Thank you Exploring Alternatives for all you do! We’ve found some great channels from your videos! Gridlessness is our favorite and who then gave us the courage to take the leap to our own journey.
I know your time is precious, but sharing your life could really bring attention to these alternative style of living, that will soon be so important for our survival. You are both so easy to relate to and are so very easy to understand. I hope to see more videos from you. I would also contribute to a patreon account if you created it. 🙏🏻 If you can do this in your climate, we can all do it. Blessings to you all.
At your suggestion, I have started a patreon. www.patreon.com/Ontariopermaculture?fan_landing=true If that's not it, I still have a little learning to do.. Thank you so much for your support, and your suggestions. It has always been the purpose of these experiments to share the results with the world. We have come to the realization that UA-cam, et al may be the best way to share it, and potentially spread abundance through financial means.
A fellow Ontarian! I didn’t know that cob homes could survive out winters as the only cob home videos I’ve seen have been in warmer countries (NOT Canada). Thank you for posting your video about your permaculture homestead, it is inspiring for me as that’s also my goal as well! I’ll keep watching, and learning 😊 Ps. Found you through Exploring Alernatives (I think that’s the name of their channel) and happy I did!
Thank you for your interest! We are very new to the blogging experience, so please bear with is as we grow, but we will do our best to bring more to the palette soon. I just need to develop my edit-fu a little.. 😊
Just found you guys through @Exporing Alternatives channel. What a beautiful house! We're totally on board with the idea that we are keepers of the land and that we just need to take care of her soil and add seeds to be self-reliant humans. It's sad that bureaucracy attempts to put up red tape to prevent people from living fruitful lives. We're in south western Ontario converting an old school bus into our tiny home on wheels. However, we are looking forward to acquiring land so that we can homestead (and we're not too keen on the "govmint" controlling HOW we build or WHAT we build with.) We heard something somewhere that said something like "if the public knew we are outnumbered over a hundred to one, then we're toast!" said by bureaucrats. We're in a time for the Great Awakening and more people are fed up with being tugged around. We're proud of y'all and grateful for leading the way! Looking forward to seeing more content from you! Do you have a blog or another place you're posting information? - Brian + Erin
There is an out of date wix page, not updated since we've had kids. I believe the EA video has the link. We may discuss our situation and legal case in a vlog.
Was so excited to see not only a Canadian but also from Ontario on Exploring Alternatives! Love your house 💕 too bad the government wouldn't just bugger off 🙄 will send prayers and good thoughts about your situation with them 🙏 My husband and I are originally from Southwestern Ontario but moved to Northeastern Ontario this past May. Just beginning our adventure 😊 looking forward to seeing more of your gardens and food forest as well as your animals and what you feed your chickens 😁 (1st time chicken owner / snack giver 🤣)
I love what your family is doing with this way of life. Thanks for sharing (and teaching) the rest of us. I found you from Exploring Alternatives. I hope to see more, subscribed to your new channel. Specially interested in growing my own food and love your home. Best wishes🌱🐣
We won't be doing much "garden" permaculture for a couple months at least, but come spring time, you can watch our process of a food forest year unfold.
We saw the Video that Exploring Alternatives made. New subscriber here. We hope to see more content from this channel. Thanks for sharing! We love what you are doing!
I personally think that this kind of living could be drastically improved by 1st removing politics and "rules" and including community ex:community garden community farm and most goods received and given by barter. Good job and I look forward of seeing more of your videos since we don't see much all year round sustainability here in Canada.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 Please do. I want to build a cobb house or earth ship and its hard to know whats "allowed" in Canada. Also what part of Ontario you live in and how much was the land your on? Saving for land is a pain.
We bought our land, basically an unwanted wetland parcel, in 2008, for under $40,000. We read the law, and asked questions of the building inspector to confirm if the loopholes we saw were correct. There is no law (other than possibly municipal or township bylaw) which says you can't live on your property. The law clearly says you can build a 10x10 without a permit, provided it has no plumbing. The law then fails to say anything else about "structures" which are not buildings... since its self evident that shelter from the elements is a fundamental and basic human right, it follows simply that providing oneself shelter for free, while complying with the law is a reasonable and lawful solution. We will have to wait until we actually go to court to determine if our interpretation of the law is correct. At very least, the state must NOT act in an aggressive, predatory, or obfuscative manner, which it appears is the de facto interpretation of the application of the building code act by municipalities. (For profit).
