Dream Home

My ideal dream home is not a very commonly desired home. Although, maybe that's because people just don't know how cool and affordable this type of housing is. I am referring to a cob house or also known as an earth rammed home. Cob is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.

Here are pictures of one being built. 

 

I have been planning on building one of these for the past few years now. I think it would be so awesome to build your own house with your own hands. Man has been building his own shelter for as long as we can guess. Now you have to pay a lifetime debt to a bank  just to own a common home. No thank you! These houses are all a fraction of the cost of a manufactured home, plus they are unique, and eco friendly.  Look how beautiful they can be. 

Also, they are insulated from the heat in the summer and harsh winds in the winter with their thick walls. You can set windows facing the sun during the winter to maximize heat collection too. Some people get very artistic as you can see in this picture. 

The inside of these homes are incredibly rad.  I have heard of folks running pipes from a pot bellied stove through the base of their bed (which is made of cob) to have warm and cozy sleep. Ingenious! 
The ways in which you can personalize your indoor space are very broad. Walls can turn into benches, fire places, shelves and even stairs. 

 Here are a couple of my favorite shots of inside a cob home. 

You could build a home like the ones in these pictures for about $10K-$15k or you can just live the American dream and do what everyone else does.  Your choice.