Building with COB-A Step-by-Step Guide

Building with Cob-A Step-byStep Guide

by Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce

*** See their new "natural finishes" book at bottom of this page

NOTE from Charmaine: The wonderfully charming and talented author, Adam, phoned me up from England and asked me to carry his new book. Adam is an American who fell in love with this method of natural building while training at Cob Cottage Company. in Oregon, and is happily making a career, with Katy, in the foggy British isles.
Because this book is a bit pricey I wanted to be sure it covered everything a beginner would need to know. And it does... beautifully, with color images and how to descriptions that can jump start your project. This book covers- step by step- everything you want to know about cob. From clear descriptions of roofs (wood shake, slate, sod, turf, thatch ) to using lime-crete and rubble trench foundations. And, they cover making, and using real lime putty**, for plasters, and construction, along with detailed earthen plasters too.

Cob and adobe restoration of existing structures are addressed, as well as creating earthen floors, planning and talking to building officials; with a detailed list of resources (for the UK/Europe) given.

I also recommend the DVD-"Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth" ...$25.50... a series of interviews with cobbers, and views of inspiring cob and natural homes! This DVD is a natural companion to the book.

Publisher's Description: Cob building uses a simple mixture of clay subsoil, aggregate, straw, and water to create solid structural walls, built without shuttering or forms, on a stone plinth. This ancient practice has been used throughout Britain for centuries—in fact, the material is so strong and durable that it is currently in use for forty-five thousand houses in Cornwall, a county in southern England.

Building with Cob covers everything from design, planning, and siting to roofs, insulation, and floors. It is lavishly illustrated with more than three hundred inspirational color photographs.

The authors have recently been commissioned to build a thirty-classroom school in England in 2006; it will be the largest new cob construction project in the Western hemisphere.

About the Authors: Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce run their own building company in Cornwall. They have built and restored many cob buildings, including two-story houses, small studios, and garden rooms, outside courtyards, fireplaces, and earth ovens. In 2003 they won a "Pioneers to the Nation" award from Queen Elizabeth II. They live in Manaccan, Cornwall, England.

Edition: Paperback Format: Full color, 360 photographs, 65 diagrams Size: 8 x 10", 256 pages ISBN: 1-903998-72-7 Release Date: 2006-03-16

**This book features the NHL Hydraulic Lime which is available in the UK, Europe and in the USA too. This is a commercial, dry, premixed (sand & fiber added) product which sets quickly- like cement, and can remove concerns of learning about using lime for the first time.

See the DVD -Introduction to Lime Plaster: How to Plaster with Hydraulic Lime- $29.50, here, which features the St. Austier French imported lime product. [ However, regular hydrated lime purchased in the USA is of very high quality, and much cheaper, and can be used for all aspects of building too. ]

NEW BOOK! from the same authors Using Natural Finishes book

For even more extensive information see the other LOW COST booklets on Earthen building Pise...$16....the Earth Brick Construction book...$15. and Rammed Earth Walls..$14. on this web site.

Also consider ordering one of the New Resource Guide CDs- and have complete building information at your fingertips. Each CD set has 3,000 + pages of topical information, and a companion booklet too.