The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book Kindle Edition

I know there are many, many books and resources out there on cob building. And yes, this is the only book I have read on this subject, and so I cannot make any comparisons. BUT, I would argue that you will be hard-pressed to find a better and more complete book on this subject than this one. Can you build a cob house from reading this book alone? Absolutely. It's a complete guide.Happy building!

One of the most jam-packed-with-practical-usable-insight-and-skills book I've ever come across, an absolute delight, was even better than I had hoped it would be. Great illustrations, great mix of theoretical and practical knowledge, and beyond that, hard won wisdom that could only come from someone who's put in the time actually doing this stuff. If you're on the fence, don't waste another minute reading reviews, just order the thing already! While working our way through this book, my wife and I participated in a hands-on Cob Building workshop, which was a great supplement to this book, if you can do so I'd highly recommend it (as do the authors of this book, who run workshops up in Oregon where they cover this material in-depth). Even so, I wouldn't pass up this book, it is a treasury of information on the topic of "alternative"/natural home building, in general, and Cob Building specifically, written by the key people who've revived this art for the rest of us, in our times.

I felt like the author was really trying to push an agenda- in a way that seemed more like 'you're with us or against us' instead of inspiring. The book is longer than it needs to be with hippy, feel-good filler. The material presented is great though, easy to understand and detailed. I wish this book came in a version with the primitive hippy ideology removed and replaced with common sense and maybe even more reference charts/pictures.

This is an excellent offering by Amazon. Though I would consider it a Primer for these methods of construction, the book does establish literal and figurative foundation, while encouraging and suggestively guiding creativity.The structures are delightful departures from the present box world of design, and harken back to either working with nature, or what confines nature might dictates.These forms, by way of their practicality and 'movement', either induce or provide confidence and calm.Todays structures depicting ego driven materialistic projection, are confronted by these understatements of craft, logic, form and function that appear to be nestled, rather than asserted.Anticipate higher glazing expenses for custom sizings to accommodate and flow with these forms. Reasonably expect challenges from the present 'cubicle mentality' of local 'appointee' building inspectors.Alternatively, you might consider a move to Idaho, where design is not curtailed, yet remains limited by personal responsibility.

Tons of information on building cob structures. I'm looking forward to trying a small scale project out. Hopefully, one day I'll build a tiny home out of cob.

Love this book, it is easy to read and has great simple drawings and pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out more about cob building. A really well, down to earth book. Ianto Evans is the first pioneer and expert when it comes to COB Building!

This is a great book. I often dream of living off the grid (but with a great supermarket close by and UPS delivery, of course). Considering I live in a flood zone and hurricane alley, a cob house may not be the best option for me specifically, but this book gives me hope that someday even I might be able to build my own cottage if I move out of Florida.But enough about me, here's some useful info you might want to know about the actual book you're thinking of purchasing... it is chock-a-block full of helpful illustrations, color photos and descriptions of the preparation of the site, the type of cob (mud & straw) you will need and how to prepare it and the actual building. You may or may not need a lot of friends to help you, it all depends on what size home you decide to build. It has pages of book & website resources in the back, descriptions galore of people who never thought they could build their own homes but have managed to do it and thrived in their own cob cottages and it's just such a fun read. It really seems doable and the 3 authors actually live in cob houses. Their stories are included as well. I especially found the option of not paying a mortgage very appealing.Cob houses can be one or two stories, they have been around for centuries in other countries and there are many even in the US. This book appealed to the architect I never became; it is engrossing in all its detail and it's written so well, that anyone can understand their method. Look into it, you will find it inspiring.

This is a really great book. Introducing a new subject can be difficult and this book explains in detail the procedure, the ways to evaluate the ingredients, and includes all kinds of tips on what to watch for, how to fix mistakes before they ruin your efforts...a must read for all of us who aspire to alternative lives off the grid.Organic, self-made housing totally appeals, and this is one book to have in your library if that's what you want too.

I absolutely adore this book. I had read the Cob Handbook previously and although that was an enjoyable book, I felt this one went into far more detail and design planning considerations. I also really enjoyed the philosophy around building with cob and natural architecture in general. The book covers the history of cob, financial and land obstacles, a wonderful section on planning and site selection, soil tests, cob mixing, and more.There are a number of illustrations throughout the book and although hand drawn, they're perfectly clear I think this adds to the subject matter - after all, we're talking about getting away from rigidness and straight lines so no need for exact architectural drawings!Although I've never met Ianto, I've already found him very likeable and look forward to reading his book about rocket stoves. The Hand-Sculpted House is a wonderful read - highly recommended and has inspired me to one day build my own home out of cob, although at this stage, I've not got past my miniature clay mockup!

Nobody in the world has done more to revive the traditions of natural building than Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley of the cob cottage company. They were the very first pioneers in what has now become a global movement. If you are looking for a practical "how to" cookbook with reliable tried and tested recipes backed by decades of experience from the authors this is the undisputed original BIBLE of the natural building movement.

Such an interesting book! I bought it as a gift but I ended up reading it first because it was so cool!

excellent piece of knowledge, is my first book about cob building, and I have a decent idea in my head about how to do it. Very down on earth and easy to understand, even if you are new to the subject. Great!

I bought this book because i wanted to learn how to build a house out of cob. Period. I was not interested in the "philosophy" aspect because i was already sold on the idea and i also assumed that it would be one man standing on a soapbox and waxing pretentiously. However, i began to really appreciate the way the author inserted his philosophy on building because is super practical and really illuminated some aspects of building and of living in general that made me feel even more empowered to start building my own house. I look forward to rereading i, which i rarely do with books..