BajaNomad

Cob Houses in Baja

buddha - 11-15-2008 at 03:34 PM

http://www.cobworks.com/mexico2008.htm

Here is a cob house that was built in Mexico as a workshop.

These houses are very inexpensive, durable, artistic, and easy to build.

Are there any in Northern Baja?

I would think that with all of the clay, sand, and straw around it would be easy to get materials.

Cost to build is roughly 7-15 dollars/sq. foot more or less.

Udo - 11-15-2008 at 04:24 PM

How have the houses held up during the heavy weather and hurricanes?
Cool photos, and, a cool looking house. Where is the plumbing and electric for kitchen & bath?

fishingmako - 11-15-2008 at 04:59 PM

Cool pictures, nice tear drop trailer wonder who was staying in that? where exactly were these pictures taken?

buddha - 11-16-2008 at 04:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by fishingmako
Cool pictures, nice tear drop trailer wonder who was staying in that? where exactly were these pictures taken?


I believe that this house was built near cabo.

buddha - 11-16-2008 at 04:07 PM

The workshops will give you the labor as they charge them to help out with the construction as part of the learning process, a win-win situation.

bigdogbounty - 11-16-2008 at 07:46 PM

sounds pretty good !

bajajudy - 11-16-2008 at 09:41 PM

I think that it is near San Bartolo.

Sharksbaja - 11-17-2008 at 03:40 AM

I think you're right Judy, San Bartolo.. say that guy looks kinda like ..no way !!:wow:

Do you bamboo?;D::biggrin:

work28.jpg - 38kB

2-tie-dye-4 - 11-17-2008 at 05:52 AM

Way cool house! About how long does it take to build one?

Bob and Susan - 11-17-2008 at 06:09 AM

very pretty
VERY pretty

but...

lets see...

no rebar and made of mud....:light:

big storm???...earthquake???...dirt floors???...

sharkman...think this could be good???

and built for people that have nothing...
artists....my my

it is pretty but so are sand sculptures:light:

i wonder what it looks like today

oldjack - 11-17-2008 at 09:35 AM

It is just a few kilometers south of San Bartolo... I go by it frequently when going to SB for tamales... I have watched with interest for the past two years waiting for a completed structure... have yet to find someone there to talk to... the buildings look good... and adobe(?) has proven to be durable when taken care of....

CaboRon - 11-17-2008 at 10:33 AM

Don't know about the house ....

But, I really like that teardrop trailer ....

CaboRon

Martyman - 11-17-2008 at 12:45 PM

You'd have to eat a lot of corn tortillas to get enough cobs!!

Diver - 11-17-2008 at 01:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
I think you're right Judy, San Bartolo.. say that guy looks kinda like ..no way !!:wow:

Do you bamboo?;D::biggrin:


Thanks for the fun shot of JR - he is still missed.

Me thinks that Bob is right - although they can be built with reinforcing, I didn't see any in this project either.
And if the labor isn't free .... $$$

On the bright side;
If the walls get soaked you could be living in a 2000 sf worm farm ! :lol:
.

cob information

buddha - 11-18-2008 at 12:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob and Susan
very pretty
VERY pretty

but...

lets see...

no rebar and made of mud....:light:

big storm???...earthquake???...dirt floors???...

sharkman...think this could be good???

and built for people that have nothing...
artists....my my

it is pretty but so are sand sculptures:light:

i wonder what it looks like today


http://www.cobcottage.com/whatis

cob building

buddha - 11-18-2008 at 12:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 2-tie-dye-4
Way cool house! About how long does it take to build one?


It depends on if you do it yourself or if you have help. All of these cob companies it seems will supply the labor for free if you have room for camping and shower facilities.

I read where a lady built her own home in oregon for about 1500 dollars with just her and her 12 year daughter in one summer.

Here is some information.

http://alienbluestar.com/wordpress/?p=120

buddha - 11-18-2008 at 12:40 AM

Here is a project that was in San Bartolo.

http://www.cobworks.com/mexicogallery.htm

2-tie-dye-4 - 11-18-2008 at 03:47 AM

thanks, buddha

TMW - 11-18-2008 at 08:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by buddha
Here is a project that was in San Bartolo.

http://www.cobworks.com/mexicogallery.htm


JR probably built one and re-enforced it with bamboo.

Where to lease/buy land?

buddha - 11-25-2008 at 11:30 PM

Where is there reasonable land that is somewhat close to the coast in Baja that I might be able to build a cob house?
Quote:
Originally posted by buddha
http://www.cobworks.com/mexico2008.htm

Here is a cob house that was built in Mexico as a workshop.

