I'm a big fan of learning through doing - I'm very much a kinesthetic learner. So the idea of making this earth oven harder for myself doesn't really phase me. Maybe it should though. But I've decided to make the base out of cob as well!
Then the other day a couple of friends were struggling with childcare (school hasn't started back yet but lots of holiday clubs are already finished), so I said I'd take them all in. And, with my wife, my friend adn her 4 children said they'd come over for a bit of fun.
It was hard to keep them focused but they had such a great time. I don't think there was a single argument all morning, just lots of smiles and muddy children. I did make them a quick bench with my saw horses so they could do some model making and that seemed to entertain them the most.
Who knew you could dig fun out the ground like this!
When we got the mix somewhere near right we then started to make it into bricks that we could later use in the base construction (once I poured the concrete slab).
This was the sharp sand, clay and straw mix.
We then had a huge lunch, with three lots of bread freshly baked that morning (I'd kneeded some rye the night before and left to prove in the fridge, one batch in the machine and one batch in the morning by hand with my daughter and a few of the other children) and tomatoes and cucumbers from the polytunnel, as well as cured meats and some cheeses.
A fun day, but man was it tiring, especially as I then went on to pour the 4ft by 4ft concrete slab for the base. The idea being that the cob bricks will get used to build the walls up around the outside of that base then get infilled with rubble. The top layer will have glass bottles in it to aid the heat retention before the firebricks get laid down.
I'd love to hear from you if you've built with cob before? Anyway to speed things up?
Am I mad to build the base from cob as well? Will this create problems in the future? Am I mad anyway?
How much fun did you give those children, getting mucky, making things and a fantastic lunch, I hope they never forget the fun of the day.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a great day. One I'll certainly remember!
DeleteMad?? Wonderfully, amazingly mad...to give those kids such a wonderful day. They will never forget it. Carry on!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Deletei would have liked to be there and enjoy the fun! it's a good kind of tired to be after a day like that!
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely - very full on but lovely all the same!
DeleteWhat fun! And what a great idea to get children involved.
ReplyDeleteDan has gotten interested in possibly building a cob oven. He's working on a rocket stove cookstove at the moment, for our outdoor kitchen. But we'd like a large oven for pizzas and large bakings of bread and things, so he's thinking about trying his hand at cob.
When you do I'll send you over some tips I've learnt! Mixing with your feet is great fun but takes far too long unfortunately! I like the idea of a rocket stove and a tandoor for a bigger outdoor cooking area.
DeleteHi Kev,
ReplyDeleteLong time reader of your blog but first time commenting.
Our home here in Australia is made of cob. We call it a mud brick home. It’s an amazing building, quite large and lots of lead light windows. Beautiful and cool in our hot summers. I love how you include your children in your adventures. Keep up being a great dad. They are lucky children.
Judith
Ah thank you for commenting. I worry that blogging is slowly dieing, although i'm very lucky to still get some lovely people comment quite often. I'd love to live in a earth house/ship that I've seen built in Europe. It seems so sensible to use the materials around us but we tend to loose our way with them at times. and like you say great for temperature control!
DeleteThanks for your kind words
Kev
You're such a brilliant Dad Kev, those kids will remember that day forever, such fun.
ReplyDeleteAh thank you, My wife was there as well though - she's the amazing one!
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