I'm writing two papers on ecological sustainability and grassroots level green living, I was wondering if I could contact you over email and ask some questions about your work to use for my papers. To be more specific, I was going to use Cob on Wood as an example of the ability of law enforcement to act while they fail to stop large scale businesses still operating in Oakland without permits, as well as a community recycling trash materials and living with an extremely minor pollution footprint.
Id love to know how this project is going now 3years on. I would love to get involved in a project like this. Ive built my own place in spain but this is so so cool to share and help thw community . Sadly where i come drom in thw ik thw homeless problem is huge but thw planning laws prohibit inovation like this.
thanks for your comment. so we did not get any permission from any government agencies to do this we just did it. we had to get forklifts to lift them up and bring them to another site so they wouldn't be demolished they had to be moved again a second time and are now in a secure location yes it would be great to have projects like this to help house folks
I look forward to the day I can build one, or two or more of these cob huts, they are amazing, beautiful, sustainable, cosy, affordable...I could go on! Your method kind of reminds me of a technique I used many years ago to build outside seating on a veranda in Jamaica. I'm already planning out a design. Thank you miguel...love, love, love your work; one day I may just connect with you to come and give us a helping hand. 😊💜...
Right, Hi Nick. I have built over 20 of these cobins now the same way without any issues....So, The way I build them is that I set my uprights in Concrete 2 feet deep in the ground, so that would be my foundation. In between the uprights, I put down some base rock that is tamped down and then a 2 X6 board over that, and then put my pallet on top of that. I then put stones over the pallets so the cob stops about 8 inches from the ground. I also have a nice roof overhang which helps to keep water away from the structure. One of the benefits of building with the pallets, is that you don't need a rubble trench foundation as you would with a solid cob structure, because all the weight of the roof is resting on top of the uprights, and the pallets are basically infill which are not load bearing.
@@cobalot9 thanks for the clarification. My other question is about sourcing pallets that have not been treated. I'm curious if there's an easy way to distinct between treated pallets and plain ones? Thanks
Monsieur "Cobalot", would you please send me the Amazon link for the correct 50# bag of the lime used to make lime putty for a cob house? I'm so confused about the different lime they offer, in 50 pound bags, for the most reasonable price... that will make lime putty! I need your expertise... and I'm on a very tight budget! Thank you for any suggestions you can make from lime on Amazon!
Yes this would be suitable in the northern states. You can try to double up the pallets but that would make framing in the windows and doors way more complicated. Even if you double up the pallets you will probably still need some sort of heat source side.
Miguel I'm going to do this lime plaster over my cob exterior. I know you don't normally put straw in it, but would there be any reason to NOT put some fine chopped straw in the lime plaster mixture? It's be nice to get that beautiful straw look in the finish.
Yeah you can add straw I suppose I never have though for my line plasters never seen the need for it seems like the straw would just kind of get in the way and make it harder to trowel smooth but go ahead and give it a try and see what you think.
7:33 u skipped a step - how to put the wooden poles in the ground. Also, you forgot waterproofing for them- wood no matter how treated, should never touch the ground!
Right, ok, So, to put the post in the ground I first get copper green and paint that on the bottom two feet of the wood. I then make a 2 ft deep hole in the ground and set the post in there and then fill them with concrete. That's what I do You put the post in the ground. If you don't want to use copper green or pressure treated wood you can also put your 4x4 uprights on Pier blocks and that works as well. I have done this for over 20 years and I've never had any of my 4x4 posts in the ground rot
It would be nice to incorporate a lanai between the two structures and perhaps a shade/rain roof over the shipping container that could also cover the lanai. Just an idea.
The Pallets are heat treated which keeps the termites out. I add some ocean salt water into the Cob which also keeps out termites, as well as the exterior lime plaster
Curious question from someone considering cob. Is there a reason nobody is using hair as an insulation? I know it may sound odd but it's a resource that can be gathered 🤔
yes sure, if you have access to that much hair then sure, you can use that. It may be hard to pack between the pallets though. I've used chopped hair in my finish plasters before
I hate this clickbate intenstionally blerry of the video in the beginning I see lots of RU-vidrs using it. It's courses lot of confusion weather my phone, internet is having issues.
Yes this is going to be a mobile structure that can pick up and be put on a trailer so it needs to be square. If it was stationary I would definitely make it round
Blessings to the lovely people on Maui constructing community. Would anyone here know how the pallets are being fastened to the 4x4 posts? The angled posts (in an octagon) will not be square to the pallet ends. Yet in many of the videos I'm seeing on this channel; looks flush. Thank you ❤
Yes the pallets are screwed to the 4x4 uprights where the pallet touches the 4x4. The angled gap on the outside can get filled in with a strip of wood to fill in the gap, or it can just get filled with Cob ..