"Additions" are another issue, suggested at but not specified by the township. Our local bylaw states (for permitted buildings, seeking additions) a fee of $9 per $1000 cost for additions. This would mean that the township is pursuing us for a grand total of $9 for the "additions" we added to our original 10x10 after the first year living there.
very happy to see the way you guys are living.(via exploring alternatives channel) that kind of living is my dream. i can adopt many of your techniques and ideas. as well as the designs of your property. thanks all the best wishes love from india
I understand there is a burgeoning, and prosperous permaculture community in India. Perhaps there is a local who can help you with hands on learning. Best of luck in your pursuits!
From the comments, looks like Exploring Alternatives has really put you on the map. Glad you have opened a Patreon Account - you should mention it in your description or in your next video. Just tell people if they like what they see and would like to support what you are doing... etc, etc. Whereabouts in Ontario are you, if you are willing to say. I'm outside Perth, ON, in quite an amazing community.
It would be nice if you could videotape HOW you actually make the cobb walls/house - showing the steps - just hearing the terms 'waddled' is like a foreign language- have no idea what you mean, but would love to see the process, so we can learn how to do this. Your house is pretty amazing, you are very talented people.
We will definitely be back into earth sculpting / home building / foodscaping season come April or so. In the mean time, we will be trying to show some interesting wintertime content while we relax from the home-work, and plan for spring.
Did you do this on unincorporated land to avoid permits and inspection? Also, how does the cob technique fair in the winter months? I am asking because I am contemplating on buying cheap land up North to build a natural/off grid cabin. I am sure you guys know how much colder it can get up there compared to down here in Niagara/Hamilton, but there really isn't any affordable land down here anymore. The cob style didn't even occur to me until I came across your place. Very inspiring and impressive stuff. Thanks alot. Nice place.
We built a 10x10 in an incorporated township to test the cob process, as this is what we were told by the inspector was not illegal. We acted on the reasonable assumption that the law must not prevent those without money from having access to shelter. We also realized that all of this, in an unincorporated township would have been fine with no problems, but that northern townships are colder, distant from support networks and jobs. Glad you were inspired! We will keep posting!
We started with a 10x10, in an incorporated township, which we read and confirmed to be fully legal with the inspector. We relied on the benevolence of government, and the letter of the law. It seems relying on benevolent government was a poor choice, but time will tell with the courts decision. Our opinion is and has always been that the government surely would not make a law forbidding a citizen from acquiring shelter with no money. If they did, such a law is surely contrary to the charter of rights and freedoms, which provides for a "free and democratic" society. If "free" does not mean "without money", then there is lots more work for the government to do to align with real world solutions to real world problems. We just happen to be the monkey wrench, which makes all this self evident.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 They should update building code and include some sort of sub-section called "experimental living" and include technical styles like Earth Ship, European Timber/WattleDaub, Log, Cob, Yurt etc. They shouldn't be bothering us at all but it's just a compromise. Whats the worst case scenario for you guys? Will they destroy the buildings and you'll be forced to rebuild a standard home? Its B.S. Hope you guys win.
A kiln, and pottery are very high on our interest list. It is an inevitable extension to clay based living. Perhaps one of our 2021 projects will be a kiln.
Cob does not "need" a lot of compaction. The european monolithic mass cob wall approach was traditionally done with just stomping foot pressure onto the thick wall to mash one layer into the previous. This reduces the need for sand and fibre overall. If sand content is correct, less pressure is needed to ensure cohesion, and the fibre component interlocks the matrix solidly.
The stem wall (the layer on top of the rubble trench, 3 bags thick) is rammed earth sandbag. Any rammed earth approach takes as much compaction as you can manage. The more compact soils are, the less likely they are to move again.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 So I am trying to get this technique right in my head. Was a trench dug approximately 3'x3' then filled and compacted with granular(type a or b etc.) up to ground level. Then covered with a rock base at about a 2' to 3'x level height? and then i guess you start applying the cob straight ontop of the rock? Is that what is done? I cant find a proper video for cobbing especially in colder climates. I heard some people mix Portland Concrete in their ratio and rebar for extra durability. The rebar acts as waddle and daub I suppose. Any advice or books/videos youve seen to do it right would be appreciated. You clearly know ehat you are doing. Cheers.
