Cob in So. IL

Hi all, I’m new here and I’m looking forward to getting to know the community more. My family and I are planning on building a cob home in southern Illinois. Does anyone have experience building with cob in this region? We are still learning a lot and very grateful for any wisdom thanks!

Hello Reid!

So I have absolutely no experience whatsoever building with cob, but I am a longtime resident of Southern Illinois so I am offering you a warm welcome.  There are a small number of us here so it always pleases me when I find another “local.”  

Welcome to Permies,

Eric

Eric Hanson wrote:Hello Reid!

So I have absolutely no experience whatsoever building with cob, but I am a longtime resident of Southern Illinois so I am offering you a warm welcome.  There are a small number of us here so it always pleases me when I find another “local.”  

Welcome to Permies,

Eric

Hello Eric!

Thank you kindly for the welcome, connections like these are the most invaluable to me :)

RH

https://cincinnatipermacultureinstitute.org/

^^

Hi Reid

In a general sense, what do you consider to be southern Illinois?  I was driving through Cook County once, and the radio station referred to Rockford as being in southern Illinois.  I am south of I-64.

John Dean, you probably heard Rockford referred to as "downstate" which is Chicago code for anyplace beyond the suburbs whether north, south, east, or west.  The term has always rubbed me wrong as a transplant.  I do not think anyone living in what Chicagoans refer to as "downstate" uses that term to describe where they are from,  though.

Hi MK, back in the day I dated a couple of girls from Chicago.  Generally, they knew that Joliet was in southern Il.  While I have problem with that,  so be it.  It is no worse than people in the southern tip referring  to anything north of I-70 as "up by Chicago".  But for WLS to refer to a city actually north of them as being south .....well, I see a need for a geography lesson.

John, your post makes me laugh!  My wife grew up in Freeport, Illinois which is only about 10 miles from the Illinois-Wisconsin border.  Freeport is actually farther north than Chicago yet is strangely considered to be "down state."  Go figure.

Eric

Hi Eric
I lived in Dixon, a few miles south of Freeport,  for about 6or 7 years.

John F Dean wrote:Hi Reid

In a general sense, what do you consider to be southern Illinois?  I was driving through Cook County once, and the radio station referred to Rockford as being in southern Illinois.  I am south of I-64.

Hey John,

Carbondale area. I too, have heard some strange Illinois geography references. We could all use a reorientation sometimes

So the Northern boundary of Southern Illinois is vague and fuzzy.  A lot of people consider I-64 to be the approximate line.  A much more extreme boundary would be state highway 13, though that one is really only useful for describing where the land turns from flat plains to hills that were never covered by a glacier.  Really, I guess the boundary is about wherever you want it to be.

I do have one funny story about a Chicagoan view of Southern Illinois.  My wife went to med school in Chicago and I taught high school in Southern Illinois (I lived in a tiny town called Cambria).  As we were getting married soon, she was looking for movers to move her belongings down to my place (she did her residency nearby).  She found a mover in the Chicago area that had decent rates but an odd policy—they would ship anywhere in Illinois but they wouldn’t ship to Indiana.  My wife called the movers and told them where I lived and their response was “down south by Champaign.”  

For those not familiar with Illinois geography (the movers weren’t), Champaign is decidedly in Central and definitely not Southern Illinois.  They further went on to say that they could make the trip in about 2 hours.  My wife explained that it took her nearly 6 to cover the same distance driving non-stop.  They took the job anyway and agreed to meet me at my front door by 4:30 pm.

The day and time arrived and by some miracle the movers arrived right on time.  The driver got out of the truck, hunched over, rubbing his sore backside and told me he could not believe that at hour 5, not only was he not at the destination, but he had another hour to go.  Then came the big question/reveal—he asked if he could use my phone as his wife was in labor!  Of course I handed him the phone to him and then heard him explain that he just arrived and then apologized profusely.  He had the truck unloaded in record time and was back on the road.  I always wondered if he got back before his child was born.

The short version is that he had a vision of Illinois in his head that totally revolved around Chicago and could not comprehend just how far Southern Illinois is from Chicago.

I love telling this story.

Eric

Hi Eric,

Other states have similar lingo.  Consider what counts as nothern California.

And upstate New York.

Hello, I'm 2 or so hours south of you. I'm wanting to build a cob facade, etc. Wondering if you've started yiur build.
Cheers

Just wanted to say hi!
Have not ived there in a long time , but I grew up on a southern Illinois hill farm in Randolph county.
Started my life thru 6th grade in one room school house with Miss Betty every year.
To get there was easy turn off the hardroad 7  miles south of Chester.

Hi there, so I'm currently living in Chicago (with hopes of moving out soon) and I've been doing a lot of research about cob in this region. So with the understanding that I'm a little north of you, maybe consider strawbale wall construction opposed to just cob. I originally thought that cob was going to be what I wanted to make a home with for my family some day, but in the midwest region the climate would require something with a higher insulation quality. Cob can still be used as a plaster, and interior of the home, but the straw bales will help with the cold seasons, and save on heat.

Another option would be to just do a straw bale wall on the north side of the home to keep the heat from the sun-warmed side of the house escaping out of the cooler north side. Just something to think about. Of course you know your climate better than me, but having originally lived in Michigan for most of my life, proper insulation is high on my mind as far as priorities. Best of luck with your earthen home! I hope to have land of my own someday to do the same!

Hey Reid!

I, too, am in the Carbondale area! We’re embarking upon some modified cob structures very soon—I’m wondering if you ended up building out here, and if so, I’d love to know your ratios and to pick your brain!

Sunshine,
Fig