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cob building

Sep 14
Love0

Everyone Loves the “Cob Toss”

By Cob Building, Natural Building Workshops
Cob Toss

Angelo starts the “cob toss” at the mixing station

I think one of the highlights for folks participating in our 2014 Cob Building Workshop was the “cob toss”. It involves nothing more than grabbing a pre-formed cob “loaf” and passing it to another builder, where eventually it will end up on the wall or whatever is being built. This is an extremely useful method for transporting the heavy material, especially when the wall is no longer at a height when it can be simply placed on the wall without much movement (on the builder’s part), or when the mixing station cannot be sited immediately adjacent to the wall.

I also love what the cob toss represents…

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Sep 08
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Our Muddy Weekend Kicks Off

By Cob Building, Natural Building Workshops
Making Cob Loaves

Some of our first cob gets the “loaf” treatment for easy transport the bench site

Our 2014 Cob Building Workshop just wrapped up, and as always, I’m sad to see that folks have to go home already, but pleased with the very enjoyable experience we all shared. Our three day class was a great chance to get our hands (and feet) in the mud, mixing up some lovely batches of cob, and building a nice little bench and wall together.

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Aug 26
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How To Check For Clay with a Simple Soil Test

By Clay Plaster, Cob Building

I’ve been very spoiled by the clay soil in northeast Missouri, as it’s always been very easy to find, very rich, and largely free of unwanted particles. The clay in Kentucky is a bit more diverse in its appearance, and it’s not quite as free from particles and other soil components. As expected, it’s got its own personality.

I was reminded of a simple soil test you can do to check for clay content in your potential building soil, and I particularly like this elegant ‘ribbon test’ demonstrated in the video above. It speaks for itself. If you’re interested in making cob or earthen plaster, try this very simple soil test to see how much clay you have in your site soil.

So, what does your clay look like?

Jul 29
Love0

Cob Building Workshop is Just Around the Corner!

By Cob Building, Natural Building Workshops

Dancing In CobJust when I thought things might be quiet for a while, I look at the calendar and take note that we are just a little more than a month away from our Cob Building Workshop. Yow!

Our 3 day Cob Building Workshop takes place from September 5-7 here outside Berea, Kentucky. There are still three spaces remaining, so if you’ve been waiting to register, I suggest you go ahead and do that soon, because the spaces are certain to fill up. You can also save a bit on the registration fee if you register within the week.

I’m personally very excited to get my hands (and feet) back in the mud, at what will no doubt be a beautiful time of year. If you want to get your cobbing on with us, go ahead and register today.

Aug 21
Love6

You Can Build This Cob House For $3000

By Cob Building, Resources

Cob House: Gobcobatron

Curious about how to build
your own natural home?

Check out our Natural Building Workshops outside Berea, KY. We offer courses in cob and straw bale building, timber framing, and more.

When designing my cob house, it was an important goal to keep my building costs very low and to obtain as many building materials as locally as possible. Natural materials were my first priority, and recycled building supplies were preferred over new materials. Few materials were purchased new, and about as few are synthetic.

In this very detailed entry, Recipe for Building a Cob House, you can learn what it took to build my cob house for about $3000 in material costs. You’ll also learn exactly how much cob I made (all by foot!), and specific amounts of material that went into the construction. Read More