Laying final cob floor this week

Hi,

Peter and I will be experimenting with laying the final coat on our cob floor this week. We will be using the formula and process provided to us by our climate change eco-building heroes, Ann and Gord Baird www.eco-sense.ca

If you'd like to come-by and watch our muddlings or help out, please do, anytime. 601 River Place, off Spruce.

-Linda

Small Cob Hybrid Home

Hello, thanks for setting this up...now I have it bookmarked it'll be easier to use.

My name is Linda George. Peter and I building a small cob hybrid home.

I have been deeply engrossed in environmental education issues for about 25 years: as an active volunteer with BCTF's environmental educators; and The Boundary Bay Conservation Committee, Delta. In my work life as BC Hydro Public Education Coordinator and later working in BCIT's School of Construction and Environment Dept, I became really interested in appropriate housing to address future climate disruptions. I obtained LEED accreditation. Although LEED is an effective instrument for changing western world construction practices, progress is slow. Change within institutions is risk wary and time consuming. Peter and I decided to take early retirement (eek risky) and try building our own energy efficient affordable home and dry food garden - an exciting lifetime opportunity.

Our home is located at 601 River Place (off Spruce Ave) on Gabriola Island. We are hoping to move in before first snowfall 2009. Visitors are welcome...it is quiet up on the hill...we enjoy meeting fellow future-housing/food researchers.

hi all,

...Glad to see this starting. I'll be doing a lot more listening and learning than contributing.

I'm hoping to get started on a small workshop / studio space...tentatively thinking of a beach wood post frame with perhaps cob/cordwood infill walls, but I need to find out a lot more before I get started. Any materials not immediately on the site have to be hauled in by hand, so that becomes a major consideration....

cheers,
murray

Hi Robbie and Sheila

Thanks for doing this. What a fabulous idea!

My background is primarily drafting and design, with a more recent (last 4 years) dedication to the alternative building movement. I've done design work in cob, strawbale, rammed earth, and light clay straw, all code approved. In my "previous life" I did municipal design and structural steel detailing.

It was wonderful to meet you all on Saturday and I look forward to our "chats". I'd be happy to pass along any insights gleaned along the way.

Cindy

Hi all! with thanks to Robbie for getting us up and running. I'm Sheila Brooke, on Tamarack in Phase IV, where I am developing my property: currently looking at installing off-the-grid systems for my cabin, as well as wanting to build a cob studio. Love to research as well as share info.

Welcome from Robbie

Hello, natural builders! I have created this blog for anybody on Gabriola Island who is engaged in, or interested in, natural building. Yesterday, we were very kindly invited by Linda and Peter, and by Cindy and Bill, to see their houses under construction. Thanks to you all. This blog should allow us all to keep up with their progress and with all the other interesting projects underway on Gabe.

I would love it if each person would post a brief introduction to themselves and their project. Here is ours:

We are Robbie Huston and Mary Wilson, of 1725 Petkau Road. We are having a cob wall and a cob sleeping cabin built in our back yard. Pollen Heath and Lisa Butler are designing and building for us. The cabin is tiny and beautiful, full of artistic touches. It has radiant floor heating, fed by our wood-fired hot tub, and a small Rumsford fireplace.

I'll happily give more details once I know the blog is up and running properly.