My kids really want to build a cob house in the backyard. I let them dig a clay pit and they are practicing by building a cob stove first and then i said they had to build me a pizza oven and then we can talk about building a house.
@@devanov3103 And then throw birthday party for those kids and show a dozen 6-8 year old a giant mud pit... And watch the cob walls grow like magic! A couple of days ago we had a birthday party. The kids were so intrigued by the clay and cob experiments in the backyard that it immediately became the most popular part of the party. They just had to agree to let me spray them off with the hose before their parents took them home. 😂 If we do ever build a cob house, I'm inviting every single child I know and their friends to come play in the mud. Those walls will be done in a day!
Beautiful and laborious work done to achieve a beautiful ecological cabin, congratulations to each of the collaborators in its construction. With great humility, just some recommendations for future similar ideas: for the mud mixture you could use the Ground cactus or cactus leaves instead of water, for greater cohesion and grip of the mortar. They could also use bamboo sticks, which are more resistant and lighter in the roof and structure. You could even include a clay oven attached to the wall on the back with ducts interconnected around the foundation, so that the interior is warmer. nice video, many successes in your projects. Greetings from Peru.
Their goal was likely to use as many locally sourced materials as possible. The mountains found in North Carolina are a temperate rainforest with many large tree species, and lacks native bamboo or cacti, but those are wonderful ideas for people gaining inspiration from this video but living in different areas
If, just if all the buildings in America would be built with such a positive energy. Such a joy for the laborers and the users of this structure. Love it.
@@gadalyga I mean, I’m all for more sustainable building practices, but playing in poop and technofeudalism are not the way towards an ethical future, dude. That’s just what people like Jill Stein, RFQ, Jr. and Elon Musk want you to think so that you keep throwing your votes away and checking out of society. Bring that sense of community back into pre-existing communities, perhaps. Is that not the MOST sustainable approach? 🧐
I'll bet the flooring is awesome for your feet. We have vynil flooring and I hate it. Several loaves of bread later and my feet are killing me. Your place is probably gorgeous when the sun shines through. Are there any pics of the inside all set up?
You really should always debark and dry trees before using them in construction even if you leave them rounded, and more or less untreated. The bark is a sanctuary for all kinds of bugs, and mold that will infest the entire timber at some point, and cause it to rot, and become structurally unsound. I wouldn't bother with debarking trees if I was going to use them as a boarder for a raised flower bed, because being infested and growing mushrooms is good polyculture for a garden space, where you'll use the rot for mulch and compost. I also wouldn't care if it was an emergency or camping shelter that was just going to be used for a couple of weeks or less. BUT it becomes a health & safety issue if you're using it for door and window posts, and roof supports of a long-term shelter. Ya'll can save that roof by debarking and drying it in place and sealing whatever cracks form. But if you don't, I give it 3 to 5 years before you have to replace the entire roof before one timber breaks halfway, and they all fall.
Oh God I wished I'd known about these when I was young I just absolutely love them and the creativity. I was young back in the seventies and built a log house in the mountains in Eastern Washington . Using the wall logs of the Cookhouse for the silver mine.
While these are beautiful, cities are never going to allow something so organic in their neighborhoods. We need someone to take cobb, and demonstrate that you can build "boring" homes with it, affordably, and in a way that complies with urban and suburban laws and regulations. Not everyone can live in humble mud hutts in the woods.
You guys are so awesome!! Thank you for sharing your work with us. Love how you can transform desert life in habitable living space. hats of to ya'll. 😁🙏🙏👍👍
There is an Egyptian writer named Hassan Fathi. He covers in his books the sustainable Construction in the Middle East and the Arab world. There is valuable information and many important tips on this topic Especially in a book called (Architecture for the Poor- Hassan Fathi ) I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this type of construction
Of course the more the merrier, but there have been people that did it by themselves. There is a vlogger who made 120 ft around in Turkey pretty much by herself. She had help with the roof. One vlogger is Ziggy did it with two people and 3 months. A girl I went to college with did it in one summer with her boyfriend. There are also other ways you can do it to make it not quite and to make it more insulating. I encourage you to watch videos.
Beautiful Build. Does somebody know if I could continue building the wall another day and the clay mix will still stick and add to the already build structure or is that an issue? Thanks
Yeah it’s fine you just want to make the top layer moist by spraying it down slightly in between layers. I add more detail if you want to check out the tutorial series. Thank you 🙏
One person can build a cob cottage by themselves with time and know-how. I would love to build one if my health recovers enough. Cob buildings can last for more than a thousand years, with the right conditions and occasional upkeep, and without needing anything more than a rocket and/or mass stove, fireplace, or more modern wood-burning stove to keep the temperature comfortable year-round. The best part is how they feel as an environment, the mellow energy they create and nurture.
