Justin Shapp

I really need help with this still!! I do intend to buy some books, but I'm just looking for an overview right now.

I don't understand what cob foundations consist of. I'm learning more from pictures than actual information.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've seen in these pictures....
1. Use/make land as flat as possible.
2. Dig a 1-2 foot deep trench outlining where the walls will be.
3. Install a type of French drain in the trench (is this step 100% necessary?)
4. Fill trench with gravel/rock
5. Start building walls directly on top of the gravel. (Or is it necessary to layer larger stones at the base of the building so standing water doesn't reach the cob?)

I'm struggling... I'm not sure if these steps are even correct. And if they are correct, I assume there's more ways than just this.

Thanks for the links Renate! I emailed the farm in Alexandria right away. Just being able to see how things work right now would help me a lot I think.

When looking for information on natural building construction techniques, it's hard to find solid answers. It's a puzzle of picking out information that suites your needs.

If the key to a cob house is a 'good hat and good boots', I'd appreciate someone telling me the absolute basics and beyond about the 'boots' of constructing a cob house... The do's and the dont's, the causes and effects. Tell me in detail and order of construction about trenches, floors, foundations, everything that makes up the bottom 1/4th of a 'typical' cob home.

I know this is a daunting question, but I'm certain it would benefit more people than just me. Links too good information on this topic would be appreciated as well. But if you answer the question yourself you get bonus points.

Some people have asked where I live now... It's Cincinnati Ohio. I've been looking into what projects I may get into locally. This one may be interesting http://cincypcguild.blogspot.com/?m=0

Lets just build our own city. Run by trade and barter.

I'm not content with my present moment, and 'stopping it' is the struggle I currently face. I start getting ready for work at about noon every day, and don't arrive home till nearly midnight. Even if I took a leap and bought land outside of the city, it would be too far away for me to logically continue working at this job.

I have looked into intentional communities in the past. They somewhat terrify me. The idea of becoming 'stuck' in one with the only other option being an entrance to a minimum wage lifestyle back in normal civilization.

I often tell my wife,"'I'd rather work 80 hours a week to support my life than 40 hours to support my job".

My wife is the next part of my dilemmas. She isn't ready to become full fledged into a lifestyle like this. Which I'm fully understanding of. She likes the simplicity of a paycheck and doesn't want to get her hands dirty. Though shes content with the idea of us living in a 'mud house' as she calls it. So I search for a happy medium. Perhaps our ideal lifestyle would be one where I could provide this mud house and our basic life necessities, while she could still work and afford the luxuries that she desires from civilization.

The consistent passion that me and my wife do share is the itch for an adventure. She's more supportive of option 2 that I had listed prior. We both want to move far away. If I could convince her to get her hands dirty for a year, I would love to give the WWOOF thing a try. Though I'd much rather that year be spent working on my own land.

Whatever I do, it needs to be soon. I'm going crazy. I haven't had a chance to finish that podcast but I like what I've heard so far!

Thanks for all the responses. They all help with ideas and motivation. Thankyou.

I need a space to rant....

I'm 24 years old and everyone I know thinks I'm insane. Though I'm probably quite similar to many of you here.

I've worked a job since I was 15. And in those short years, I've developed a pity for society. Everyday I drive to my job and all I can think is 'this is miserable'. And it's not working that's miserable, it's working for someone else's system, it's being reliant on a paycheck. It's paying an entire paycheck per month for car expenses, when the only reason you own a car is to get to the job that pays for your mortgage.

Let me emphasize, I am a hard worker. This is not an anger of the inability to 'make money', nor the desire of a 'lazy' lifestyle. I wake up every morning with the urge to 'work'. The anger comes from the urge to work for myself and my family.

If I won the lottery today, I wouldn't buy an island, I would buy a mansion, or a Lamborghini. I wouldn't even buy a big TV. -- I would buy acreage. I would start an apple farm. I would raise alpaca. I would live in a cob house that I built myself. And what would I do with an apple farm?? Why would a millionaire want apples?? I would give them away, for free!
-- The moral to my story, is that apples are free. Everything that matters in life is free. Society however is not free, and makes you think that everything that matters is not free. I wish I could teach this.

I made minimum wage when I was 15. I now make triple what I made then. I have nearly all my debts paid off and should have about $15,000 saved by the end of next year. Its no lottery but its a step in the right direction.

And so these are the options I have come to consider I can do with my life right now.

1. I can continue my miserable life in society, working the job I despise and putting a down payment on a house that I will spend my entire life working to pay off.

2. I can quit my job, take the scenic route cross country and see things I've never seen before, things that I have to see before I die. I can move into an apartment when I arrive, and have just enough money to restart myself into society. I will be refreshed by the change of scenery for a few years at least but begin to get upset when the repetition begins again.

3. I can buy a small piece of land, on the far outskirts of my city. Build a cob house on it. With hopes of being able to live in it. Quit my job and work part time at a gas station. Add those 20 hours of free time at work to gaining life skills that would make me happy.

Option 3 is my favorite in my mind. Though it comes with fears. A 'sink or swim' fear comes to mind. I have no experience in homesteading, construction, gardening or anything that would suit the lifestyle. I wasn't raised by a society that taught me these skills. I was raised by the modern society of money, electronics and entertainment.

How do I take a dive from what I've known my whole life, to pursue something that my friends and family view as suicidal.

Hi! I'm new!

I've been interested in cob, homesteading and simple living for years. But I always let the dream fade because I rent an apartment in a big city, I never had land to work with. Well, my parents recently bought 12 acres outside the city, and an opportunity has risen. They need a storage shed.

My first reaction was to get out there and start playing in the mud and just wing it. But after I calmed down, I realized this is my best chance of seeing how liveable of a house I could potentially build on my own land. So, I want to do this right. Having no construction experience and no such thing as cob workshops around here, all I have is the Internet, books and you guys.

And so the purpose of this thread is for guidance. I'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start.

Key thoughts right now are:
- Finding clay on the land, where to look, what to look for, making the right mix.
- Keeping it cheap, but doing it right. This is just a little shed, but more importantly its a learning opportunity for me. The success of this shed determines whether I buy a house in suburbia or buy acerage in the boonies.
- I'm utterly lost on foundations and roofs. Part of me says they don't need to be perfect on a shed, but again this project is determining my faith in my cob abilities.

Thanks for any advice.