10 Reasons to Build a Cob House

[@Nahchomama]

You’ve greatly motivated me! Hope to get the time to be able to take one of your classes. God bless ❤

[@lindaolson4325]

Great to see you in your new place! Your message has motivated me to continue my pursuit to finding land and building my Cob home!

[@thiscobhouse]

I'm glad I could inspire you, Linda! Thanks for watching the channel.

[@CFlandre]

I'm considering building with cob in Florida, but I'm trying to keep costs down by sourcing locally. I know Florida typically doesn't have clay and I saw in another video that you recommended rammed Earth; which is better for a climate like Florida's?

[@thiscobhouse]

Cob does extremely well in Florida, but getting the right soil is the hard part down there. You may need to get it shipped in. Or do rammed earth. It has the same benefits down there. But you do tend to make a compromise with most rammed earth, since a small amount of Portland cement is added into the mixture.

[@CFlandre]

@@thiscobhouse Thank you for the feedback! I'm okay with taking a bit of a compromise on the rammed earth if it means that I can source my building materials locally. And I'm definitely no expert, but I think there are more code provisions in my county for rammed earth than there are for cob... sad thing, but c'est la vie, I guess.

[@Fluffytoebeans]

Great video, Thanks for posting, Question: Is there any reason I couldn't use cob as an external thermal insulation wall around a container home? It can get up to about 110 F where I would like to build (a container would be quicker to give me shelter and a place to live while I build the rest) Thanks.

[@thiscobhouse]

Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the video. I don't see any reason why that couldn't be done with the container and cob covering. If it were me (just my way of doing things though), I would put up a post and beam structure first, and then cob in the walls. You could even just have temporary plywood up for the walls until you get the cob up.

[@jpalms666]

I will be returning for a cob workshop 2025. This time with a group. This cob house workshop is the best investment you could ever make

[@cmath6454]

I thought I'd never own a home. I'm 30 and the idea of being a forever renter made me sick physically, and put me in dark headspaces. I couldn't focus on college, was failing and felt like the world was to good people abusive etc. It was bad. Then I learned about cob and others making entire homes out of it and its saved me from that headspace. I'll never complain about hard work if the Earth itself provides me a home and I don't have to contribute to this broken system we have today that sells people dreams and lives to the rich. Couldn't be happier to discover the freedom of Cob and your channel and setting myself to this

[@jcscorgis]

Hello, I am new the subject of cob homes, so forgive me if my question sounds stupid. My husband and I are planning to move to Wyoming in the near future, and I was wondering how cob holds up in cold, snowy, wet climates?

[@aliciahoward1598]

What do you think about using clay in sandbags?

[@Warrenneiva]

Hello from COLOMBIA 👍

[@lav1daloca]

There should be more automation done for cob building technique like for example the mixture machine like we have in an electric cement kiln there should be something like that for cob

[@joschmoyo4532]

There are many ways to automate mixing cob. A horizontal forced concrete mixer works well. Rotary tiller on a tractor is perfect for mixing big batches quickly.

[@Adnancorner]

Alex, if the concrete foundation stay dry I mean if the home is build on higher land than the rest of the plot and the rain water is diverted through gravity so water does not touch the surroundings of the home at all, then it can last for as long as possible ?

[@thiscobhouse]

Yes! A good foundation and roof, plus plaster rendering on the wall, and a cob house can pretty much last forever. It's just all about keeping it dry. Same goes for any kind of building, really.

[@ocoro174]

are these earthquake resistant?

[@thiscobhouse]

They are, and especially if one wants to put metal reinforcements inside the walls.

[@patandersen4271]

Hi Alex, I was wondering which is best: Cob houses or straw and clay homes for persons wanting to build near coastal areas such as Coastal Alabama Mississippi, or Georgia. Last but not least which type of home will last longer Cob or Straw and Clay?. I have appreciated all of the information you have shared through the years on KZbin and your dedication to giving home builders a healthier option as well as being environmentally friendly. All the best to you.

[@cookiedough5374]

Can you add insulation on the inner wall to slow down heat transfer? I’ve seen some pretty cold earth homes with thick walls

[@thiscobhouse]

You can add insulation, but I'd consider a dual-wall CobBauge style wall, or just build with straw-clay if you really need high insulation.

[@cookiedough5374]

@@thiscobhouse Thanks for your comment. I have a thought that maybe a compressed straw or hemp block on the outside of the exterior wall would accomplish this. The attachment would be an accomplished by slip forming against the blocks. This wall is probably 2 feet thick. I have designed and built about a 1000 home equivalent in my life, but never a natural home. Looking forward to it.

[@senritsujumpsuit6021]

large reason I want to craft a home in materials like these is being able to mold the layout am sick of every building being playpen building blocks I want more stuff like the Bloom house

[@joschmoyo4532]

Excellent round up on the benefits of Cob. There are quite a few more that you could add. These are just some of them. 1, EMF protection. Not just from exterior sources but if you bury your circuits in the cob you reduce emf from your own wiring dramatically. 2, Minimises chances of electrical short fire's. While admittedly not a huge concern Vermin cannot chew through wires buried in Cob. Nor can termites short out light switches. 3, Piezoelectric generation of negative ions purifies the air in Cob houses and sterilises bacteria. Also kills mildew. 4, Cob balances humidity through evaporative cooling. 5, It is a heritage quality construction method that lowers insurance costs because of its fire resistance, longevity and total immunity to fire, mildew, rot, Vermin, termites, electrical fire hazard. 5, Bush and forest fire proof. 6, Easy to repair, recycle and add on to. 7, Increases in value over time. 8, A new Cob house is made from ancient materials and blends in to the landscape because it's made from the landscape. 7, Combined with natural untreated unsealed timber, it repels insects. No need for fly/ bug screens. 8, Never goes out of fashion. It looks timeless even when new. 9, Bullet proof.

[@cookiedough5374]

What do you use for floors and roofs

[@eggyparrot3844]

The piezoelectric effect is a current generated when a crystal is mechanically compressed or stretched. How does cob building construction have a piezoelectric effect?

[@joschmoyo4532]

@@eggyparrot3844 Easy. Sand is largely composed of Quartz. Gravity and changes in humidity squeeze the crystal's.

[@eggyparrot3844]

@@joschmoyo4532 I guess that makes sense, but it still feels counterintuitive to me. I would have thought any settling in a house or change in humidity would be so gradual that piezoelectric effects from individual particles wouldn't be noticeable. Is there anyone who has measured this? I would love to see some documentation or a research paper if you can point me to it. Thanks

[@retireorbust]

Thermal mass means the walls will keep the house cooler in the summer but it will take more to heat the home because those walls are not very insulative of themselves. Thats the main reason i would always choose straw bales. It takes very little energy to heat or cool the homes.