When thinking about sustainability and eco-friendly topped with long lasting durability we need to go back in time hundreds or thousands of years at what worked for them that will work for us.
I will explain one of my favourite and first choice homes I hope to build one day. I even made clay model of it, which is still in the works but I will show you what I got at the end of this post.
There are homes built hundreds of years ago that are still in use today that were built with clay, sand and straw. Some walls and structure built with pressed earth are thousands of years old, look at the Great Wall of China, it's made with dirt, clay and straw and tens of thousands of souls of slaves that died in its construction.
Devon House built in 1583
This house was built in 1872 in New Zealand. Without a doubt it has seen many earthquakes and yet still stands.
(http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/old-cob-houses-in-new-zealand/)
NO one should die while you’re constructing your eco-home though to keep costs down you will be expected to be your own slave.
Please understand that any home can be off grid with enough solar panels or wind turbines or other sources or renewable energy. BUT be prepared that they may be unusable in the event of certain catastrophic events. Like a solar flare or high altitude nuclear explosion. Always be prepared for NO POWER!!!
To be the most eco-friendly I suggest you take the time to really survey the land you want to use. The materials already on site should be your deciding factor for which type of home is most suitable for your location if you are cost and environmentally conscious . I will discuss the land you would need to build Cob homes in this post.
My next Posts (on this topic) will be about Log Cabins and Earth Bag homes which would be suitable for different materials available on site.
Today it’s all about Cob Homes.
I have put a lot of thought into this over the years and have genuinely spent a lot of time living off grid both remotely in the True Wilderness of Canada and also within 300km of a major city in Canada. So I have a pretty good idea of what I want in an off-grid home/retreat that would be my personal paradise. Maybe this give post will give you some things to consider.
Cob House
Made with clay, sand, straw lots manual labour and an artistic mind.
Location is important you want land that has lots of clay already on site. This will save you thousands of dollars and reduce your carbon footprint as less trucks loads will be needed to bring you supplies. That is depends on whether your land is even accessible by road, mine will probably not support large vehicles maybe ATV’s or a boat will be required, horses of course.
Good news clay is found in pretty much on every part of the world if you dig deep enough. Canada is mostly covered by a GIANT rock called the Canadian Shield, it might not be easy to find land with clay if your land is on the Canadian Shield.
Choose land that has a source of water. A river, creek, lake or a spring. A pond 3 acres or less is not really suitable as a sustainable source of water, unless it is really really deep, it could be prone to drought as the earth warms. Trees, lots of tall thick trees for lumber. You will want those things anyways to live off grid sustainably, it’s vital.
Find land in what Canada calls an “Unorganized” township. This place will have no rules with what you build. You never need a building permits or permission to do something, think the opposite of America. At the same time remember you are very far from civilization and you are responsible for your own safety. There is no one to blame if things go bad accept yourself. So think about what freedom means eh! There is a lot of of unorganized land in Canada.
What makes Cob so great?
(please assume everything is solar or wind powered. DSL internet etc.. Fully modern.)
Suitable for all type of weather and climates, from hot and dry to cold and wet and everything in between.
Cob houses are rather earthquake proof compared to cement and wood. The materials are found almost everywhere. Once you know how to mix cob and build a basic structure the options in design are limitless. If you don’t have all the materials or enough, buying more is not usually expensive as they are basic resources.
Cob is a mixture of clay, sand and straw. The clay binds the sand and straw. The sand gives it strength and straw fibers help keep it all together. When an earthquake hits the straw stretches holding the chunks of broken walls in place to be easily repaired.
Cob is breathable. It keeps moisture out and repels rain. It absorbs heat and retains it in the winter during the summer it retains the cool keeping your home a suitable temperature all year.
Yes, this is mostly Cob!
It’s fire proof. Aside from the wooden interior frame Cob does not catch fire unless you’re using jet fuel fire temperatures. In which case WTF are you doing out in the bush!!?? So if the inside burns away, that would suck but you would still have your walls standing making repairs easier and emergency shelter possible.
(http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/445085/The-150-house-built-out-of-nature)
Cob houses properly built and maintained can be given to your great, great grand kids. How is that for an investment? Imagine your grandchildren running around barefoot catching frogs and climbing trees using the same home you built decades after you died.
Even the interior can be made with cob. Shelves, furniture decorations and more.
If using recycled bottles and junk is not your thing than you probably wont like living in these homes.
Not to mention they repel bullets quite well in the event your community is attacked by raiders once all social order has collapsed.
They blend in with their environment. They can support grass roofs and can be designed to fit nicely with the terrain and trees without the need to level large areas or dig deep into the ground. Of course you can do all those things if you want.
There are so many cob houses. One for every occasion or need.
Literally Dirt Cheap
Some can cost less than $10,000us other can go over $100k. You decide how big and how much you want to do your self.
Don't forget power is essential but not vital. Water is Vital, think about the water source first!
Here is my first concept cob home
I started making it last year then got side tracked with another project. I already put in a dozen hours to get it to this stage. The rest is a work in progress.
It will have an all natural locally derived wooden roof and interior. The kitchen will have running HOT water.
There are 2 important things missing from this model. One I will add once I have settled on a floor plan. The other will never be inside. Can you guess what they are?
Anyways.... It's just a daydream. I have almost everything in place to make it a success. Money is the next step but I nearly have enough for a deposit on the land I want. I have several things on my plate I don't know which to really bite into. I guess I am undecided as to what I want for my future. Such a platter, a buffet, at my finger tips how to dedicate my life to one ambition?
I am literally at the "hard Fork" of my life and which path I take now is my commitment for the next decade.
Do I want wealth? True Freedom? Live in harmony with nature and give up all else?
Do I need to give up so much to receive what I really want?
In a flash of light from the sun (which is well overdue) all things that need electricity could be gone for ever, really, all our precious bitcoins forgotten and lost never to be retrieved. Or worse....
Image credits in order of appearance unless otherwise credited
Cover Image edited http://michael-buck.blogspot.hk/
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20150208/art-cob yes even Jamaica uses Cob
http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/774894.html
https://buildconnections.org/natural-building/natural-materials/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8607195@N08/galleries/72157624813187679/
https://thenonhiphippies.org/2013/04/20/cob-houses-an-introduction/
http://thetinylife.com/cob-houses/
http://lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.hk/2012/11/heidis-tiny-cob-house-in-finland.html
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Sometimes nothing is what it seems. Sometimes everything is exactly as it seems. Sometime people need shot of reality. Sometimes people have no idea what's going on and sometimes they think they are the ones calling the shots.