These houses are very inexpensive, durable, artistic, and easy to build.

Are there any in Northern Baja?

I would think that with all of the clay, sand, and straw around it would be easy to get materials.

Cost to build is roughly 7-15 dollars/sq. foot more or less.

buddha - 8-14-2010 at 12:29 PM

Some more cob houses.

http://www.cobworks.com/photo-gallery/

astrobaja - 8-14-2010 at 04:10 PM

So cobb is basically like a rammed earth building? Our house is adobe with lime plaster on the outside and earthen palster on the inside, we love it stays cool in summer heat and warm in winter! The blocks were made right on site with clay, sand, water, and bales of straw. As far as earthquake proof, the house can be made with a cement bond beam with rebar, ours has vertical rebar every 6 feet. The little guest casita is also adobe!
The only thing is adobe/cobb houses need a very substantial foundation.

http://www.bajadarkskies.com/Accomodations.html

astrobaja - 8-14-2010 at 04:12 PM

Oh yes the Tres Mujeres vinedo in Valle de Guadalupe is also adobe!

astrobaja - 8-14-2010 at 05:36 PM

Ok now I understand the difference. But with the horno and cobb house why not use a lime plaster? We had 100 mph gusts in the El Nino storm this winter with 23 inches of rain in one day and the plaster held up fine!
Adobe needs to breathe and lime plaster allows this. The Pai Pais that did our home used the traditional nopal cactus cut up finely and left in a barrel of water, this slimy water they used in the initial coat of lime plaster along with a bit of sallt and fine sand, 2 more coats of lime and sand plaster were added to achieve a smooth finish (without the nopal). We plan on doing the same with our adobe pizza oven we just built.

SWMSMB - 8-14-2010 at 09:25 PM

Quote:
Will limehold up to the heat of an horno?



Lime isn't great for high temperature applications because it tends to disintegrate from the heating/cooling cycles. We built a brick oven at our house and used aluminum silicate-based refractory mortar for all of the fire and heat exposed areas. That stuff is expensive, though.

Fornobravo.com/forum is a great resource for masonry ovens. Focused on brick ovens but has some good general high temp masonry discussions.

astrobaja - 8-15-2010 at 07:50 AM

I think theres a lot of misconception out there as regards traditional building techniques. So called modern materials like concrete are merely much faster and conveniant but certainly not superior in many ways. The C02 is what sets/ hardens the lime plaster in a process called carbonation.
It does not need to be done every few years, its been used for centuries in Europe on old buildings, in fact the Roman temple known as the Pantheon has a lime based dome spanning 43 meters that has endured for nearly 1900 years!
I wonder sometimes how well our so called modern buildings will last in comparison!

http://www.buildinggreentv.com/node/171

1st off you really need to get the book Adobe Conservation A preservation Handbook by Cornerstone Community Partnerships its a very valuable guide!

As for your oven if it has an insulative layer in it (wood shavings or sawdust) it should work fine, we have it on our fireplace and no cracks have appeared.

For colour we found a great place that sells natural pigments, all you do is mix lime, water and the pigment, very easy!


http://www.earthpigments.com/index2.cfm

monoloco - 8-15-2010 at 07:57 AM

The hot lime that you have to slack works much better for plaster than the hydrated type more commonly available.

Earthbag is better

mcfez - 8-17-2010 at 07:40 AM

Since Baja is mostly sand...
We are building earth bag construction starting next year north of San Felipe. Having tested the concept here on the farm, and going to a week long "how to do it" course in Mojave.....a fantastic easy way to get things done.

Sandbags, 90% sand, a 10% concrete ....no re-bar...barbwire (!). Sounds crazy hun? It's not. This building process has been approved by the Kern County building department

The net has good basic info.

Or buy <Building with Earth> 1-890132-81-0



[Edited on 8-17-2010 by mcfez]

sandhouse-5.jpg - 34kB

mcfez - 8-17-2010 at 08:07 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by fishabductor
Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Since Baja is mostly sand...
We are building earth bag construction starting next year north of San Felipe. Having tested the concept here on the farm, and going to a week long "how to do it" course in Mojave.....a fantastic easy way to get things done.

Sandbags, 90% sand, a 10% concrete ....no re-bar...barbwire (!). Sounds crazy hun? It's not. This building process has been approved by the Kern County building department

The net has good basic info.

