So what is Cob anyways?

I had to explain this to my mom today, so I thought my next post should probably cover what my Mud Dream will be made of.

The formula for Cob can be slightly different depending on who is making it, but almost always contains these three basic materials;

• Clay
• Sand
• and Straw

I've also read that when people start developing their land to build, like flattening out a space and digging for the foundation, they save and use the dirt they removed in their Cob mixture! It not only saves money because you aren't buying dirt, it allows you to begin your project with a large pile of material that is easy to access!

Mom also asked me, "Won't it just wash away in the rain?" Unlike the mud pies I used to make when I was a kid, or my feeble attempts at sand castles, Cob is a truly resilient material. Before manufactures homes came into popularity, Cob buildings were a norm. In England, many cob houses and buildings still stand, even 500 years later.

Like this one, in Devon, England..

Apparently, the date on the placard reads 1539! This is a photo pulled from Cobcottage.com, which is an extremely helpful and fun site to look at.

Why Cob is so appealing to Me

Cob houses are beautiful. Really, really beautiful. And some people get so creative with their houses and how they sculpt them. I've been looking at a lot of pictures of Cob houses and buildings, and.. just wow! The things that people have thought of! Mermaids and figures carved into the walls, nooks and hidey holes, creating benches and seating areas, colorful glass bottles embedded into the walls where the sun shines through to make a stained glass effect... people amaze me.

They are efficient. In the summer time, they are cool. In the winter, they stay warm. And apparently, you can build a fireplace directly into the wall! Which, is pretty cool. I miss having a fire place in the house.

You can make anything. I've always dreamed of having my own  Beauty and the Beast Library! I'm going to have it. I mean, look how awesome this is:

BEAUTIFUL. Look at the molded shelves and nooks? HOW COOL IS THAT? And the formed benches! I want something like this.. but with WAY more books and shelves.

I also dream of Octopi

Not going to lie, I have an obsession with Cephalopods. My dream is to sculpt a giant octopus into the kitchen, and possibly do a reef sculpture as well, maybe as a wall or barrier dividing the kitchen from the living room. I have so many ideas on how I want to do this, and what I want to add. Pretty colored glass tiles, shells and beads... I want everything to be pretty.

Which, of course, is another reason that Cob is so appealing to me. It has endless possibilities for what I might be able to do to this house.

Some pretty pictures to prove a point.

Cob houses are really getting popular, and although most people get into it because they want to be more Eco-friendly and live simpler lives, I'm not really that kind of girl. I love meat, [Hello Bacon~], I think Global Warming is the stupidest idea I've ever heard, and I don't plan on going hippie since I want to live in a mud house. Not that I have anything against hippies or helping the environment, mind you, I'm not heartless.

The simple fact is that this is like one giant art project that I can live in, and that thrills me into a frenzy! Here are a few beautiful examples:

 My point is that I'm going at this with a different goal than most people. I'm doing it for me, not the environment or my health or to save money. This is a beautiful, dirty, fun and creative way to build a house I would love forever. And it's pretty obvious that Cob is a great material to work with.

All my love,
Amanda