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Owned by Alex

Cob & Natural Building School

1.6k members • $10/month

Learn how to build your own natural, non-toxic house with cob and straw-clay. Save money, live debt-free, and be healthy!

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111 contributions to Cob & Natural Building School
Repairing earthbag tiny hom
I built an earthbag house about 400 sq ft with roofing tiles. Everything was reused and repurposed The bags were giving up at the seems and many cracks and damaged on the walls. Pl suggest how to repair
0 likes • 2d
Do you have any photos of the house and the damage?
Cob Hobbit House - Video Case Study Walkthrough
Hey, I put together a video case study talking about the Cob Hobbit House we built in 2014. Watch the video if you'd like to learn about how this building was done. I'll be doing more case studies like this for my favorite builds I've done. Your feedback is welcome! Enjoy, Alex
Cob Hobbit House - Video Case Study Walkthrough
1 like • 2d
@N P The windows on this particular house were done in a rough way, not how I'd normally recommend doing them. They were built permanently into the walls for most of them, if I remember correctly. I have better window installation options covered in the Classroom courses. The stone foundation there is still solid! Whether stones move or not depends on how well it was built, and if there's any strong seismic activity. Yes, the weight holds it all together in place with dry-stacked stone though.
Cob Houses: Why Banks Don't Want You To Know About This $60K Housing Solution
Here's some research I've compiled. Feel free to discuss below! **Build a Cob House For $58K Instead of Paying $400K For a Mortgage (Full Breakdown)** The average American paying off a $200,000 house will hand over $343,000 by the time they actually own it. $143,000 just vanishes into interest payments. But there's a proven alternative that eliminates debt entirely: building a cob house with your own hands. Let's break down the REAL numbers behind debt-free natural building and show you exactly how regular people on normal incomes are opting out of the mortgage system. **The Brutal Reality of Mortgages:** A $200,000 home financed at 7% interest = $1,331 monthly payments Total paid over 30 years: $478,000 Pure interest paid to banks: $278,000 First year breakdown: $14K interest vs $2K toward equity **Cob House Cost Breakdown ($58K Total):** • Land: $10-15K for 5 acres (rural areas) • Permits: $3K (varies by location, can be $15-50K in strict areas) • Foundation: $6K (with DIY labor + equipment rental) • Roof: $12-15K (metal roofing, quality materials essential) • Walls & Structure: Under $2K (clay, sand, straw) • Interior Finishes: $2K (earthen floors, clay plasters) • Total: $58K with ZERO interest payments **Where The REAL Savings Come From:** āœ“ Wall materials: $2K vs $10-15K for conventional lumber framing āœ“ Interior finishes: $2K vs $9-12K for tile and drywall āœ“ Contractor markup eliminated: Save $20-50K in management fees āœ“ Labor costs eliminated: Save $60-80K by doing it yourself āœ“ Interest payments eliminated: Save $278K over 30 years **30-Year Total Cost Comparison:** Conventional $200K house: $658K-748K (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance) $58K Cob house: ~$109K (taxes, insurance, minimal maintenance) **Difference: $549K-639K stays in YOUR pocket** **Realistic Timeline & Savings Plan:** Year 1-2: Live cheap, save $1,500/month = $36K saved Year 2: Buy land ($15K) + build tiny 250 sq ft starter cottage ($12-15K) Year 2-4: Live rent-free in cottage while building main 800-1000 sq ft house
0 likes • Nov '25
@Ian Walsh In very cold northern climates, I usually recommend straw-clay or hempcrete for high insulation. Cob works off thermal mass, but it can't buffer that much cold.
0 likes • 2d
@Lorie Regas Central Florida seems to have the cheapest land with fewest building codes. I would connect with a real estate agency and see if they can give you access to their land database so you can search it yourself every day.
Cob erosion damage. It can happen!
It takes a lot of water, but cob can get erosion damage during construction. Check out this quick video to see what happened on my wall.
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Cob erosion damage. It can happen!
Hi what’s first?
We have to find a piece of land right?
0 likes • 3d
That's one of the most important things. Deciding where you want to build first will determine a lot of things, such as whether you need to build according to certain building codes or not. You can also design your building before buying a piece of land, but it can also be helpful to know your land before designing it. Generally, finding land is step 1. Along with all the research and education stuff.
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Alex Sumerall
6
662points to level up
@alex-sumerall-5026
Professional cob house builder and instructor at This Cob House. I teach people how to build their own natural earthen homes.

Active 2d ago
Joined Jan 30, 2025
Greeneville, Tennessee
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