Started a new cob project today. A fire pit. I’ve got an entire wheel barrow full of dirt so there’s more to build. I’m foregoing the straw this time around, with such a small structure I’m curious to see how it’ll hold up without that fiber I don’t have a tarp so I’m mixing in a small bucket. 🪣 I prefer the tarp, much easier and feet are better mixing tools than hands for cob. @Alex Sumerall if I get some garden lime from Home Depot, is there a curing process that I can do? Last time I tried that, it all washed away - but I didn’t cure it. I had read somewhere if you cover it with a plastic for a few days the C02 put off can “cure” it

Yesterday, I poured the floor on my new rammed earth outdoor shower. I'm happy to say, this luxurious shower will be available for workshop students starting in April! Yesterday, I also received the 2000 bricks that I'll be using to construct the stem wall for the massive cob wall we'll be constructing at our upcoming hands-on workshops. Check out the class schedule here: https://www.thiscobhouse.com/cob-workshops/ What do you think of the new shower so far?

I wanted to start small for my first cob project so I decided to try a little rocket stove.i made the bottom tray first with a perlite clay mixture. I ran out of materials before I finished the “J tube” and the ground has been covered in snow so I can’t get more. I am wondering if the crack is because I didn’t add enough sand? Or too much straw? Thanks for any suggestions.

I am as much an advocate for straw and hemp fiber walls as I am for earth walls. Natural fiber and earth have different properties, but deliver the overall benefits that people are looking for in construction. I'll be opening up my straw-clay course very soon. This class will cover in detail how to construct straw-clay and hempcrete/hemp-slip walls. Who's interested in these natural building materials?

Earlier in 2024, after the April TN Workshop with Alex - I came home and built a cob rocket stove. It worked great, until it fell apart completely LOL' It fell apart because the lime plaster I used incl regular garden lime from the hardware store, and I didn't 'cure' it... or at least that's what I think happened. I figured out pretty quickly (after the first rain) that the plaster didn't work and never got around to fixing it. A few weeks ago after some very heavy rain it finally toppled over. I've got a lot of footage I haven't edited yet, IDK if I will get around to it... but below you can see a few pics/vids from the project! Overall, it was fun. 10/10. But I need to learn more about true lime plaster.