New Summer 2012 Workshop in Ault, CO

Ready to get you hands dirty and learn how to build a cob oven? Natural Builder Ryan C. Deuschle and Roland Boschmann (MArch, Leed CD+B) for a three weekend backyard cob oven building experience. We will be hand crafting a beautiful wood fired cob oven that will be finished with a flagstone counter top and earthen plaster. After attending our workshop you will have the skills and knowledge to build your own hand crafted cob oven.

The workshops will span three weekends in June:
June 16th and 17th-Foundations and Cob Basics
June 23rd and 24th - The Cob Oven
June 30th - Earthen Plaster and Mortar

The first weekend, we will put up a foundation of urbanite and build the base of the oven. Over the two days you will learn the basics of cob. This includes things like what a good mix feels and sounds like and how to build with the stuff.

The second weekend, we will build the actual cob oven. The thermal layer will go up the first day and the second day will will put on the insulation layer. This weekend we will put a flagstone counter on as well.

The third and final weekend we will plaster the whole thing with an earthen plaster and mortar the joints of the counter top.

The workshop will be held in Ault, CO which is just 18 miles East of Ft. Collins.  There are two different price options. The full workshop which includes all three weekends is $500.  If you are just wanting to get some experience in one area of building with cob you can come out for a single weekend for $250. Scholarships are available.

We will have a lot fun building with great music and food. Saturdays after building we will hold a potluck camp fire dinner to get to know each other a little better. To sign up or get more info give me a call at 720-514-0462 or email at coloradocob@gmail.com

Spring Time in Colorado: Lets Get Ready to Build!

The Springtime Sangre de Christos in Southern Colorado

After a mild winter here in Colorado the folks here at Colorado Cob are getting geared up for another great summer with some fun workshops showcasing cob, cob oven construction and earthen plasters. There will at least one class in Denver and a three up North of Denver in Ault (near Fort Collins). Several other possible projects may come to fruition as well so keep posted for some great opportunities to get your hands and feet muddy.

In the meantime enjoy the wonderful rocky mountain spring weather!

-Ryan

A Little Work in Maine

After working a job out on the coast of Connecticut I had the pleasure of visiting my friends up in Maine. They are starting up a goats milk creamery and building themselves a little timber framed house. The house is still being designed outside of the foundation dimensions. That said, this summer they cleared the foundation area and ran into solid rock (or shelf as they say in Maine). The rock looks like it is some kind of gneiss with nice veins of crumbly quartz and iron. This nice rock has a few low spots in it that collect water and before building a house it is something that should have a drain which, means cutting a drain in solid rock.

The rock is tough and their previous attempts to break it up using rock bars, mauls and a skill saw with a diamond blade were unsuccessful. So for round two, my friend rented a 14 inch gas powered concrete saw. The saw is a wet or dry use saw, but since we were no where near running water our cuts were made dry.

Our initial strategy was to make saw blade deep cuts on either side of the trench we were cutting then make perpendicular kerf cuts. This worked great for the first pass or two. Then the rock got harder or the angle was not longer good enough and by the third cut down this technique was useless.  The adaptation was to make lots of long parallel cuts close together and the use a rock bar to break the fins. Often we could break the fins out across the entire trench with this method. It made a lot of dust but made lighter work of the rock removal.

Two main areas required most of the work. In each spot we had to go down 14 to 16 inches. This meant that we had to terrace the trench so that the saw could keep fitting deeper as needed. Amusingly there were parts of the rock that had an iron layer and so big chunks would come out along that layer very easy. This was welcome relief when it happened.

The completed trench

 Originally we thought the work would take two days at most as it looked like there was only a couple high spots that needed to come down to allow for drainage. We did our guesstimating without the use of a transit or other mechanical help to aid our calibrated eye levels.  The project ended up taking four days and lots of dust. All the work was well worth it as there is now a trench that will keep the foundation of their happy home dry.

Snow Cob

Back wall trench under snow.

Winter Cob

The cob oven and courtyard built at the home of Brad and Jenny Smalling & Evergroove Studio has performed excellent over the Rocky Mountain winter.  The snow and ice stayed off of the cob and it apparently stirred the curiosity of the forest critters. It has seen visitors from fox, elk, deer and a handful of other forest friends.

The space has held a handful of parties and Jenny tells me the oven makes amazing pitas. Something I can personally attest to!

