Adobe/C.o.b. construction
What is adobe construction, really what is Adobe and what does it mean? Adobe is both a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material (sticks, straw or manure), and the bricks made with adobe material using molds and dried in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and rammed earth buildings, but cob and rammed earth are directly made into walls rather than bricks. These bricks were used to make pueblos in New Mexico. The Anasazi, Hopi, and Zuni peoples used this. The Romanian name for this material is chirpici. They are used for building or constructing homes or other buildings. This type of construction was mainly used in Latin America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and
other parts of Asia, the Middle East, and southern Europe.
-There is nothing required to build with adobe construction except permission.
Advantage's
-It is cheap. A three bedroom cob home can cost as little as £20,000.
-Cob walls become a heat store, giving them excellent natural insulation.
-The material’s colour reflects the local soil so can blend in aesthetically.
-No costs (in cash or pollution terms) in bringing raw material to building site.
Disadvantages
-The build process is slow – up to 15 months to allow phases to dry.
-After completion it can take several months for building to finish shrinking.
-Wall thickness means a new cob home requires a larger footprint than a “normal” home.
-Relatively few builders are skilled in using, constructing or repairing cob.
-It is cheap. A three bedroom cob home can cost as little as £20,000.
-Cob walls become a heat store, giving them excellent natural insulation.
-The material’s colour reflects the local soil so can blend in aesthetically.
-No costs (in cash or pollution terms) in bringing raw material to building site.
Disadvantages
-The build process is slow – up to 15 months to allow phases to dry.
-After completion it can take several months for building to finish shrinking.
-Wall thickness means a new cob home requires a larger footprint than a “normal” home.
-Relatively few builders are skilled in using, constructing or repairing cob.