When it came to saving a would-be demolished wooden carriage house, one homeowner reached back in time to an ancient method.
The Globe and Mail reported on Shannon Kyles, a retired architectural history teacher, who tapped into cob building to create a future for a dilapidated building.
Kyles is no stranger to saving buildings, as she lives in an 1830s Ontario cottage called "The Gryphon" that she transported to its present-day location.
Through a friend, she got word that a nearby farm was looking to get rid of buildings, including a 20-foot by 25-foot carriage house that she could place next to The Gryphon. Kyles, who also runs an Ontario Architecture website, couldn't resist.
Cob building came into play to make the carriage house insulated and suitable for winters. Kyles rents out The Gryphon to make ends meet on her pension, so a three-season building was a must.
Cob building wasn't the first choice, as neither Kyles nor the contractors she worked with had ever done it. But she ruled out structural insulated panels as too expensive at $60,000. The team also considered straw-bale building, but that wasn't feasible. One of the contractors, Gene Power, deserves the credit for suggesting cob in the first place.
The Globe and Mail noted that by summer 2023, the wood frame was up, and the foundation was ready to go. Thus, Kyles and the contractors, Bill Beaton and Power, began the process of trial-and-error to make the right mix that could support bricks.
They watched internet tutorials, made test bricks, and finally landed on the right formula featuring sand, clay, water, straw, lime, and cement. Kyles was hands-on throughout the process. She even took over unilaterally when the costs and time required started to inch higher, and the contractors had another job.
Ultimately, cob building was an inspired choice that others have made with great success globally.
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Oregon has become a hotbed for the construction technique, which dates back thousands of years. Resourceful DIYers throughout America have also used the technique with massive cost savings, including a Montana couple that built a home for $20,000. There's even a California man who lives in a home he built for $200.
Not only are they cost-effective, but cob houses are sustainable as they use readily available natural material. According to cob builder Global Green, their thick thermal mass can keep temperatures comfortable in all seasons.
For Kyles, the restoration of the carriage house was a huge success with stunning results. The Globe and Mail raved about the cob's noise reduction qualities, the visibility of the natural materials, and even the windows that Kyles similarly saved from destruction.
The overall project cost her somewhere between $85,000 to $100,000, and Kyles saved a building that now looks well-positioned to stand the test of time.
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