Cob: Quiet List

[Dog In The Yard]

I guess everyone is busy getting those finishing touches done before our fall frost?

I have finally landed on a project that I really want to do. I think it's small
enough that I can actually accomplish it and something I can have fun doing.

On a sightseeing trip out to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, near
Edmonton, Alberta, (to see their version of cob and mud plasters on old
buildings...plus a thatched roof!), I found the project I want to do. When we
first saw the structure my heart leaped. When I went inside, although very small
with not much more room than one would find in an old tent trailer, it felt
comfortable and inviting. To touch the cob and feel the cool smoothness of it
was wonderful!!

There is a little A-frame building there called a Burdei (or Buda). It's a
Ukrainian word (but I'm not sure what it means). This type of structure is also
referred to as a "pit house".

It is built, interestingly enough, from Poplar...the only wood readily and
freely available to new immigrants to Canada. The Burdei were not meant to be
permanent structures, but rather temporary dwellings that would do until a more
permanent structure could be built (likely a log house...also of poplar!). Some
of these were lived in for several years however. Poplar is notorious for
rotting quickly, so very careful construction methods would have to be used, as
well as proper site planning for drainage, etc.

You can see some pictures of it at:
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/ukrainian/farmsteads/newimm/17/

The roof is made like a lean-to, and the end walls are made with vertically
placed poplar, then cobbed over on the interior and exterior. The cob was
touched up annually, and cracks were filled, etc.

The roof is built sturdily with poplar logs, then it is covered with grass or
straw, then it is covered with layers of sod and allowed to sprout and grow.
Some, apparently were also covered with cob on the exterior between the straw
and sod layers to further help keep water out when it rained.

The fellow that spearheaded the construction of the Burdei at the Ukrainian
Cultural Village in 1985 wrote a paper on the subject of primitive and early
structures built by Ukrainian settlers, then arranged to reconstruct the one
standing at the Village in 1985. I don't know yet how much upkeep has been done
on it annually, but I intend to find out. It is in pristine condition, dry and
comfortable on the interior with cob benches, a cobbed-in stove, and a cob floor.

His paper included several interviews with elder Ukrainians, and they talked
about many of the pitfalls of this type of structure.

Because of it's small size (I'm planning a 12 foot by 16 foot model :-)),
basically free construction materials, and quaint look, I figured this size and
type of project would be perfect for my first attempt to cob.

I intend this fall, to dig the floor (the "pit" part), and put up the wooden
part of the structure. I will then just keep a tarp on it until next spring when
it's warm enough to start cobbing. I have selected a small rise back in our
woods to build it on so I can count on proper drainage and hopefully avoid any flooding.

We will cut poplar from the immediate vicinity to use in the construction, and
this will help also to avoid having any of them fall on the structure during a storm.

For the most part, I intend to stay fairly true to the same construction methods
that the early settlers used, with the exception of using a small chain saw to
cut the trees we'll need, and I will use a bit more knowledge than some of the
settlers had regarding drainage...I intend to use a lot of small to medium sized
rocks (some will come from the pit...I've already found several, some will come
from a neighbour's field that was recently plowed..free for the picking!) to
create a deep drainage around the perimeter like weeping tile. I will also use
larger rocks almost like a foundation under the poplars that will otherwise come
in contact with the ground. Two support logs, one at either end will have to be
dug into the ground...so other than tamping stones around them for drainage, I
don't know how to keep them from coming in contact with ground moisture.

If anyone has read this far :-)...can you tell me if I use boiled linseed oil on
the poplar (they will be stripped of bark and allowed to dry over the winter),
do you think that would help to preserve them a bit?

Anyway, that is my project. Check out the Ukrainian Village website I mentioned
above. It's worth a look!

There are other buildings on the site that also incorporate cob...as well as
some lime plasters. Note that with some of the houses shown, the cob on the
exterior comes in direct contact with the ground. They did not use cement
foundations in their time! Rather, the bottom course of logs was set on large
stones placed on the ground.

A couple of the houses had cob ovens. It was a wonderful visit back in time.

And quite frankly, with the stress and sadness of the past weeks, it does a
heart good to just go out in the woods and play in the dirt.

Karen Clouston
Edmonton, Alberta