How can I make a cob house ?
If you like to spend some time on a fun and eco-friendly project, you can build a cottage or a cob house. Cob is a combination of straw and mud that is not usually formed into bricks. Mostly, a cob contains more straw so it commonly comes in large globs. Cob houses produce natural heat so it is very efficient for heating, making it cost effective.
In making a cob house, you must first outline an accurate floor plan. Grade the soil on your desired location, so that water runs away from the cob house. Remember to save all the soil when you grade, you can use it in making the cob. Mix the straw and soil to create your cob and make sure that you have more straw than dirt.
Slowly build up each wall, give it enough time to dry before you add a new level. It is recommended to add not more than a foot of new cob each day. You might need to build your cob house much slower if you are in a wet climate.
After you finished the walls on your cob house, you can hire a professional contractor to help you in building the roof and to assist you with important things such as the electrical, plumbing and window installation. Cob houses decay if they are continuously drenched in water; it is better to have a roof with wide eaves if you have a rainy climate.
You can have a lot of fun building your cob house. You can invite some of your friends to give you a hand in the wall construction and you can definitely encourage their inputs for additional designs and ideas for your cob house.
