Jackson Free Press

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

ID

115221

Comment

I've never heard of cob. Go figure. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-10-25T17:09:10-06:00

ID

115222

Comment

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.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-10-25T18:49:00-06:00

ID

115223

Comment

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/

Author

katbird

Date

2007-10-31T08:07:40-06:00

ID

115224

Comment

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

Author

katbird

Date

2007-10-31T08:21:34-06:00

ID

115225

Comment

Those are beautiful! Who knew that concrete could be so attractive?

Author

Kelly Smith

Date

2007-11-05T17:10:54-06:00