Actually this is why it takes so long to make a building out of pure cob is that you need to give it a chance to dry out in between layers. If you wanted to go faster I would suggest cordwood and cob or Earth bag with a cob layer inside and out. There are also methods in which you can put a stick frame and use Cobb slip and then once again Cobb plaster over it. We're super Adobe there are so many methods and so many videos...
Beautiful build. I just don't get how the wall is built on such a precarious rock foundation! It feels as if it could all collapse if you remove a few rocks from the base, or just shoulder barge into the wall. How does the structure stay up bearing all the weight of the windows, doors and roof?
Great video! I met you at the Mud Dauber School in Snow camp when you were shooting footage then. You've done an amazing job with your channel. Where in NC is this?
It is not. The enzymes help to seal the plaster and it contains fibers that make it have higher tensile strength but there are other fiber alternatives such as chopped straw that will still make a strong plaster
In Europe and the southwest and Mexico and some other places there are those who have lasted more than 500 years ironically straw bale and houses made of sticks are the same. If you ever want to add another room you better put the doorway now because once dried that stuff is like concrete and it will take a jackhammer to make a hole. As long as you put good boots in a raincoat as they say get the foundation up off the ground and put plenty of overhang on the roof
12 inches at base and tapers up to about 8 inches at the top. Manure has fibers that add tensile strength and the enzymes also can help make a strong plaster. Not entirely necessary though. Chopped straw can be just as effective if you prefer not to work with manure
@@naturalbuildings sensational, thanks for answering quickly, That makes me feel more comfortable now with the build Iam constructing, have got 12inches too
Im gonna buy some land, either in florida or Texas. I want a cob house. The problem is im 64 and im 8n pretty good shape but this looks highly labor intensive. Maybe more than id be capable of and i dont think i could get that many people to help. Are there companies i could hire to help me?
If I wanted a room that big I would really recommend something more like cordwood and cob or earthbag. Or at the very least a center pole for structural stability. But this method works good for smaller rooms. Until you're being Bingham did one in Turkey 20 ft around with earthbag
This is the first time I've ever heard of cardboard though it would be quite insulating. Once the floor is done it's like poured cement so it won't matter that it's cardboard traditionally people used gravel and then gradually move to beer bottles because they hold air and are therefore more insulating and cheap and easy to obtain. That would be my pic
That varies by location. Some allow buildings under a certain square footage or for certain uses (like sheds or agricultural buildings) to be built without a permit, others require permitting for everything. There are loopholes in many locations though. You'll have to check with your local permitting office to find out.
Hyperadobe Home Build $13K.....(even with electric and plumbing ....that's a HUGE NUMBER. dirt from the land for 1500 earth bags $170? Plumbing c'est facile comme bonjuor $125. septic/white water tank $1800. Electric wire and connection $900. Solar $2,200. Fixtures Toilet/vanitySinks and associated $600.. ....Sooooo $13k 😮????
Mainly the small fibers create tensile strength in the mix but the enzymes also help to bond the mix together. It’s possible to skip the manure and use other fibers like chopped straw instead.
Some people don't use it but it does give a certain stickiness any odor causing anything will be gone by the end of the build. It really isn't going to hurt anything
Yes cob is very labor intensive. Not practical for achieving affordable sustainable housing on a larger scale efficiently. We will be building with other hybrid models of natural building here on the channel soon that will be more efficient so be sure to subscribe if you want to check those out :)
Every technique has appropriate applications. Here in south Africa we have high unemployment and low labor costs. Building with cob works out, and teaches low income folks how to build sustainably and cheaply.
Gotta be a mixer for that. As for the artsy fartsy decore .. no. That made it intensive. 🙄 Been cross-referencing other alt methods. Think I will use corrugated steel as an outside form and go nuts inside
Some people do in fact rent a small cement mixer to make it go faster. If you really want faster you might want to use earthbag and then put a cob plaster inside and out or super Adobe which uses a long Earth bag tube
Donkey/horse manure contains a lot of tiny fibers. The fibers reinforce the material similar to how rebar acts in concrete or how fiberglass resins work. The manure is composted so that any pathogenic bacteria has had time to die off. It’s a traditional technique/mixture, but I’m sure an alternative could be found if need be. However, it obviously is much more sustainable if you have a local source of manure already available.
It gives it a certain stickiness and it's actually not necessary but it does make it a little easier to make the plaster stick. When it's done any odor will be gone❤.
