Jerry and Jan Sharpe have spent the past year building a new house. In keeping with the local Devon vernacular the house is constructed from cob, a mixture of sub soil, (with a clay content) and straw.
The site is situated in the village of Merton, which is located between Okehampton and Torrington in mid Devon. The land is sited at the edge of the village and has a south/south east aspect that commands a beautiful view across the valley.
Digging out for the basement, (material from this was used to make the cob).
Mixing cob with a swing shovel.
Paring back cob on the first lift. This part of the build was made free hand.
Although the house is built from traditional materials, cob, lime render and a slate roof, the design is contemporary. The construction also includes contemporary building materials as well. These include Glu Lam beams, composite timber I beams and under floor heating.
Fill the shuttering with cob from the swing shovel.
Tamping and compacting down the cob.
First lift of cob completed.
Since the site slopes we decided to incorporate a basement. This also has the added benefit of creating extra space without increasing the footprint of the building. In addition we were able to use the subsoil from the basement to produce the cob needed for the above ground construction.
Inside at the west end of the house showing the fireplace and door out into the atrium.
Looking through the west end to the east of the house.
North Elevation
The external walls are 620 mm wide so a considerable amount of cob was needed. We estimated that 200 tonnes of material was used. To make the build a little easier we used shuttering to build up the walls to roof height. The cob work began in the summer of 2004 and took about 3 months to complete with 3 men working with a swing shovel.
The house faces south so we capitalised on this by installing solar panels on the roof and having a glass atrium to gain passive heating.
