DIY Cob Cabin

1 / 4
A tiny cob cabin can serve as an office, playroom, or studio.
A tiny cob cabin can serve as an office, playroom, or studio.
2 / 4
Pallets stuffed with straw and covered with cob form the structure’s walls.
Pallets stuffed with straw and covered with cob form the structure’s walls.
3 / 4
You can build a well-insulated, affordable structure in just a few weeks.
You can build a well-insulated, affordable structure in just a few weeks.
4 / 4
Decorative sculpting and stained glass were added during the construction process to give this cob hut a whimsical touch.
Decorative sculpting and stained glass were added during the construction process to give this cob hut a whimsical touch.

In 2016, I moved to California to build a “palletable cobin” — a cabin built with heat-treated pallets, insulated with straw, and covered with cob. I wanted a durable, well-insulated tiny cob house that didn’t require too much time or money to build and could be made out of recycled materials and local resources. I planned to build a 120-square-foot hut, which wouldn’t require a building permit. So, as soon as the weather cleared in May, I set aside loose topsoil, brought in a few cubic yards of base rock, and tamped it all down firmly. I had a collection of used cement pier blocks that I set in a 12-foot-diameter circle about 40 inches apart from each other — the same width of the pallets I had available. I used chunks of concrete and sandbags filled with base rock to fill in the spaces between the cement blocks and provide a solid foundation. I then prepped the pallets by adding wood to the backsides in places where backing was absent.

After all the pallets were prepared, I screwed 4-by-4-inch upright supports to the pier blocks, and then attached the pallets to the uprights with 3-inch screws. I had the windows I planned to use on hand, as I knew they would affect the spacing of the uprights and the size and placement of pallets for those sections of the wall.

After setting the first round of pallets, I stuffed a flake of straw, which was about the same width as the pallets, into each pallet for insulation, using a pole to pack it firmly. We used about 2 bales of straw to insulate the structure. Eco-bricks could also be integrated at this point for additional insulation. Next, I framed in my windows and added wood pieces for shelving. Some areas needed to be finished with cut pallet boards for proper spacing, and then filled with straw. After all the walls were up and insulated, I connected the tops of the 4-by-4 uprights with 40-inch-long 4-by-4s, cut at the proper angles, upon which the rafters for the roof would sit.

Having spent just three days framing the hut and getting the windows in place, I then hosted a work party to cover the pallets with cob. We used soil with high clay content right from the property, and mixed it with about 60 percent sand and some straw. To make the mix, I use a rubber box, or “mud box,” and a hoe, and then I cover it with a tarp and stomp on top. The entire mixing process can be done with a few friends willing to dance barefooted atop the tarp. You could use a cement mixer, but I’ve found it doesn’t save much time and is an unnecessary expense.

I was happy to discover that the cob didn’t require any sort of chicken wire or burlap mesh covering the pallets to stick. We made a clay slip — a mixture of clay and water about the consistency of a milkshake — and sponged it onto the pallets to serve as glue for the cob. We then applied cob to the pallets about an inch thick, and smoothed it with wet hands or rubber gloves.

  • Published on Aug 1, 2018
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368