COB

Cob is a very old method of building with earth and straw or other fibers. It is quite similar to adobe in that the basic mix of clay and sand is the same, but it usually has a higher percentage of long straw fibers mixed in. Instead of creating uniform blocks to build with, cob is normally applied by hand in large gobs (or cobs) which can be tossed from one person to another during the building process. The traditional way of mixing the clay/sand/straw is with the bare feet; for this reason, it is fairly labor intensive. Some of the process can be mechanized by using a backhoe to do the mixing, but that diminishes the organic nature of it. Because of all the straw, cob can be slightly more insulating than adobe, but it still would not make a very comfortable house in a climate of extreme temperatures. The wonderful thing about cob construction is that it can be a wildly freeform, sculptural affair. I've seen some very charming homes made this way. Cob was a common building material in England in the nineteenth century, and many of those buildings are still standing.

And so it goes.  I helped to build a home on Salt Spring Island at the end of July.  The process was beautiful, the other builders were beautiful and the end result will be spectacular.  Everyone working for the same result - earth friendly living experience.  Getting together with 25 other women to build a house was a really powerful experience.  It is amazing that an experience that should be central in all of our lives, turns out to be just so fantastically different then our current city living experiences.  To pick food off the land, rely on rain water, share your space with food producing animals, build your house with your own hands - all of it is very empowering. 

I am working on creating a video of the experience and the process of cob building.  There are a few ways to participate, but check out the MUDGIRLS.

THIS IS MOLLY.  We built her house on Salt Spring Island.  She is very knowledgeable in natural building processes and had a ferocious spirit that is very inspiring.

The whole group of Mudgirls building at the end of July.

This is me Cobbing.  We were covered in Mud all week. It felt great.

This is as far as we got on the cob house by the end of 6 days.  This type of building takes a lot of labour but you are left with a very organic building - well worth the work. 

If you would like more details or to see more pictures, please send me an email - I have many more.