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Mar 12
Love0

Flue pipe for making a rocket stove

By Rocket Stove

I recently bought some flue pipe for the construction of my rocket stove and heated cob bed. I purchased it from a local hardware store, and I was very happy to learn that there is 60″ lengths of flue pipe for sale for roughly $11 each. Compared to the more common 24″ lengths, which are something like $6 a piece, the 60″ pipe is a bargain.

Since I will need over twenty feet of pipe in my cob bed, the longer pieces make much more sense to use. If you are planning to build a heated bench or bed, make sure to find some 60″ length flue pipe.

In the next week, I hope to get some firebricks from our neighbors at Sandhill Farm so that I can begin to build the actual stove.

Mar 10
Love0

How to find reclaimed lumber and recycled building materials

By Resources

Even though load-bearing cob houses may not feature a lot of lumber in their construction, you will still need some wood and other materials for your building project. Windows, doors, bricks, and lumber can often be acquired for free from old homes if you are willing to carefully deconstruct them.

Check out this post I wrote about building with reclaimed lumber and recycled materials. Much of the work in getting free building supplies is talking to the right people.

Mar 04
Love0

Gearing up for building season

By Uncategorized

It feels like building season is almost upon us. There’s a hint of spring warmth in the air, and I get antsier with each passing day as I think about the prospect of finishing my humble abode. I have a building sequence of events that I’ve been thinking about today.

Other than finishing the living roof (I won’t load the topsoil until the spring rains have largely passed, so I’m not in an immediate rush to finish the other roof work that remains), there is a fair bit of interior work to be done.

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Jan 17
Love0

An icy cob house interior

By Moisture

I recently got back from traveling. I have been away for six weeks, so I have not been able to closely monitor the condition of my cob house throughout this very cold Missouri winter.

The night I returned, I went to check out the interior of my house with a flashlight. The outside temperature was something like 1°F or less, and lower with the wind chill. Almost the entire interior of the house was glistening with an icy sheen – the walls, and ceiling all had a light coat of ice. It actually looked quite beautiful but it made me a little concerned. I’m not sure if it’s the result of moisture that is still locked in the house, or from condensation, or what. There is some light mold in some spots, too.

Should I be worried? I’m not sure. Is it enough moisture to cause a problem? I wish I knew. If anyone has had a similar experience, I’d love to hear more.

Dec 06
Love0

Subscribe to The Year of Mud blog via email

By Uncategorized

You can now subscribe to The Year of Mud via email. Please note the signup form in the right column.

You no longer have to visit the site to find out if there are new updates; instead, you can receive all the latest news and reports in your email inbox.

Please try it out! Let me know if there are any problems!

Thanks for reading.

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Nov 26
Love0

How to Build a Reciprocal Roof Frame

By Resources, Reciprocal Roof
reciprocal roof frame

A freshly assembled reciprocal roof frame

This is a long-delayed post about building my reciprocal roof frame. This entry documents the details of building my reciprocal roof frame, including the type of wood I used, the number of rafters, and the work process itself. I hope that this will be useful for individuals who want to attempt building a similar frame. With the general lack of information about reciprocal roof construction on the internet, I hope this will become a primary resource. Here we go…

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