This is Dulane's special project which she
began in 2003.
Check out the YouTube Cob Hobbit Hut Video
Today it is November 12th 2010 and there are still a few things yet to be
finished off on the Hut. It is how you say - "a work in
progress".
We have enjoyed many days and nights in the hut.
Our guests often
request to stay
in the hut
instead of the
guest room of
the house. The Cob Hut has also
been a safe refuge for 4 temporary residents
(cob warriors), in the last few years.
This year
(2010), Dulane was able to accomplish
many things on the hut.
A
privacy wall (the Loo), was erected and protected from rain, the cob floor got it's "many" finishing
top coats, color, and polish.
Inside; the cabinets got re-worked, the
"solace bench" (rescued wood from a discarded beam intended for the SpiderHollow),
has been installed, and the bed in the loft has been retrofitted.
A
small out
building was
added behind the
hut for fire
wood and
storage, some
landscaping was
worked on and
the solar panels
repositioned.
In ernst, Dulane had fantasized about the Cob hobbit hut for years.
The cob
project really fit into the SpiderHollow image our property is taking on. All
our land and
buildings
emulating our
personalities -
evoking our
spirit.
Cob is a very old method of building with
earth and straw or other fibers.
It is similar
to adobe in that
the basic mix of clay and sand is the same, but
it usually has a higher percentage of long straw
fibers mixed in. Instead of creating uniform
blocks to build with, cob is normally applied by
hand in large gobs (or cobs) which can be tossed
from one person to another in an "assembly line" during the building
process. Cob building is typically a group
effort, a community effort, a village effort -
to house the people.
The traditional way
of mixing the clay/sand/straw is with the bare
feet; for this reason, it is fairly labor
intensive. Some of the process can be mechanized
by using a backhoe to do the mixing, but that
diminishes the organic nature of it.
Because of
all the straw, cob can be slightly more
insulating than adobe, but it still would not
make a very comfortable house in a climate of
extreme temperatures. Cob construction can be a wildly
freeform, sculptural affair and often becomes an emotional & spiritual artform.
We attempt
to live in
harmony with the
acre of nature at
hand as well as
we understand
how. It is
a blended
environment.
Using natural or
recycled
materials and
being the
"hands-on" human
interaction with
all things
within our own
little realm of
influence.
We do our own
construction,
nurture a small
garden, brew our
own beer/wine,
make our own
fuel (Grease4Fuel),
we
practice fairly intense
recycling and
composting.
Respecting our
trees prevents
an solar
electrical
benefit.
A tough
challenge we
face along with
all of you is
limiting our
amount of
"STUFF".
It's an
EyeOpening
Video.
Check it out!
Building with clay allows for many options, is cheap, and
doesn't require a slide rule. This was the best project for my developing
spirituality.
Here's another fun video from Spiderhollow featuring Pearl &
Oscar - our
dogs. Check out
Oscar's Ratoodle website.
Thanks for visiting the 'Couer Dulane Cob Hobbit Hut
Email to: Dulane or Roy - Remove *** from
address - Copy/Paste into your email program: ***webmaster@spiderhollow.com***
SpiderHollow Sing Log Building project: Lot purchase '97.
Permitted 8/20/03 Ground breaking 8/30/03 Move in 9/20/05
"Man did
not weave the web of life -- he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
~ Chief
Seattle, 1854 ~
Cob is a very old method of building with
earth and straw or other fibers. 