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The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real ...

Ianto Evans,

Michael G. Smith

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Sep 29, 2007 John rated it it was amazing

Imagine, for a moment, that you could build your own home for less than $10,000 (plus the land to build on). Imagine how much money would be saved compared to the cost of a typical home, which might sell for $100,000 and, with 30-year mortgage, will end up costing over $200,000. Imagine further that, once this home is built, it will be more energy-efficient than a traditional home, thus reducing your heating and cooling costs over the life of the house (a life expectancy which is several times t Imagine, for a moment, that you could build your own home for less than $10,000 (plus the land to build on). Imagine how much money would be saved compared to the cost of a typical home, which might sell for $100,000 and, with 30-year mortgage, will end up costing over $200,000. Imagine further that, once this home is built, it will be more energy-efficient than a traditional home, thus reducing your heating and cooling costs over the life of the house (a life expectancy which is several times that of a conventional home). This, at least in part, is the promise of The Hand-Sculpted House. More than these material claims, though, its back cover describes the book as "a bible of radical simplicity," which gives a sense of what the book is really aiming for: this is not just how to build a house--though it certainly is that--but also a philosophical meditation on how we design and build, why we make the decisions we do, and the benefits that can come from stepping outside our usual boxes (so to speak) and choosing to build differently.

Specifically, though, these three authors are writing about building with cob. Now, most people's first reaction when I talk to them about cob construction is "Corn cobs?!" No. Cob refers to construction with a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. "So you're building a mud hut?" Well, sort of, but that doesn't really capture the sense of what's going on here.

If you look around the web, you'll find a variety of pictures of cob homes, most built by the people living in them--often with little prior building experience--and most quite attractive. It's cheap, durable even in rainy climates, and has great thermal mass which, when combined with passive solar principles and a "rocket stove," can easily be heated and stays relatively cool in the summer. The writers also discuss the psychological/spiritual benefits of building one's own house with cob, which evidently are abundant.

The book gives a great overview of how to build with cob, including all aspects from siting to design, foundations, floors, walls, windows and doors, roofing options, and the plasters that finish it. There really is a lot of valuable information in this book, from justifications of why building with cob is a good idea (including all sorts of testimonials and personal experiences) to the nuts and bolts (also including a lot of personal experience) and recommendations for further reading. Highly recommended. ...more

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