Building a cordwood cob house

[Qerratsmom]

Not sure if I spelled that right but I want to build a cordwood cob house and was wondering if anyone lives in one or has built one. How do you think they would do in a Michigan winter (cold and snowy)? Also how expensive are they to build and did you have any problems with building restrictions? Also how do you like it?

[farmer mama]

I don't have a cordwood house but we have researched the building technique. If you look up "cobwood" (cordwood w/ cob) you should get some info. You should call Rob Roy. His book Cordwood Building has a chapter on using cob. If you go to his website www.cordwoodmasonry.com and go to orders, at the bottom is his #. I have talked to him and he is very nice and helpful. He sells plans for his round cordwood house that are very nice and inexpensive, and they are stamped by an architect (which makes it easier to get permitted). You may also want to check out the Cob Cottage Company www.cobcottage.com/ people about it. I don't know much about permitting in your state, but here on the west coast it can be a massive pain. About your winters, some cordwood people do a double cordwood wall with insulation between the two walls to deal with extreme winters. Others do fine with the one wall as long as it is thick enough. I think it can be very cheap to build, especially if you are able to acquire all your materials yourself. Hope that helps, and I hope you can get in touch with someone who has done this. This roundhouse in Wales is awesome www.thatroundhouse.info/

[HaveWool~Will Felt]

Farmer Mama,
I love the links you shared...thank you!!!!

[frolick16]

My dp is a natural builder and has taken Rob Roy's cordwood building course. Dp loves the idea of using cobb instead of cement due to it being way more earth friendly. He has built a cordwood cobb wall as a demonstration and it has held up just fine. Using corwood you just have to make sure the wood is dry and to me the wall seemed to go up super fast. If you are looking to get it approved by building code inspectors it is always easier to do it as infill. (building the stick frame and then filling in with corwood/cobb) If you are interested in more information please feel free to e-mail us at [e-mail]. Good Luck!

[Qerratsmom]

Thanks for the info so far, I've checked out the websites and have a pic of the roundhouse in Whales on my wall for inspiritation! I'm thinking about first building a "practice" sauna. I'm going to try to attend the cordhouse building conference in Wisconsin this July. Very exciting!

[OceanMomma]

I've got the book the roundhouse ppl wrote. I read it in the bath for inspiration. The website also mentions that someone here is building a copy of their house & they've got a building permit for it too! I so want to build a cobwood sauna when our property is sorted out so I have the space to put one. Let us know how your practise goes if you do one.