@@cobalot9 i mostly don't need any .. sometimes, when the straw might be stiff and cutty, yes, but i have mostly gloves which fits the situation .. thank you for making me participating
I am very interested in making something like this. I have been trying to figure out a solution to all of the stuff that we are wasting in America as the price of everything by just continues to go up. I used to work as a garbage man, and the amount of stuff that goes to the dump and winds up in the landfills just makes me sick. Especially when ALOT of it COULD be used for different purposes like you used toward the end of this video and used the plastic to insulate your little cabin. I really want to try that out here in PA. I have a bunch of plastic saved, and actually have some pallets saved as well. The area that I live has ALOT of clay in the ground. And there are fields of grass that could be used for straw. One of The issues that I am running into which has hindered me from starting to build is: sand. It is hard for me to come up with sand in my location to make the cob mixture without spending money on bringing it in from somewhere. I guess my question is: are there any other things that could be used instead of sand? I thought about collecting a bunch of broken glass and glass bottles and crushing them into a similar consistency as sand, and trying to use that, but I am not sure how well it would hold up? I am also wondering if the ashes from burning wood would be able to be used in building materials? Since I was a kid, I always dreamed of building a cement skatepark, and I feel like that dream is just so expensive these days, and yet finding out about this cob building stuff really makes me wonder if a skatepark could be built and hold up if built with cob? If so, I have a ton of ideas on things to build to make this area a nicer place to be without it costing a fortune, I just need to know how to actually do it. I’d like to think a million steps in advance BEFORE ever laying one brick, so that once I do start to build, things will actually run smoothly and go according to plan. I have learned from hard experience that doing something without a plan is a sure fire way for things to wind up not going according to plan (on account of not having a solid plan in the first place! Lol) Honestly, I want to do Like it says in the Bible and “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Anyway, thanks for reading my message. And thanks for making this video and doing what you do. It is very inspiring. 🙏
Just beginning yhis video, so excited. I'm 29 and setting this as a life goal of mine. I want to build beautiful little homes on a property so that people can come and have a relaxing retreat/ vacation.. thank you for this insight!
for the thousandth time strength to everyone on Maui and many thanks to you for the wonderful work. I really appreciate what you do. it looks really beautiful :) I hope that someday I can also make these here on the other side of the ball in the north.
That is the perfect place to build those! So incredible you are showing locals how they can do that!! You are amazing. Still looking forward to building mine in North Arizona.
Thanks for the amazing informational videos and building techniques. If I live in an area that can get high wind at times, would you recommend posts in ground over pier and beam? Pier and beam is preferred but I don’t want it blowing away one day. Thanks for your help!
I must ask about having chicken wire or some kind of mesh over the pallet boards to keep the cob on the boards.? The nature of wood drys and swells which would crack the cob
You should never wet cob while it's still getting dry, once it settles down it should be fine. And later you can oil it or in cob mix add starch and neem oil.
Your the first person to convince me this is the way. I've watched every video known to man on the subject of alternative construction. I even went to MDI and took their week corse. Every method has its purpose, but when applying strictly to building an abode, this is the way. My approach is to get roof over head as primary goal even if its just a tarp. Wouldn't want to hinder stuffing the top pallets. Also a lot bigger. 16 sides or more. Another thing, cable and turn buckle. Haven't seen anyone do that to a cob house but in domes they are used to keep thing from spreading out. Everything else applies like cooling tubes still fit this style. Having a palletcob over a basement wouldn't hurt either. This would be the entrance to a fully earth sheltered abode.
I absolutely love it! ❤️ very similar to the one I'm planning to build right by the fire pit for an outdoor communal kitchen for gatherings and drum circles. 😊 only I'm doing a mushroom roof designed to catch rain water since we live Off Grid in the desert. I just love learning from your videos, you do beautiful work! It is so inspiring to watch your videos, please keep them coming! And when you are back on the main land, I have 5 acres that I am building several AirBnBs on. I have lots of material and plenty of lovely earth to build with, and if you wanted to do some workshops, we would still love to have ya! What I really want your help with is a cold plunge and hot tub combo like you built! Right next to the fire pit and cob oven with the pizza boat moat! I also have plans for a children's play ground and duck pond with magical whimsical cob fencing and benches. AND THEN...lol ... my favorite thing is going to be the goat tower. ❤ And all of these are going to have the big mushroom roof to catch rain water, so when you walk around the land you are the size of a fairy walking under 🍄❤ So there will be building happening here for a while if you wanted to join! 😊
That is so beautiful, at the end I had tears in my eyes! Miguel, do you have a course, plans or offer design advice (all paid obviously) for people like me, too far away to work with you in person (eastern Europe)? I did a cob and earth plaster course recently as I'm VERY keen to use them in our house restoration (it's built from stone and mud brick) but I would also like to build new structures around the property using your pallet method - first up a compost toilet, but now a cob-zebo is on my list! Thanks for sharing your amazing work so freely 🤎
I've heard elsewhere that longer straw is better for tensile strength. Would you mind elaborating on your reasoning? Love your work keen to build my own palletable cobin :)
Hey Miguel, can you bring the oven up to cooking temp before adding the insulation layer? Thanks for sharing your con building videos. They’re super helpful 🙌
