My interest in carpentry and building probably began in the womb, since my father is the ultimate handyman. When I was growing up, he helped me design, construct and build beds for my American Girl Dolls. But it wasn’t until my senior year of high school, when I won my own toolkit in a raffle, that I was ready to try constructing things on my own. Most of what I do these days is probably what most of us do: nailing picture hangers into the wall, drilling holes, screwing towel rods onto the bathroom door. But small home maintenance projects do not fulfill my secret desire to build my own house. I wasn’t sure that my skills would ever be up to such an ambitious project, especially since there are some basic tools that I am afraid to use. That was before I heard about cob. The basic concept of building with cob is molding a mixture of dirt, water and straw into a house or other building. This is a gross oversimplification, I’m sure, but it still doesn’t sound too hard. One of the coolest things about cob buildings, besides their environmental friendliness, is that they do not have to have right angles. Check out the ultimate hobbit-style low impact home and start dreaming your own cob dreams. Want to try it yourself? Check out “The Cob Builder’s Handbook: You Can Hand-Sculpt Your Own Home” by Becky Bee. Have you tried to build with cob? Send me your story.
Previous Comments
I’ve never heard of cob. Go figure. 😉
#115221 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Oct 25 2007
I feel like I may have seen something like this on HGTV. The process sounds a lot like adobe. The house in the picture has a storybook feel to it, which is cute.
#115222 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: Oct 26 2007
Kelly, I thought you might be interested in Flying Concrete Structures. They’re beautiful along the lines of Gaudi and as eco-friendly as you want them to be. http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/
#115223 | Author: katbird | Date: Oct 31 2007
This work with the chrysanthymum (sp?) leaf is why I first fell in love with this technique. http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/New/tim07.htm
#115224 | Author: katbird | Date: Oct 31 2007
Those are beautiful! Who knew that concrete could be so attractive?
#115225 | Author: Kelly Smith | Date: Nov 5 2007
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.