Back to our Roots! Sustainable living in Cob housing (mud house)

Back to our Roots! Sustainable living in Cob housing.

Although most of us still look for a luxurious house with all the modern amenities, the trend is gradually shifting toward off-grid living. People who want to take the next step toward sustainable living are going for energy-efficient options like cob houses that are inexpensive to build and look aesthetically pleasing.

Cob houses are usually built by using a mixture of clay, sand, water, and straw, which is called Cob. lending eco-friendly credentials when compared to modern materials like brick and mortar. Moreover, they are sustainable, recyclable, and non-polluting when demolished.

If you have doubts about the durability of a cob house, then it’s worth mentioning that the oldest cob house still stands after 10,000 years of exposure in time. Also, making one for yourself and your family isn’t rocket science as it is very easy to build with the basic knowledge of construction.

I may not be able to show you the best cob houses from across the globe due to copyright issues. However, let’s have a look at the advantages of building one.

Why a cob house?

Firstly, a cob house looks beautiful due to the design freedom one has while building the structure. Cob as a building material is very easy to find, which makes it a practical option. Let’s have a look at some of the highlighting advantages of building a cob house.

1. Low cost of building

Since the material used for cob house construction is locally sourced from mother nature, it is a dirt-cheap method of building a dwelling that will last years. All you need is a piece of land to construct the structure, and it will cost you almost one-tenth the cost of building a conventional home. As an added advantage there is zero carbon footprint which goes very well for eco-friendly living.

2. Healthy indoors: As the cob house is built from natural earth materials, it is absolutely healthy to live in. There are no toxic emissions as compared to a conventional building that uses synthetic paints and industrial-formed materials.

3. Energy efficient: One major advantage that a cob house has is its energy-efficient design. This is due to the high thermal mass which keeps the indoor temperature consistent. It is a good option for hot climate areas and cold regions as its thick walls act as an insulator and maintain the temperature and which is automatically regulated without the need for any fancy equipment.

4. Building flexibility: A cob house is very easy to create in any intended manner, as the user can incorporate unique design elements. Also, the building material (cob) is compatible with other naturally occurring materials like wood or stone which gives the user the option to add some more structural strength.

5. Durable and earthquake resistant: Cob house is extremely durable as the base material for its structure like straw is a natural re-bar which gives strength to the building. The eco-friendly home is also earthquake resistant as the whole structure acts as one monolithic piece which doesn’t develop cracks when the earth shakes.

6. Weather-proof: We might think that a cob house would give way to extreme weather conditions like rain or hailstorm, but it’s exactly the opposite. A cob house is, in fact, durable and will last for years to come. There is no degradation of the material and it stays completely dry.

7. Termite and fireproof: Since soil is used as the base material for the building it is almost completely fireproof and termite-proof. This makes cob house one of the safest DIY(Do It Yourself) homes projects that one can go for.

8. Sound insulation: When one talks of acoustic insulation, cob houses are right up there among the best. Walls made from thick earthen material have excellent sound-absorbing properties which keep the outside noises subdued to a great extent and vice-versa.

If we look at the advantages and low cost of productions of eco-friendly homes which are sustainable and leave no carbon footprint behind, Cob houses are the best answers and best option. Our ancestors lived and flourished with these types of housing techniques. Building with earth has a long and successful history. Cob construction is particularly easy to learn, requires no fancy equipment, uses local materials, and can be done in small batches as time allows making it extremely accessible to a wide range of people, even children can help stomp the cob. Your creativity and requirement is the answer to the quest. So what are you waiting for? if you have any new idea of making a Cob house go for it as it's a win-win situation. It's a low-budget, eco-friendly and sustainable way of living.

As I always wanted to live a sustainable life and Cob houses have been the answer, I have already started a project to work on Cob houses with sustainable organic farming along with it. I will be updating the triumphs and challenges I face during the endeavor and keep you afresh. You may share your ideas, views, any comments, or even join as a volunteer for the same. We usually have the wrong conventional thought that building a house is a humongous effort, It is however if we don't know what we are looking for. But If we choose the right, eco-friendly and sustainable way then I suppose we have our answers.