Or buy <Building with Earth> 1-890132-81-0



[Edited on 8-17-2010 by mcfez]


Very labor intensive construction as is Earthship construction(using discarded tires and packing soil into the cavity), and from my understanding you need to build everything in domes.


No tires! The tire tec is very hard to do indeed, I agree with you on that. We tried that for 4 days with a crew here at the farm...packing the tires just isnt cost effective. Did someone mention residual gas coming off the old tires....I agree with that too.

Very easy using sandbags ONLY! Have a crew of four, 9-10 days, and wammo. Done it! Domes can be as large (24 feet diameter) and mutli domes connected to each...hence...one can build a huge compound. There's a <Vault House> under construction at Pete's camp San Felipe ....sandbag tec too but not completely. We have a step by step picture of that project...very nice.

good questions!

mcfez - 8-17-2010 at 09:07 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by fishabductor
What are the sandbags made out of? Will they hold up to baja's harsh UV rays? baja is the only place I have ever been where plastic is biodegradable.

I messed around with the tire design too.

I tried the following.

Cob, adobe, tires, rocks and blocks. I will probably end up with a rock/block home.

I love cob homes, but I don't think they will stand uo to the elements here...hurricanes primarily. If I could put a cement stucco on the exterior that wouldn't crack due to to the expansion differences between cob/cement. I would probably build a cob home.

Not sure whether or not the building inspectors allow them here however. I will have to ask one of my cousin's who is the head of the local inspectors when I see him next.



[Edited on 8-17-2010 by fishabductor]


Plastic bags...

Theres a step by step way to do these include the use of a UV ray block (we will be using Lime, which was used extensively in the colony days.....

' I will have to ask one of my cousin's who is the head of the local inspectors "....no offense Sir....most folks dont even know about this process. Sacramento County Building Department's response was ......"hun?" !

I have enclosed two links for you. One is the school. Dont attempt to build any sort of structure without a basic learning class.....it be cheaper for you to pay $1500 than to have a ruined Sandbag house! I tried a unit here (small dome) and was peeing my panties on the second day. Went to hands-on Workshops at Cal-Earth and ended up having dry panties!

http://calearth.org/learn-to-build/workshops.html

This link is loaded with pictures of various projects of this type of process. Good luck to you on however you may build.

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&biw=1920&...









[Edited on 8-18-2010 by mcfez]

[Edited on 8-18-2010 by mcfez]

snowcat5 - 8-17-2010 at 05:52 PM

Hi, I have built cob houses and sheds. They are cheap but a messy pain. If you have sandy soil try the earthbag route. I have built a few buildings around the East cape over the years using the polyester bags. You buy a 1000' roll stateside. You have to plaster (cement) in 6 months or so or the bags rot. You use rebar and barbed wire to hold the bags together. In Zacatitos, center of the development, on the ocean side of the main road , is a 2-story bag house. I didn't build it but it is a good example- it has never been completely finished and has many bats living inside. Many sites and books on the internet about bag houses. Mix 2 parts earth, 5 parts sand and 1 part cement (all dry). After building-up walls, plaster with cement Mexi style (thrown) 2 coats. The walls go up quick, once you get a system to fill the bags. You need at least 2 people for construction- 1 can do it but slow- 3 or 4 folks is best. I have known owner-builders to build bag houses in Mexico for about $20-40 sf: cement floor, roof, wall and Beers. That's my 2 sense...

mcfez - 8-18-2010 at 06:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by snowcat5
Hi, I have built cob houses and sheds. They are cheap but a messy pain. If you have sandy soil try the earthbag route. I have built a few buildings around the East cape over the years using the polyester bags. You buy a 1000' roll stateside. You have to plaster (cement) in 6 months or so or the bags rot. You use rebar and barbed wire to hold the bags together. In Zacatitos, center of the development, on the ocean side of the main road , is a 2-story bag house. I didn't build it but it is a good example- it has never been completely finished and has many bats living inside. Many sites and books on the internet about bag houses. Mix 2 parts earth, 5 parts sand and 1 part cement (all dry). After building-up walls, plaster with cement Mexi style (thrown) 2 coats. The walls go up quick, once you get a system to fill the bags. You need at least 2 people for construction- 1 can do it but slow- 3 or 4 folks is best. I have known owner-builders to build bag houses in Mexico for about $20-40 sf: cement floor, roof, wall and Beers. That's my 2 sense...


Papercrete is a wonder material too for plastering. It's paper made into a mush...then a little concrete added to the mix. Works super. Oh.....and there is tons of paper at the edido dump in SF