The trench description is good, though bottom shall be "your frost depth", which may be 4 or 5 feet deep for northern climes. Also, place a drain at the bottom, like weeping tile pipe, or "v" shaped tiles upside down. The "plinth" layer can be concrete, brick, rammed earth, rock, or something creative but sound. Be sure that cob does not contact soil! If you manage this, you're probably golden. By our research, cob and concrete do not mix, but experimentation may yield unique results. Rebar would provide additional integral strength, but is not needed provided straw / fibre content is enough. Cob is easy and fine to do in the coldest climates, provided the cob dries above 5*c. The ONLY way cob does not work structurally, is if it "dries" while freezing. This causes "spalling", or internal flakey layering. Best of luck in your research!
My kids have watched the exploring alternatives video and decided our south eastern US red clay would work to build their own house 🤪 I wonder how long it will take them with their limited knowledge...? How long did it take you to build your 10x10? Honestly I’m more concerned about the foundation than the rest!
We were able to build our 10x10 with only limited construction experience, some books from the library on building to code, and the book "the hand sculpted house" by Smiley, Evans, Smith. Your clay will work for building if it has at least 5% clay content. First, get a jar, and half fill it with a sample of soil you think might have good clay. Add a dash of soap, and water to the top of the jar. Shake well, and let completely settle. Once the water is clear again, get a ruler and measure the layers. The top layer of soil will be clay, the last to settle. (Ignoring biological materials which float or sit on top). Compare measurements as ratios to determine amount of clay in your soil. Otherwise, watch our video "lovely filth" for the physical tips for discovering good building clay soil. Best of luck for you and your lifeschoolers!
As to time, once we had tested bricks of variable compositions of clay to sand to fibre, which itself took several weeks for drying, breaking, and retrying, the build took approximately 30 days of one-layer-a-day cob courses @ about 10 hours man labour per day. This was for a storey-and-a-half though. We had also finished the wooden construction portion, itself a months+ work, which was actually detrimental to cob. (We didn't know that yet). We now suggest one follow a more simple post design, and a more circular pattern than what one would create out of lumber, and for ease, build the roof first, and build up to it. In this way, you've got shelter from early on, and can dance your cob under shade or rain shelter!
Such an interesting question but loaded. We never fought government. They fought us. While we tried to communicate and comply legally, about a law we felt we had long ago complied with. Here's the history: the time was 2008, just as we were about to buy our property. We had read the laws and bylaws, checked with the inspector, read about code compliance, and wanted to do what was completely legal. The law, in this case the Ontatio Building Code, says a 10x10 without plumbing does not need a permit. We confirmed we could sleep in a 10x10. We confirmed there was nothing illegal about moving and shaping wetland earth into structures of large size (provided the appropriate conservation authorities agreed, which ours did, and that no heavy equipment is used). So, we built the 10x10, and during the construction, the inspector actually came by, witnessed the construction at the conventional lumber stage, and saw our trailer. He summarized before leaving "no house here". He left no instructions, and did not recommend a permit. A year passed. We reviewed the law again, and found that once one created a "not-a-building", one was in a grey area legally, as the law does not again reference anything but "buildings" which are clearly defined. In this grey area, we utilized our human right to appropriate shelter, and put up an additional porch. When no black helicopters arrived, we put up another porch. Eventually we added large windows to the porch. At this point, we internalized it was surely legal to do so, as we had been talking in the local paper about our projects for 4 years... In 2018, the NEW inspector came by with a posse, everone arms crossed and stern, to confront and threaten us with an order to get a retroactive application. They directly answered "if we cannot afford to apply, will you tear down our house?" With a "yes". We read the application closely, and saw that using the form would require us to submit false information, which the form states is criminal. The form is for plans, or documents, not extant buildings. We informed the township of this, asked for more information, enough to move forward with an application, but all we got was a vague checklist of possible prices, a vague list of rules about "designers" and their responsibilities, (not including the last page which says anyone can design their own home), another order to apply, and this repeated in two more letters before they simply said "apply within the next 3 days or we will take you to court", via a registered letter, which requires at least 5 days to send. We sent a letter to our town council asking for input and recieved nothing. Ever. So, it's a long story. The bottom line: we set out, 12 years ago, to, within the letter of the law, create a free, experimental, health promoting home from freely available and recycled materials. - We proved it possible. We recognized that a 10x10 without plumbing is not a structure fit for human habitation, but reasoned the law would never forbid a human from sheltering themselves appropriately, so we tested the grey area of law, trusting the benevolence of government. - it appears that trust was a little too early placed, and for this reason, for the protection of others who may need free shelter, we will persevere and triumph. We also set out to determine an appropriate lifestyle, for human beings, on and in alignment with the Earth. - We believe we have proved it possible. Now, all we need do is to present this proof to a Judge, and determine if our interpretation of the law was correct. It was. I will report in January.
