections!

In the United States, we follow the International Building Code. This is supposed to be here to safeguard us from dangerous and risky construction methods. While it’s not totally useless and offers some true benefits, it is narrow minded in its scope and hinders creative ideas and innovation. David Eisenberg further explains and expands on the narrow minded thought patterns of building officials and how following the IBC can actually backfire on our safety.

The fact is that our current scale system is flawed, behind the microscopic codes money has become the ultimate measure for everything. Innovation is constrained by currencies and not lives.

According to the International Code Council (ICC), the purpose of the International Building Code is to “safeguard public health, safety and general welfare… from hazards attributed to the built environment.”

But take it for what you will. As Cob Builders and Natural Builders we have to take the Orwellian-like system into account at some point. It might seem daunting to face but there is actually hope!

Cob Building Codes and How to Get a Permit to Build

It is not specified in the building code whether or not building with cob is illegal or not. For many people, they have first been required to get a permit to build with cob. They have had to hire an engineer to help develop their building plans. Once cob designs are approved by a “licensed design professional”, the building department will usually give you approval and permit you to build. Just be ready to fork over some mad cash in the process!

What Other Options Do I Have? Easier Ones Please…

I asked Mike McDonough, an experienced Cob Builder who apprenticed with the Cob Cottage Company, what his thoughts were on cob building codes and regulations. Here’s what he said in a nutshell:

There are no codes for cob in the US, there may be in places like England, I’m not sure. There is a code for adobe in New Mexico, and strawbale in California, although these are clearly different systems. Most codes in the US follow the International Building Code (IBC). Each state has their slight variation of it, as do counties and major cities. However, because there is no code for cob doesn’t mean that it can’t be built with legally. It really comes down to the people in the local building department, how they interpret the code, and doing what it takes to satisfy their concerns with an unfamiliar material. This can mean having the building engineered or stamped by an architect, which removes the building department’s liability in case of failure.

Here’s the real kicker!

There are cases in which you don’t need to get a permit for a building at all, and can just build what you want to. This is common in rural counties (except in the northeast, California, probably other places as well), and for buildings under a certain size footprint, usually 12×12 (if it has no utilities).

So in some cases you do not even need a permit and are free to build as you please. I have personally never had any interest in building cob structures in a city or suburban area. I only want to build out in the rural countryside. That’s just my preference, but if you share that feeling then you have much less to worry about.

Otherwise there are permit exemptions if you build: under a certain size, for agriculture or storage use, or build in a rural area that does not require a permit.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Don’t let the thought of codes and regulations get you down. Keep pushing the boundaries and creating and innovate. Some people might look at us as crazy for what we do, but we’re on the cutting edge here. It’s to be expected.

The future of building belongs to us. We need to keep networking and educating people on the advantages of natural building methods like cob. Sooner or later, more people will wake up to the reasons why we use the methods of building that we do.

As people realize the need, we could get building codes enacted for cob and not have to worry about this issue anymore.

I want to hear from you as well. What has been your experience with cob building codes and getting permits?

This Cob House

Farming of the Future – Sustainable, Organic, Mini Farms

If you told most traditional farmers that you could produce one million pounds of fresh, organic food on just 3 acres of land they would probably not believe it.

With more limited space these days, people are developing new methods of farming that don’t require hundreds of acres of land to produce a substantial amount of crops and food.

Greenhouse utilization, vertical farming, hydroponics, and composting techniques are some of the ways that people are able to use their small plots of land so efficiently.

Health Freedom – Produce your own food

It’s important that people have a real source of food and not have to depend on supermarkets and multinational corporations like Monsanto to grow their food for them. They do not produce food for your benefit. You need to be eating 100% organic, unprocessed foods to truly be healthy and free.

This organization called Growing Power is producing 1 million pounds of organic food on only 3 acres every year.

How are they doing this?

• By producing 10,000 fish
• Using 300 to 500 yards of worm compost
• By utilizing vertical space
• Having 3 acres of land in green houses
• Using 1 simple aquaponic pump
• Food is grown all year by using heat from the compost piles

Their greenhouse produces a crop value of $5 Square Foot! ($200,000/acre).

Check out this video and then go read the full article, Part 1 and Part 2.

This Cob House

Today I wrapped up the cob oven project at Lookout Mountain with a final layer of lime plastering.

It’s been really cold here in the nights and mornings, which hasn’t been good conditions for plastering with lime, but we made it work in the end.

I’m just glad that it’s finished successfully. Now we can start baking pizzas!

Here’s a video I made showing the building process from day one up until today. I hope you enjoy.

This Cob House

This is my “Roaring Lion” model for a Cob Oven I’m planning to build. Inside the mouth cavity is the fire oven which will burn bright and hot! I might make the nostrils as the exit for the chimney too so smoke comes out of them.

I made it out of Sculpey modeling clay.

This Cob House

I made this model out of modeling clay according to one of my Cob House designs. I still need to design and add the roof.

I made it according to the scale of 1 inch = 2 feet. It’s a good size home with central living area (can include a wood burning stove), kitchen, bedroom, and office.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask me.

This Cob House