Cob - Build a house, pay cash.

[josh7328]

Have you guys ever heard of the building material called cob? Looks like a pretty amazing way to go if you're thinking of building your own house. Only thing is you gotta find a place with building codes that allow you to build it. Google it!

Here is an example of a nice Cob house.
http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/the-little-hobbit-house-in-texas/

Various Cob homes and structures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GbM2In5Hfx4

[josh7328]

we looked at alot of these techniques, cob, staw bale, rammed earth, underground, concrete geodesic, etc.

I think many of them would be GREAT homes. Great for insulation against temperature variations, wind noise, etc.

And you can build most of the ones I mentioned yourself, or with minimal help. (depending on who you are)

The problem we have run into is... will there be a buyer for the home, IF you decided to sell. Most Americans stay in there home roughly 5 years, I think they say. But, if you were going to settle down permanent, or for a family cabin it would be great.
Good point, but I think that one would be more motivated to stay put if they actually put their own blood, sweat and tears into the house.

[birddog]

We have looked into all of that stuff and its awesome! Most building codes wont allow it (although straw bale is catching on especially around Salida).

There is a lot of building techniques that are not really that different, just used on new ways that is super smart. Things like thermal mass, sun angles, etc.

[Longnecktipper]

Cool house , and building them yourself only adds to the cool factor .

[BushMasterBoy]

I still like the shipping container home. Made out of a steel shipping container, it won't burn! I kinda favor the F-Troop style fort made out of shipping containers. But this cabin style is really cool...

http://designcrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/espace.jpg

[relichunter]

Nice! Shipping containers are cool if you keep it simple. There is a three story straw bale house here in FOCO. It took at least 2 years to sell if it ever did. I saw them replastering it last year. Very thick walls = quiet and well insulated. http://www.reelmotioninc.com/videos/merten/mertenhomes/merten.php Friends of mine built their own house in New Zealand with straw bales for next to nothing. Unless you build it yourself cob, straw, etc typically cost about 20% more than traditional stick build.


I still like the shipping container home. Made out of a steel shipping container, it won't burn! I kinda favor the F-Troop style fort made out of shipping containers. But this cabin style is really cool...

http://designcrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/espace.jpg

[wyome]

My uncle made a house out of straw bales and recycle/reclaimed telephone pole timbers. Walls were like two and a half feet thick of straw...ceiling was about three feet thick of straw before the sheathing and tile. He stuccoed the exterior and interior himself, and got almost all the supplies for free.

Hard part was getting code inspectors to sign off on stuff...when they wouldn't he just went ahead and built the place anyway...couldn't get home owner's insurance either. Just insurance for the contents of the home.

Home was always cool in the summer and warm in the winter...quite an accomplishment living out by El Paso TX!

Before that he built a house out of doors. Hundreds and hundreds of doors...

[josh7328]

I would be worried about the strength of a straw bale house. Am I missing something?

[Irving]

What happens if you break a window? I don't know much about construction, but it looks like it would be difficult to do a replacement on some of those. Is there framing underneath, then you just build the stucco back up?

[wyome]

In my uncles place the house's corners were cut down telephone poles. The walls were poles laid on the there side at the bottom and top. Before the top was placed on the wall holes were drilled into the poles for rebar. Then the bales were placed up top and pushed down with the rebar going thru them before the top pole was placed on top.

The roof was done the same way....but sideways.

Instead of anchoring the poles to the concrete slab they dug out the foundation areas to accept the poles, and they were placed in the cement slab as it was being poured. Very few nails used structurally in this house.

Their problem was selling it 20 yrs later...no once could get a loan for it...so they sold the land, with a "shed" on it.

[josh7328]

What happens if you break a window? I don't know much about construction, but it looks like it would be difficult to do a replacement on some of those. Is there framing underneath, then you just build the stucco back up?
build in regular window frames... or bulletproof glass to go with the 2 foot thick earthen wall. haha

[rondog]

All very cool, and I could dig it.....but my wife wouldn't touch any one of them with a 10 ft. pole. Unless, of course, it was HER idea.

[Wulf202]

monolithic is what im gonna build for myself.

[xring]

I would be worried about the strength of a straw bale house. Am I missing something?
Im not sure how his uncle did it. Conventially straw bale uses turnbuckles to compress a wall of straw bales and conventional beams - very strong. In larimer county this doesnt fly you basicly have to build a pole barn the bales can only be used for insulation not structure which defeats the whole purpouse. Code may have changed. Earth ships are getting really really nice. Dirt is free.

[xring]

In my uncles place the house's corners were cut down telephone poles. The walls were poles laid on the there side at the bottom and top. Before the top was placed on the wall holes were drilled into the poles for rebar. Then the bales were placed up top and pushed down with the rebar going thru them before the top pole was placed on top.

The roof was done the same way....but sideways.

Instead of anchoring the poles to the concrete slab they dug out the foundation areas to accept the poles, and they were placed in the cement slab as it was being poured. Very few nails used structurally in this house.

Their problem was selling it 20 yrs later...no once could get a loan for it...so they sold the land, with a "shed" on it.