This should stand as an example that snow is not a problem with cob if you protect it with a good foundation and roof.  This goes for rain as well.

The snow and ice has built up well away from the cob wall. A trench that runs the  length of the wall will provide drainage during the spring thaw and large rainstorms. 

Inside of the space is dry, a nice protected winter spot.

Ice and snow are away from the cob wall.

Cob Home Model

Below are photos of a house design that I have been working on for the past few months. After having difficulty sketching the different elevations and three dimensional interiors I moved onto a medium that I have much better luck with, clay. The photos below are of a conceptual model of the house. This means that it is not quite to scale (but close), all the mechanical systems have not been modeled as well as other technical aspects. The main things I wanted to work on were windows/lighting, room shapes, proportions and whether or not I wanted to create a high roof to allow room for a sleeping loft. While I was not planning to get as detailed as I have, the process has allowed me to enter the space as if I am already living in it. This has been incredibly helpful in resolving conflicts I had about the design.

I found that window shapes and locations were the most difficult part. I want to blend both the softer rounder features of cob with more modern elements. I found the windows to be a perfect place to express this. The challenge with that however was creating modern shapes that complimented the aesthetic of cob and this rounded building. I feel like the windows on the kitchen and bathroom walls do this best. The large picture windows in the living room are intended to be as large as reasonably possible to give a sense of connectedness with the outside as well as allow sunlight to pour in and heat the home. The column of round windows in the bathroom should not only provide some natural light but act as a focus point drawing you into the bathroom while creating an artistic element of its own. The walls of this hallway and bathroom would be white lime plaster.

One element that I am not decided on is whether to leave the large timber posts partially exposed on the exterior. I like the way it looks and it is a more honest expression of what materials are being used. The only downside to this would be a significant increase in finishing time and complexity.

The roof would be an insulated metal roof with a solatube over the bathroom sink.  The current roofline would remain unchanged unless the environment required sharper angles for snow load or greater solar access.  There is a large overhang at the front door for shoes, changing out of muddy clothes and welcoming guests.

On that note, I want the front of the building to gently pull you in and then release you into the rooms once past the door threshold.

The bedroom is small and mostly windowless. I want the light in this room to be controlled and feel a little cave like, a safe feeling comfortable place to sleep anytime of day. There will be additional shelving for storage. The door to this room is narrow to allow someone in the room to remain semi-private but still accessible to other people in the rest of the house. It is particularly open to someone in the kitchen.  It will have a closing wooden door. 

The living room is a large cob bench that will hopefully encourage long nights of socializing. The centerpiece of the room is a fireplace built into the dividing wall/counter of the kitchen. This could also become a rocket stove to heat the bench as well as the air in the house.

The kitchen will need more design. While currently it would work, the oven will need to find a more appropriate home. Possibly in the corner near the front of the house.

There is no toilet. This home will use a composting outhouse to recycle human waste as fertilizer for fruit and nut trees.  However, it would not be difficult to add a toilet to the shower room if it was desired.

Finish elements would also have a large effect on the overall presentation of the building. Plastering could include circles that accent, accentuate or continue patterns already in the building. Doors would be solid hardwood and handcrafted. I also like the idea of using copper and brass for metal elements. The patina would nice.

I hope you enjoy the photos. I will post newer ones as things progress.

Cob Street Number Sign

This September we built the straw bale street sign that I posted about here earlier in the summer. The project went well and we ended up with a beautiful sign.

There were a few things to be learned from this project. The first is that a discovery or fill plaster layer is a requirement. We tried using only one layer of plaster in order to keep the project small, quick and short. That just did not work out as well as I thought it would. The other big thing is that horse manure will darker the plaster significantly. Along with gray clay and sand of varying colors we did not get the intended red color. But it still looks great, and an alis can be put on in the spring to get the intended color if desired.

The owners wants to add a flagstone top and a solar light kit.

All Wrapped Up in Evergreen

After a great late summer of work and an excellent workshop, the cob courtyard/oven at the Smallings/ Evergroove Studios has been plastered and completed. The earthen plaster went on nicely over two days. We should get a hard durable plaster that will protect it over the cold snowy mountain winter. A special thanks to my dad for helping me out with plastering. 

The stones are from all the front range 14'ers and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

This project has been a labor of love that has been just that, a lot of labor. The building could not have been done without all the help and hard work of everyone that got muddy or carried rocks to sculpt this beautiful space. Thank you to everyone who put their love and energy into the space.