Off-grid homes are on the rise, and among them, cob is king. A cob home is cheap, functional, and simple to construct. For a survivalist on a budget, this home is ideal for him to make. Learn how below.
What is Cob House Construction?
Cob house construction is an ancient building technique using lumps of earth mixed with sand, straw, and water. Cob structures can be used as homes, chicken coops, barns, and even smaller ones for ovens.
Preparing to Build With Cob
Check with local government
First, you need to check with your municipality to see if it’s possible to build with cob. Some communities don’t allow “off grid” homes, which originally meant off of the electrical grid. Now in some areas it refers to any non-traditional structure.
Choose land and draw up plans
You’ll need a plot of land with a relatively flat spot for the home, if that’s what you are going to build. Once a spot is chosen, plans for the structure will need to be drawn up.
Prep the building site
Compress the land using a roller device, and make sure you don’t have soft areas that can sink in later. Once the building site is compressed, cover the area with a layer of sand. This will fill any areas that might be uneven and provide a nice flat surface.
Foundations First
With cob construction, a poured concrete foundation can be used or you can form a cob floor. Another great thing about cob is that it’s very durable once dried. It can be walked on repeatedly without damage.
Mixing the Cob
With the foundation down, it’s time to start mixing cob for your walls. On a large tarp, dump about 2 parts clay to 1 part sand. Wet this down a little and stomp on it. Once it’s all mixed, add a thin layer of straw, using the longest pieces. Work it in and add some more. If you roll the tarp around, the mix shouldn’t stick when it’s ready. Add more straw until it forms a ball that doesn’t flatten out when dropped.
Building the Walls
Once the cob is mixed, walls can be formed. Form lumps with the cob and add a handful at a time, smoothing it out as you go.
If you are incorporating electricity, lay out metal conduit where you want it and work it into the walls as you go. The same can be done with plumbing.
Windows and Doors
You’ll want to form your doorway with a door frame. Build the cob around it to secure. You can sink 2x4s right into the cob.
For windows, sink a 2×4 (or whatever you are using) into the cob and build around the window frame. You can use prehung doors and windows or make your own.
Finishing Touches
When you get to the top of each wall, you can form a roof with wooden logs, poles, or beams. Then you can devise a tin roof, tarp, mud, or even solar panels. The choice is up to you. When it’s all done, you can paint the outside and inside if you like.
If the traditional plan of scrimping and saving for your entire life to finally pay off that crippling mortgage only to die a decade later isn’t really for you, maybe you should consider this cheap and highly customizable option.
What’s best about this is you can make your home into any shape you desire; you aren’t limited by the straight lines of wood and drywall. But if you want straight lines, go for it. If you know what you’re doing, you can make a cob house look like any other modern home, at a fraction of the price.
There is a wealth of information on this fascinating topic. To learn more, you can peruse the rest of this article at DIY Natural.
Featured Image via Wikipedia
Virginia Torres
Gunnar Sporrong
Eric Berry
I want one but I live on flat land
Philip Humerick
Daniel Cole
I like it, but was also wondering where the water went when it rained.
So cool! A projekt for next summar?
Dig. Plot it out. Dig it up. Be mindful of rainfall. Cover the area in front that isn’t covered in the picture. You don’t want water gathering there, ideep inside, making your floor turn to mud.
Sloane Devens this is cool
Cob is one of the first things I got to play with in a construction at the Earthship Academy! That’s the base layer we put around the tire walls! You may be interested in the Simple Survival App that Mike Reynolds put out for $9.99 that has the entire construction package of blue prints and floor plans…normal construction plans cost thousands of dollars because of the detail, he just wants more people to have access to better living!!
It’s ridiculous we call this a free country but has many laws forbidding people to live in a home like this because they can’t make money off it.
Jeremy
Tammy Ayers
A basic necessity. This is on the agenda.
Lukas Fanders
C.A. Harkins
what happens if it rains too much? mud wrestling?
Mini trenches inside and out to prevent flooding easy
Brad Twigg
In the picture it is not a cob house.
Brian Soles
I want one♠️
Mat Jahnke
Isn’t this house in the picture made out of wood? How is that a cob house?
Where am I supposed to poop?
In a liberal’s mouth.
That’s nice& dandy but what happens when it rains big time & it folds ?
Awesome
Was article on CNN on monolithic domes one time. (Reinforced concrete single pour) and picture was of wood frame geo dome
Don Fink I could see one of these at the ranch
Awesome. !
This article doesn’t even tell you how to build one, lame!
i think its just to open your eyes about the type of house
ive always wanteted to build one