Is Building a Cob House a Good Idea? Find Out Here
You are probably acquainted with the tiny house trend, but do you know where it originates from? This is a trend of living in houses that are less than 37 square meters in size. These houses are made of various materials and decorated according to the owner’s taste, and represent the protest against big home standards proposed by the state governments. However, this is not the only reason for people to build tiny homes.
Namely, some of them accentuate the practicality of these tiny houses and their functionality, as well as the low maintenance. You have probably heard of tiny, sturdy homes, but have you ever heard of a cob house? Here is a short manual for cob houses and why having one is a good idea.
Table of Contents
What Is a Cob House?
A cob house is practically a mud castle. It might sound disgusting, but these are the houses that look as if they got out from The Hobbit. These houses are sustainable and are trending for it. The building style of the cob houses is minimalistic, inexpensive, and organic.
Cob is usually made of natural building materials like subsoil, straw, water, and optionally lime. Cob, in essence, is made of mixed clay, sand, and straw. Somehow, the building materials are similar to bricks and it is beneficial because the materials are easy to be found at any site and are cheap.
Thermal Regulation
Cob houses have thick walls which make them well thermoregulated. During the summer season, the walls of the cob house keep it nice and cool because of the shades that are kept in the house. The cold will not be able to enter the house in the winter since it retains heat so efficiently that it will remain pleasant and cozy even at night.
Off-Grid
Cob houses have their eco-friendly nature and therefore off-grid enthusiasts are big fans of this type of construction. Cob houses are purely made of natural building material so you do not need any hard materials that are quite expensive on the market. Basically, every single thing in the cob house can be made of wood, mud, and clay. The off-grid principle suggests that you do not need any contractors or companies. This will not only save you a bunch of money for the contractors and construction but is also completely debt-free.
Utilities
Since cob houses are eco-friendly, it directly means that you do not need any special utilities. This does not mean that you should not install all of the standard utilities to your cob house, but you will need to change the building procedure a bit. In order to set the power sources, you will have to know where they should be positioned and how they need to be set up properly.
This demands a lot of expertise and if you are not experienced in this field, and try to do this on your own, then you will face some problems that will cost you both patience and money. Therefore, the smartest way is to hire an electrician and plumber to install everything. The expanses for utility installations depend on the very project. But, if we take into consideration that the cob house is not a giant project, then it will not affect the bank account considerably.
Low Costs
Cob house construction is low cost and all of the materials you need are already present within your backyard, you will probably need some straw bales to make the walls. This is not the problem since these are not too expensive.
The small bales can be purchased for $5 apiece, while, on the other hand, the large ones can vary from $40 to $90. Besides this, you will need to count on the amount of dirt you will make. Most of the materials are already available and the tools are simple, thus you will not have very big problems in building the tiny house.
Cob Houses Are Healthy
These are beneficial because of their air quality, but you need to be careful since one of the great flaws of these houses is moisture. It will take a considerable amount of time for your cob house to be completely dry. Once your cob house is finished, you should give it some time before you move in. If you want to eliminate all the moisture in the house, you will most probably need to use a dehumidifier to reduce the moisture. This will remove the dump quality of the air in your home.
Cob house is an inexpensive way to make the house of your dreams. Tiny houses are super-efficient and give you enough comfort and coziness. It can be quite a long process to make your very own cob house, but it is worth it if we take into consideration the fact that they will last for a long period of time.
