Advice needed on type of natural Building for our area

My partner and I have been deeply interested in natural building since the early 2000s.

We are now middle age and have a farm with zero building restrictions and some funds to perhaps realize our dream.

The issue is that we can’t quite seem to settle on what kind would work best in our area so we can dive into re learning everything.


We are in the south East USA.  

 It is 80-105 with above average humidity for about 4–5 months of the year.  

Then we have highs on 30-70 F and lows of 10-45f another four months of the year.

In between each extreme we have about two o this of open windows, low humidity and happiness.


Our soils on the farm are sandy with some clay and granite deposits.     We do have plenty of timber for potential cordwood, but it is mostly pine, sweet gum, mountain maple and swamp oak— all are less than recommended for that.

We always gravitated to con, and have no issue with large overhanging porches, but  are concerned with both the speed that it needs to go up and our soil perhaps not being good for that.

We want to build as natural as possible and will be planning for air conditions and wood stove heat.

Hi Nina,

Welcome to Permies.

Did you buy the land because it looked good?
I always recommend people purchase land that suits the outcomes they are looking for.

If speed of construction is important, natural building is not the way to go.
Have you any actual experience in Natural Building?
It can be learned by practise, reading and talking.

Nina Simine wrote:My partner and I have been deeply interested in natural building since the early 2000s.

We are now middle age and have a farm with zero building restrictions and some funds to perhaps realize our dream.

The issue is that we can’t quite seem to settle on what kind would work best in our area so we can dive into re learning everything.


We are in the south East USA.  

 It is 80-105 with above average humidity for about 4–5 months of the year.  

Then we have highs on 30-70 F and lows of 10-45f another four months of the year.

In between each extreme we have about two o this of open windows, low humidity and happiness.


Our soils on the farm are sandy with some clay and granite deposits.     We do have plenty of timber for potential cordwood, but it is mostly pine, sweet gum, mountain maple and swamp oak— all are less than recommended for that.

We always gravitated to con, and have no issue with large overhanging porches, but  are concerned with both the speed that it needs to go up and our soil perhaps not being good for that.

We want to build as natural as possible and will be planning for air conditions and wood stove heat.

Welcome to Permies!

Hi Nina,
Welcome to Permies!

I am not a professional builder, but I have dreamed of what I would do with the time and budget to build my own house. Could I suggest a timber frame house using some of the wood from your land with hempcrete infill. Essentially the frame goes up and you fill the middle with hempcrete using a slip form method. The hempcrete is the leftovers from the hemp fiber industry mixed with a lime based binder. Covered over with a lime based plaster, and that is your whole wall system. Rodent resistant, mold resistant, carbon negative, good insulation value, and some very unique properties around humidity that are good. The bad side is that hemp shiv (the leftovers) is expensive to get in the US right now as is the binder. The plumbing and electrical are a little different to deal with. You would cut channels in the wall, put in the stuff and cover back over with hempcrete. Also, hanging stuff on the walls requires masonry anchors as opposed to just screwing something in.

It is different than cob, in that hempcrete is NOT load bearing. It simply fills in around a frame that is holding up the roof. It is similar to cob, in that it doesn't like to get wet and stay wet, so big eaves are suggested in wet climates.

Initially, I would build a small (~200 sqft) conventionally framed (I would use 2x8 plates with an alternating 2x4 stud layout) house first. Infill the walls with light clay straw and/or hempcrete and finish with a lime plaster. Save the cob for the interior walls and the floor. Orientate the building so the long axis faces south (sunward). Put a lot of windows on the south wall, some on the north wall (preferably high) and none (or just below the eave) on east and west sides.

With two of you working on you should have a livable space in less than six months.

A year or two after you finish build something similar in the 400-600 sqft range and your first house can become workspace or guest house.  

Good idea Aaron, will the humidity and heat cause any issues?

John C Daley wrote:Good idea Aaron, will the humidity and heat cause any issues?

Yes, that's why I would keep all the cob inside the insulated envelope. Nina's climate like ours in central Texas doesn't have enough temperature swing throughout the day for a sizeable portion of the year to benefit from exterior cob. A small air conditioning unit will still be necessary too. I haven't found a non-mechanical method of dehumidification that's very effective. I use calcium chloride in crawl spaces and in cabinets but it's effect is very localized.