The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book

The authors build a house the way others create a natural garden. They use the oldest, most available materials imaginable—earth, clay, sand, straw, and water—and blend them to redefine the future (and past) of building. Cob (the word comes from an Old English root, meaning "lump") is a mixture of non-toxic, recyclable, and often free materials. Building with cob requires no forms, no cement, and no machinery of any kind. Builders actually sculpt their structures by hand.

Building with earth is nothing new to America; the oldest structures on the continent were built with adobe bricks. Adobe, however, has been geographically limited to the Southwest. The limits of cob are defined only by the builder's imagination.

Cob offers answers regarding our role in Nature, family and society, about why we feel the ways that we do, about what's missing in our lives. Cob comes as a revelation, a key to a saner world.

Cob has been a traditional building process for millennia in Europe, even in rainy and windy climates like the British Isles, where many cob buildings still serve as family homes after hundreds of years. The technique is newly arrived to the Americas, and, as with so many social trends, the early adopters are in the Pacific Northwest.

Cob houses (or cottages, since they are always efficiently small by American construction standards) are not only compatible with their surroundings, they ARE their surroundings, literally rising up from the earth. They are full of light, energy-efficient, and cozy, with curved walls and built-in, whimsical touches. They are delightful. They are ecstatic.

The Hand-Sculpted House is theoretical and philosophical, but intensely practical as well. You will get all the how-to information to undertake a cob building project. As the modern world rediscovers the importance of living in sustainable harmony with the environment, this book is a bible of radical simplicity.

Ianto appropriately begins the book by not only giving a history of earth and cob building, but also by helping the reader redefine their view of housing. I've read this section 3 times thus far. It contains so many great ideas and insights that the reader may want to keep a journal to remember them by. The authors' ideas concerning intuitive design with natural materials are amazing, yet proven. Ianto is definitely critical of industrial architecture (he was a trained and licensed architect in the UK) and corporate control, but not in a way that is unbearable or preachy. I find these sorts of viewpoints incredibly refreshing when communicated so well, whether or not I completely agree with them or not. Evans covers virtually all aspects of site selection and home design while also including interviews with a few cob home owner/builders. This section is surely the real magic of this book and may greatly alter the reader's perceptions of both shelter and its relation to the surrounding environment.

Part 2 describes the actual construction of a cob cottage. It is mostly authored by Michael Smith, who has authored another book detailing cob construction, "The Cobber's Companion". This section of the book provides plenty of helpful advice and creative ideas that the Cob Cottage Company and other cob enthusiasts have developed over the years. None of the authors pull any punches. They obviously have pursued their Cob Revival with intelligent passion, being certain that potential builders understand the potential pitfalls and the keys to success. They know that failed projects can do have as much impact on society's acceptance of cob and natural building than successful projects. Smith and crew really try to help the reader plan for success and encourage them at every step. While the reader would do well to take part in a cob building workshop for hands-on experience, they will get a very thorough understanding of the steps and techniques involved by reading this book. The authors' credibility on cob construction is never in doubt here.

Part 3 is an Onward by Linda Smiley. She attempts to spur the reader on to the next step(s) after reading this book. The entire book is treated as a beginning to a rewarding journey, not just an end to its own means. Smiley provides valuable advice on attending and sponsoring cob workshops. She also expands upon Evans' introduction to alternative living ideas and encourages the reader to live in the moment. While this section is much shorter than the other two, it is important to the book. Ianto gets the reader fired-up about building with cob, Michael tells the reader how to actually do it, and Linda encourages them to put their new-found ideas into action.

The Cob Cottage Company recognizes that cob is but one component of natural building. While the authors' passion for mud is ever-present, so also is their understanding of region and site-specific alternatives and constraints. The Cob Cottage Company integrates and shares ideas with the growing community of natural building enthusiasts, always attempting to create solutions appropriate to the need. Oregon Cob truly offers amazing potential for affordable, durable, healthy housing, especially to owner/builders who can greatly offset the dollar cost of a home with their own efficient labor. Cob offers much greater earthquake resistance than unreinforced adobe, creating a simpler building process that anyone can learn. My review would not be complete without admitting that this book gave focus to numerous nagging doubts that I've long had about American culture and homebuilding. Though I have worked in residential construction for nearly a decade, I could never quite describe exactly why I found our homes (and my job) so inadequate until I read this book. Though my worldview and opinions continue to evolve with each new day and discovery, this book was surely a milestone for me. It changed my life in ways I have yet to even realize.


Sculpt Your Way to Freedom   September 6, 2002
Avi Solomon (Jerusalem, Israel)
50 out of 50 found this review helpful

Building with Cob is the way to make your house fit you rather than you fitting yourself to the house(usually designed and built by someone else).

While the most comprehensive instruction manual on building a Cob home with your own hands (and feet!) this is also your ticket for an escape from mortgage(lit. "death-pledge") serfdom. One of the most important chapters of the book discusses the economics of house-building in a very enlightening way.

The book has superb illustrations well integrated into the text and colour photographs of cob houses.


Inspiring, beautiful...but want more!   December 21, 2003
Daren Scot Wilson (Boulder, CO USA)
34 out of 34 found this review helpful

I'd give five stars except so many times, an interesting idea technique or feature is not as fully explained as i'd like. For example, the "lorena stove" sounds interesting, but i'm not satisfied with the brief description. But then, the authors do give references to other books, videotapes etc. that one may pursue. Many photos of cob being made, walls being built, and finished houses. I was already motivated to build a cob house before buying this book (from reading Dan Chiras' The Natural House) but now i'm even more fired up! This book is a HUGE help, inspiring, with useful detail, but is not in itself complete in detail for someone who want to build with cob. This book along with attending a cob workshop would be the ideal educational experience.