Want to do a natural building renovation to an existing conventional home? Here's how I would go about doing it. It's not as complicated as it might seem!

I've started a project! I'm still looking for suitable and affordable land for my cob home so in the meantime I'm getting familiar with some natural building materials. I live in an old house, built around 1890 with multiple additions. My west wall isn't well insulated and my kitchen pipes freeze every winter (I'm in central IL,USA). My plan is to tear out the entire kitchen wall, pack the space between studs with slip-straw, and finish with an earthen plaster. I'm starting with a small section as a learning lab. Yesterday was demo which I finished today, and started my first foray into slip-straw. Lessons on day 1: I definitely need to round the handle of my pounder. Even though I sanded the edges and corners, my hands are still feeling it. Slip-straw has a bounciness I didn't expect. I hope I compacted it enough. We'll see tomorrow. I'm starting to understand slow, yet immensely enjoyable building. Heart and soul are ingredients you don't see on any materials list. I have read differing opinions on how quickly you can remove the forms. Some say let it dry at least overnight, some say you can remove it right away and keep building the next level. I wonder when you keep working right away if the base put. Anyone have experience in that?

Hey everyone, Here's some video compilation of the earthen floors I've been working on this Spring/Summer. Lots of bits of knowledge in here for anyone interested in doing earthen floors. They're really wonderful, but they are definitely a challenge! See what trial and error we've had to go through so far with these floors and this soil.

I wanted to post some of the photos from the Cob Hobbit House build. I was thinking of doing a live Q&A call for you to ask questions about this build, but let's start here...post any questions you have regarding this one. I have more case studies in the works. I'm currently compiling one for the Florida Cob Cottage and the Cob Quonset Hut. Spring projects are ramping up though, so I'm a bit behind on all the digital online work. Thanks for your patience!

Wattle & Daub is an earth building technique that's not often talked about these days. It's basically a thin cob wall built between post & beam and woven lattice. I don't normally recommend wattle & daub for exterior walls unless you live in a tropical climate. The walls are too thin for substantial insulation or thermal mass. But they're quick to build and work great for natural, non-toxic interior walls in any home or building.