Table of Contents
Is it easy to build a cob house?
Cob house construction is an ancient building technique mixing lumps of earth with sand, straw, and water. You can utilize these structures for homes, chicken coops, barns, and more. Cob building is easy to learn, requires no special equipment, and uses sustainable materials.
How long do cob houses last?
How long does cob last? The oldest cob house currently standing is 10,00 years old. If this doesn’t speak to how strong and durable cob houses are, then nothing will. Cob houses are built to stand forever as long as their roofs are maintained, and they are properly looked after.
How long does it take to build a cob home?
Cob building lends itself to incorporating salvaged and eclectic building materials. This ìhobbit houseî in Wales was built in four months and cost about $4,600 in building materials.
What kind of clay is used for cob?
A: Almost any sort of clay can be used for making cob. Non-expansive clays are best, including those generally sold as “fire clay” and “mortar clay.” Lincoln clays are ideal – very sticky but not highly expansive.
What are cob house roofs made of?
Traditionally, most cob buildings in the UK were covered with a roof of thatch attached to a timber frame. This was because most cob cottages were constructed and lived in by the rural workforce, who had at hand the waste straw or wheat reed that remained after the harvesting of the grain.
What is gable roof type?
Gabled roofs are the kind young children typically draw. They have two sloping sides that come together at a ridge, creating end walls with a triangular extension, called a gable, at the top.
How thick should cob walls be?
The walls of a cob house are generally about 24 inches (61 cm) thick, and windows were correspondingly deep-set, giving the homes a characteristic internal appearance. The thick walls provided excellent thermal mass which was easy to keep warm in winter and cool in summer.
How big can you build a cob house?
A: There is no inherent size limitation on cob or any other building system that I know of. If you look in the literature you will find cob mansions in England and cob towers in South Yemen nine stories high! That being said, cob walls can take a lot of work to build, as do most other natural building techniques.
Do you need planning permission for a cob house?
As with all builds, it is necessary to get planning permission and satisfy Building Regulations. While this may be complicated there is no reason why you should fall short of meeting the Building Regulations, but obtaining planning permission will depend on the outlook of your local planning office.
Do cob houses need foundation?
To build a cob house you will essentially need three main components: foundation, walls, and a roof. A hybrid cob home is basically any home that is partially constructed out of cob and partially constructed out of another material.
Do cob houses burn?
The clay in the cob helps to take the moisture out of the room if humidity is too high, conversely it provides moisture if air is too dry. Fire-Proof: Earth does not burn. Cob is long lasting, durable and easy to repair: Earthen homes can literally last for thousands of years with proper maintenance.
How much does it cost to build cob house?
A decent cob house can be built for anything ranging around $4,000 – $10,000. However the cost can vary depending on the climatic condition, location and the size of the house. The basic cost, however, may lie somewhere around $2000 – $5000.
Are cob houses safe?
Since soil is used as the base material for the building it is almost completely fireproof and termite-proof. This makes cob house one of the safest DIY homes that one can go for.
Can you make cob with any soil?
The best cob is made by having a range of individual particle sizes, from fist-sized stone to gravel (minus to grit) and sand to fine silts that are found naturally in the clay. Like a good mortar mix, the more sharp and angular the particles are, the better the results will be.
Can pine needles be used in cob?
Cob is a type of earth building technique that uses a mixture of earth and a fibrous organic material (typically straw, but in this case pine needles) that adds tensile strength. The mixture of earth, water and pine needles used for adobe bricks is similar to the one used for cob, but the end result is very different.
Does cob wash away?
Why doesn’t it wash away in the rain? Cob is very resistant to weathering. Because of its porous nature, it withstands long periods of rain without weakening. However, too much exposure is best avoided by the “boots and cap” strategy: wide roof eaves to protect the walls and an impervious foundation.
How do you mix Cobb?
An easy way to mix cob is using a 6’x8′ tarp and 4 volunteers per tarp. You can use the tarp, with two people on each side, to mix the material back and forth while adding water. Make sure volunteers walk backwards and pull on tarp rather than pushing.
How much does it cost to build a cob house UK?
It will depend on site accessibility and how much adjustment is required to the onsite sub-soil, but usually the cost of the cob itself, including labour and materials, will be no more than £300 per cubic meter. In practice, this means between £25,000 and £40,000 for a typical three bedroomed house.
