While it could be argued that any brick home is “made from mud,” that’s not what this is about. These homes are made from cob, which is an ancient combination of clay-rich soil, water, and straw. When formed and dried, cob is strong, eco-friendly, economical, and versatile. With care and imagination, cob homes can be gorgeous, like the one shown here.
The 832 square foot house was built by Austin senior systems analyst for the University of Texas, Gary Zuker. He built his own home out of pure economics. He couldn’t afford to have his home built, so he used common sense to build it himself, resourcing books about architecture from the university. He spent a fair amount on timber, and created the roof with scissor trusses on the recommendation of an architect friend. He wanted to have a maintenance free home, and finally the old world style of stone appealed to him. He spoke with an indigenous building expert, where he learned how to build with mud and straw. Batches of straw are covered with clay mud which is mixed until it becomes a form of clay. Then, the clay is thrown onto forms for the walls. The walls are gradually built from the bottom up, and the forms removed. The straw clay dries hard as concrete. It took him “millions of hours” and he started completely without building plans. He used curved logs to build the curved front door. He used logs from the oldest log cabin in Austin to build the fireplace and exterior porch. The home is filled with reclaimed building supplies. Exquisite details include the hammered copper coverings he added to traditional white, basic appliances. The house cost $25,000 to build, and an additional $15,000 was required for its septic system and a well. He built the entire home by hand, contriving what he needed as the interior emerged.
Cob houses range from traditional styles you’d never recognize as mud homes to Hobbit homes and whimsical art structures. See them all at Housely.