There is not a more satisfying material to work with than cob or lime, these go hand and glove together. Such a passion I have with creating mud buildings or lime renders, I decided to add some helpful information to my website. We work in this field because we love doing it!
Cob buildings are completely safe and many still standing up to 500 years old around the world. There just isn’t a more modern but green building material. This has a head start on many other green building technology. Mud has been used to build dwellings for 10,000 years or more and hold a fantastic thermal value.
I personally find building with cob or working with lime products a very satisfying experience along with other all my employees at A1 Complete Builders. It’s amazing to think that the sub soil we walk over mixed with straw or hair make great cottages, shelters, dwellings and much, much more (ie: bread ovens).
A good cob mix from raw material should be 25% clay and 75% sand/aggregate. The main parts of any cob buildings would be the stone plinth normally built up to around 1metre. Cob can be built by hand loose or cob blocks can be purchased. Best be sure on your hat a good thatch/slate roof.
There are of course many ways to mix cob yourself from jumping and stomping around in it, using a tractor or the real old fashioned way of using a few cows to churn it all up – Sorry, we can’t supply you with any cows!
However, I’m always happy to talk and advise people if they have any questions regarding cob or lime putty renders, the same can be said of Phil from The Cornish Lime Company in Bodmin – which is where most of our materials are bought.
If I can be of any help please do give me a call (number at the top of this page) or if you’re just browsing the site and are considering building a cob building, good luck and enjoy – you won’t regret it.
Keith Pascoe, owner A1 Complete Builders