The banks wont touch anything unconventional with a ten foot pole. Which is why we are still building buildings that burn down, use 10x energy, and last 50 years instead of 500. I knew a guy who was pretty knowladable had built a lot of unconventional homes. He said you are far better off ignoring code and permits. Youll never get a Certificate of occupancy or sell it as a house but you know that right from the start. He said a pretty good septic system could be made out of 55gallon barrels and PVC. You have a place to live and your children do too. Not that im advocating that. With satelite mapping nowadays the county pretty much knows what is where. They know the size of your popo if you pee outside.[LOL]THe travel trailer is still the best option for most. stack strawbales next to it to insulate. If you get a job elswhere you can sell it and get your dough out.

[cstone]

I always thought this would be an interesting way to start. A couple of guys and a front end loader can build a pretty impressive and very solid building rather quickly with these things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesco_bastion

http://www.nsgrupa.lv/upload/shop/gabioni_arhitekturai.jpg

[Great-Kazoo]

The banks wont touch anything unconventional with a ten foot pole. Which is why we are still building buildings that burn down, use 10x energy, and last 50 years instead of 500. I knew a guy who was pretty knowladable had built a lot of unconventional homes. He said you are far better off ignoring code and permits. Youll never get a Certificate of occupancy or sell it as a house but you know that right from the start. He said a pretty good septic system could be made out of 55gallon barrels and PVC. You have a place to live and your children do too. Not that im advocating that. With satelite mapping nowadays the county pretty much knows what is where. They know the size of your popo if you pee outside.[LOL]THe travel trailer is still the best option for most. stack strawbales next to it to insulate. If you get a job elswhere you can sell it and get your dough out.

The only thing straw bales are good for, if not properly sealed are MICE

Guys i know up on the rez in SD have done a few bale and mud homes. Damn things kept warm with small pot belly stove. Down side is as mentioned before, cheap to build and maintain are not what mortgage, insurance and utility companies want to deal with. The general public wants lavish for little money and would be, or are in debt up to their armpits just because they had to have.

Imagine if second (thrift stores) and living more cost efficiently became fashionable?

[josh7328]

My thing is the debt issue. I don't want to be in debt for 30 years with a mortgage. Debt is just a generally bad practice in my mind and I try my best to avoid it.

[tmleadr03]

Have you guys ever heard of the building material called cob? Looks like a pretty amazing way to go if you're thinking of building your own house. Only thing is you gotta find a place with building codes that allow you to build it. Google it!

Here is an example of a nice Cob house.
http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/the-little-hobbit-house-in-texas/

Various Cob homes and structures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GbM2In5Hfx4

250k for less then 900 sqft in 1989? Fuck that. I could design and build a 2000 sq ft home with 90% of the energy savings for less.

[josh7328]

250k for less then 900 sqft in 1989? Fuck that. I could design and build a 2000 sq ft home with 90% of the energy savings for less.
25k... not 250k and he went with a lavish interior

[tmleadr03]

25k... not 250k and he went with a lavish interior

Snort. Decimal places, how do they work...[ROFL1]

[Clint45]

A few friends of ours are very interested in building their own homes and one is working on a "tiny house" project which is a small cottage constructed on a large trailer which can be transported cross country if need be.

MANY people want to build small homes to save money and be debt free, but it is usually illegal for them to do so. Not only do most counties say that anything but conventional materials and designs are forbidden under building codes, but houses under a certain size are also forbidden -- and that size is usually fairly large, like 1,000 square feet -- plus they'll use zoning, health, tax, and whatever other bureaucratic hurdles they can put in your way as well. Need building permits before you start and multiple inspections throughout the process, must have conventional electricity and plumbing, composting and rainwater collection are forbidden. Basically, they want to force you to go into debt to have a conventional house built by local contractors, and if you try to build your own place they'll demolish it and fine you. Most people who build these homes do so illegally and are, by definition, criminals who risk having the government destroy their time at any time.

[BushMasterBoy]

Another shipping container home, a little more elaborate than the one I posted before. I'd add some heavy steel window shutters, so I could stop any common burglars cold. Something in the mountains like this would suit me fine!



http://syburi.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/maison-1-jpg.png

[josh7328]

Another shipping container home, a little more elaborate than the one I posted before. I'd add some heavy steel window shutters, so I could stop any common burglars cold. Something in the mountains like this would suit me fine!



http://syburi.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/maison-1-jpg.png
That's actually pretty cool!

[rondog]

A few friends of ours are very interested in building their own homes and one is working on a "tiny house" project which is a small cottage constructed on a large trailer which can be transported cross country if need be.

MANY people want to build small homes to save money and be debt free, but it is usually illegal for them to do so. Not only do most counties say that anything but conventional materials and designs are forbidden under building codes, but houses under a certain size are also forbidden -- and that size is usually fairly large, like 1,000 square feet -- plus they'll use zoning, health, tax, and whatever other bureaucratic hurdles they can put in your way as well. Need building permits before you start and multiple inspections throughout the process, must have conventional electricity and plumbing, composting and rainwater collection are forbidden. Basically, they want to force you to go into debt to have a conventional house built by local contractors, and if you try to build your own place they'll demolish it and fine you. Most people who build these homes do so illegally and are, by definition, criminals who risk having the government destroy their time at any time.

That's messed up. If a person bought some land, they should be able to build whatever kind of home they want to on it.