The rubble trench for the kitchen has been completely dug and filled with gravel, thankfully in time before it’s gotten to be too cold.
The past few weeks have been the first real test for my rocket stove with outdoor temperatures dipping below freezing at nights, and daytime temperatures in the 30s-40s. (This week has below freezing daytimes, with wind chills in the negatives – but I am with family in NJ and April is at home tending the stove, so I keep hoping that it works well for her…) I have been firing the stove fairly regularly, and I’ve learned a good deal about its performance – or unfortunate lack of, at crucial times!
I had been wanting a table for the cob bench in my house, and I realized that those large cable spools would probably fit in the house, if I could finally find one. Well, I did get one, and it fits perfectly! These cable spools make pretty nifty (and free!) tables if you can find ’em.
I did not do anything to finish the table or clean it up – I kinda like it how it is, although the flattened nails on the surface are less than ideal. It could probably use some sanding, too, but it’s not bad. It’s pretty burly, and as you can see it’s been quickly filled up with lots of house flotsam. It makes a pretty swell dining table, too. I like it!
A month ago, I mentioned the new building project I am working on: a community kitchen and social space. I have created a new website, The House That Millet Built, to document the construction of the building.
This new kitchen will feature hybrid walls (probably featuring some cob, or balecob?), an urbanite foundation, a roundwood post and beam frame, and hopefully, a hand-split shake roof. It will be electricity-free. This new building project presents a lot of new exciting learning opportunities.
Anyway, if you have enjoyed any of the documentation process here at The Year of Mud, I hope you will follow along on The House That Millet Built as construction continues! Look for more updates soon.
Beginning last year and continuing into this year, I maintained The Year of Mud website to document my first cob building experience. I have received lots of great feedback from readers throughout that continuing process. The documentation process has been very rewarding, and I hope that The Year of Mud continues to be a valuable resource on the web for those interested in cob building.
Now that I am building a shared kitchen with four friends and community mates, I have yet another opportunity to share new building experiences, techniques, and stories. The House That Millet Built will be the website for sharing this new building adventure.
It is safe to say that you can expect the same kind of documentation that I have shared on The Year of Mud. If you have any interested in natural building, especially cob, please follow along as we build our new community kitchen! This is going to be an exciting process.
Linda Smiley’s beautiful cob home
After the Natural Building Colloquium in Eagle Point, Oregon, I traveled with Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley to their home in Coquille, OR: Cob Cottage Company.
For those unawares, Ianto and Linda are two very influential cob building pioneers in North America, and authors of The Hand-Sculpted House, the number one go-to book for cob construction. They have been a huge inspiration for me during my house design process, and reading their book sealed the deal for building my home out of cob. Ianto and Linda have many years of experience building with mud. It was an honor to be able to meet them and spend several nights at their place. It was a great experience, and I took plenty of photos to share here on my own website.
Here’s a selection of cob building photos from the start to finish of building my house, assembled into a slideshow. Enjoy!
The Natural Building Colloquium is an annual gathering for natural builders to share their work and experiences, and to create a stronger network between builders. The 2009 event at the beautiful Camp Latgawa in Oregon was my first one, and I was very happy to have the chance to attend.
I just got back from a three week stint in Oregon and Berkeley, CA. Along the way I went to the Cob Cottage Company and Aprovehco. Expect some photos and writing… soonish. Here’s a photo of Bedrock, a little cabin at the Cob Cottage Company, for now.
Crappy weather the past week – clouds and rain and minimal amounts of sunshine make for dreary days and little electricity in the Common House, hence a total lack of updates this week, even though there is news to tell.
Today I am headed out to Oregon for the annual Natural Building Colloquium, a regular gathering of natural builders. I’ve never been to one before and I’m greatly looking forward to it. I’ll be in OR for at least a week, if not more, because I’m hoping to meet up with folks and do some traveling around the area, perhaps touring all of the great cob and natural building happenings in the state.
We’ll see what happens. But don’t expect any updates for a while! Off I go…
About The Year of Mud
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
