Cob home is structure-made from a material called cob. It is one of the oldest methods of building low cost homes. The principal construction materials are all environmental-friendly and organic which makes it a good thing in common with rammed-earth homes or adobes. A cob house is basically made from a mixture of clay, sand and straw. These materials provide a lower cost of construction and a reasonable amount of all-natural insulation.
Before deciding building a cob house, make sure that your city, neighborhood association allows you to have a house built with all these mentioned natural materials.
Learn the basic steps below on how to build a cob home and then you are ready to build yours.
Things that you need:
- Cob bricks
- Gravel
- Rubble
- Rocks
Method:
- Choose the right site where you will construct your cob home. Consider elements like natural shade and window positioning to reduce your cost of heating and air condition installation. Make sure to choose a site that will provide your cob house with natural storm drainage.
- A cob house does not require detailed blueprints as a normal home. You should have a clear idea of how many rooms you will need and how you plan to connect them.
- Don\’t even think about having the walls to be straight and the corners to be right. Most cob homes have rounded walls which are one of their unique structural features. You will speed up the construction process, save more money and you will have a great structural integrity by building rounded rooms.
- Build a strong foundation for your cob home\’s wall. Dig a trench along the areas in which you plan to build the walls. Stack gravel, rubble and rocks at a depth of several feet. This will provide you with a sturdy base for the cob\’s walls.
- Make sure to leave the foundation\’s surface jagged, as a smooth or sloping rock surface will only allow the cob to slide easily and all your efforts will go to waste.
- Do test bricks with your cob. Check for cracks in the brick\’s surface as this can indicate that the cob contains too much clay in it. Leave the brick edges rough so that they will have plenty of chances to mold against each other.
- Build your home\’s walls using good quality cob bricks. To avoid the edges of the bricks forming neat lines, stagger the bricks.
- To finish this project, add a roof and floor to complete your cob home.
Finally, contact a reliable contractor to install electrical and plumbing systems for your cob home. Have fun enjoying your cob house.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2153896_build-cob-home.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbflickr/1206239062/
