Most houses today veer far from homes. A new house takes a lifetime to pay for and as real earnings decline, housing costs continue to rise, trapping people into 30-year mortgages. Homeowners take jobs they can’t stand to pay for houses that don’t suit them and although family size has dropped, new houses continue to get bigger- huge boxes unsuited to their occupants’ needs, costly to maintain, and inefficient in space, energy and materials. Modern building materials are increasingly toxic to builders and residents and the construction industry majorly contributes to deforestation, mining and pollution. As resources diminish, the reuse of building materials becomes urgent. Mainstream construction is a massive creator of waste and shows little concern for the reuse of materials.
I see a call to move towards more sustainable home construction. Natural building is “any building system that places the highest value on social and environmental sustainability” according to Michael G. Smith. Oftentimes, this means building with materials like clay, sand, mud, water, and straw and relying on human labor more than technology. The methods focus on the need to lessen the environmental impacts of buildings without sacrificing comfort or health. Natural building solves many of the aforementioned issues with modern construction. Building a cob home does not come with a mortgage. Using materials like mud, sand, and hay are not only environmentally friendly, but also incredibly cost efficient- even free. Contrasting with the current emphasis on size, natural building emphasizes craftsmanship and creatively practical spaces with incomparable character. Working with cob or adobe, the builder becomes a sculptor and can mold his home into any artful shape under the sun. You need not worry about the materials used in natural building being laden with toxins that can damage your health. Steering away from wood and manufactured products removes concern of deforestation and mining, as well as the concern of reuse.
I was very skeptical of natural building, particularly cob homes, at first glance- I worried about structural sound, temperature comfort, moisture- the list goes on, but the more I research the more I realize the only true downside of natural building is the time and physical labor homes like these require, but that can be combatted with the pride that accompanies this effort. Plus, cob homes look sweet:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/cob-building-basics-zm0z13onzrob.aspx#axzz2ytA2srZG
http://www.networkearth.org/naturalbuilding/natbild.html
http://www.thiscobhouse.com/
