The current revival of cob building, not surprisingly, has its epicentre in the Pacific Northwest, where the population has a heightened sense of all things environmental. Unlike most home-building techniques, cob is a flexible and forgiving medium. It does not require experience or great physical strength. Cob is affordable. The author claims that a cob house can cost as little as one-sixth of a conventional house.
Cob is comfortable.
The thermal mass in the walls means that a house is warm in winter, cool in summer. Plus, cob walls muffle sound, giving houses a sense of peace and harmony. Cob is long-lasting. No, cob homes don't dissolve in a downpour-they can last for centuries. The Cob Builders Handbook contains all the necessary basics, with chapters on design, site selection, materials, foundations, floors, windows and doors, roofs, finishes, and, of course, making and using cobs.