Putting A Roof On A Cob House

Windows and doors in a cob house.

Putting a roof on a cob house.

From sod to straw wool to wood there are a variety of roof insulation options for cob houses. I m 6 mths into the build todate and am almost ready to do the walls so i cant wait to put into practise what you have shown me. The roof can be constructed the same way and many are made with a flowing. Cob house construction is an ancient building technique using lumps of earth mixed with sand straw and water.

For a first time builder a yurt style roof like cyric30 suggested would probably be easiest. Basically have a big beefy piece of wood at least 6 inches thick and go for as wide as the wall. You would place a bond beam at the top of the cob wall ideally concrete and rebar or alternatively airplane cable connecting all the members of the roof in one big circle they way the roof is designed is to act in compression while exerting force on the bond beam which will act in tension. Learn about the pros and cons of each material in this excerpt taken from roofs.

Cob structures can be used as homes chicken coops barns and even smaller ones for ovens. It will comprise of 6 dwellings and the main house which is 2 storey will be 80 cob. You can absolutely have windows and doors in a cob house.