From the Ground Up

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This remarkably steep valley, at the bottom of which sits the hermitage on the shore of Little Buffalo River, would fill up like a bathtub in a flood. Nonetheless, placing the hermitage by the water is probably OK. There will be little to no furnishings, furniture, or possessions there. It is a simple place of sanctuary with built-in benches. It is small enough to be easily sandbagged, and extensive repairs after a flood are manageable for a building of this nature. The many hands that came together once to make this building can come together again to save it, if need be. Ann Lasater feels the good of being near the river outweighs the potential threat the water poses to this kind of space.

Foundation and Roof

The foundation work was completed before I arrived. Ann recounted the process for me: "We officially began when a group of friends gathered on the spring equinox, six weeks prior to the workshop, for a groundbreaking ceremony and to dig the footer. Then we began bringing in truckloads of rock and rubble for the underground footer. Next, we brought in more hand-selected river rock for the beautiful, 16-inch high rock wall/foundation. The rock wall is one example of the different mentality of building with cob. Instead of finishing the wall with a smooth, level surface for a sill board to be attached to, we intentionally left the wall uneven and rough with a trough in the center, so the cob would have a good surface to bind to."

Cob is very heavy and needs a substantial foundation. Determining the appropriate width for the foundation depends upon the intended height of the walls; a wall will need to be nine or ten inches wide at the top, the thinnest part. The outside of the wall should taper up two inches for every three feet of height.

Conventional buildings are built with synthetic moisture barriers on top of the foundation. But placing a moisture barrier between foundation and walls prevents the walls from breathing. It may also weaken the connection between the cob and the foundation. Becky's philosophy, a common one among natural builders, is that the best way to keep moisture out is by creating a really good drainage system. The Cob Builder's Handbook explains with illustrations how to make drainage ditches and berms and gives ideas for making natural barriers. Becky encourages future builders to use their drainage system to provide a way for water to soak into their land or gardens. Not only can you keep water away from your house, you can direct it where you want it to go. "Think like water," Becky says. It comes as a nice surprise to me that in figuring out a good drainage system, imagination is as important as calculation.

Foundation shapes for natural buildings can pose some challenges to linear minds. Curves are softer on the eye and a very pleasing shape for earthen materials, but a curved wall is also naturally more stable than a straight wall. if you're pouring a foundation, you might wonder how to create a curved form for the foundation. The everuseful strawbale can be bent into the shape you want and then staked into place for curved forms.

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