Prior to covid we were chefs, and Bryce was an agricultural worker part time. Since covid, we have had no culinary business, little agriculture business, and been managing on basically just Canadian Child Benefits, and Canadian Emergency benefits. In essence, we have a clear model for minimum income sustainability. While we really do miss serving fine field to fork cuisine, it has been easy to focus on our home.
Thanks for sharing! It's neat to see the process at different stages :)
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thank you Exploring Alternatives for all you do! We’ve found some great channels from your videos! Gridlessness is our favorite and who then gave us the courage to take the leap to our own journey.
Here after watching your video on exploring alternatives. I am here to learn.
I know your time is precious, but sharing your life could really bring attention to these alternative style of living, that will soon be so important for our survival. You are both so easy to relate to and are so very easy to understand. I hope to see more videos from you. I would also contribute to a patreon account if you created it. 🙏🏻 If you can do this in your climate, we can all do it. Blessings to you all.
At your suggestion, I have started a patreon. www.patreon.com/Ontariopermaculture?fan_landing=true
If that's not it, I still have a little learning to do..
Thank you so much for your support, and your suggestions.
It has always been the purpose of these experiments to share the results with the world. We have come to the realization that UA-cam, et al may be the best way to share it, and potentially spread abundance through financial means.
A fellow Ontarian! I didn’t know that cob homes could survive out winters as the only cob home videos I’ve seen have been in warmer countries (NOT Canada). Thank you for posting your video about your permaculture homestead, it is inspiring for me as that’s also my goal as well! I’ll keep watching, and learning 😊
Ps. Found you through Exploring Alernatives (I think that’s the name of their channel) and happy I did!
Thank you for your interest! We are very new to the blogging experience, so please bear with is as we grow, but we will do our best to bring more to the palette soon. I just need to develop my edit-fu a little.. 😊
Very interesting process and beautiful house! You guys are very inspiring! Can't wait for future videos! :)
I just watched the 28 minute video at Exploring Alternatives on your house. I'm very impressed! New sub here and can't wait for more of your videos!
same
Three projects presently on the table, or, "in the can" as it were. A little bit of edit-fu and I will have something else soon!
Same! Excited to see more from you guys.
Just found you guys through @Exporing Alternatives channel. What a beautiful house! We're totally on board with the idea that we are keepers of the land and that we just need to take care of her soil and add seeds to be self-reliant humans. It's sad that bureaucracy attempts to put up red tape to prevent people from living fruitful lives. We're in south western Ontario converting an old school bus into our tiny home on wheels. However, we are looking forward to acquiring land so that we can homestead (and we're not too keen on the "govmint" controlling HOW we build or WHAT we build with.) We heard something somewhere that said something like "if the public knew we are outnumbered over a hundred to one, then we're toast!" said by bureaucrats. We're in a time for the Great Awakening and more people are fed up with being tugged around. We're proud of y'all and grateful for leading the way! Looking forward to seeing more content from you! Do you have a blog or another place you're posting information?
- Brian + Erin
There is an out of date wix page, not updated since we've had kids. I believe the EA video has the link. We may discuss our situation and legal case in a vlog.
Came from Exploring Alternatives channel and watching your home build.
Welcome to our channel!
Hey, Whoever liked my comment. Thank you.
This is awesome! Greetings from Sweden!
Was so excited to see not only a Canadian but also from Ontario on Exploring Alternatives! Love your house 💕 too bad the government wouldn't just bugger off 🙄 will send prayers and good thoughts about your situation with them 🙏
My husband and I are originally from Southwestern Ontario but moved to Northeastern Ontario this past May. Just beginning our adventure 😊 looking forward to seeing more of your gardens and food forest as well as your animals and what you feed your chickens 😁 (1st time chicken owner / snack giver 🤣)
Thanks for the feedback. Looking forward to sharing more.
You're amazing. Love from the Mediterranean.
I love what your family is doing with this way of life. Thanks for sharing (and teaching) the rest of us. I found you from Exploring Alternatives. I hope to see more, subscribed to your new channel. Specially interested in growing my own food and love your home. Best wishes🌱🐣
We won't be doing much "garden" permaculture for a couple months at least, but come spring time, you can watch our process of a food forest year unfold.
You are doing a fabulous job. Looking forward to anything you choose to share. Best wishes! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!🌄
We saw the Video that Exploring Alternatives made. New subscriber here. We hope to see more content from this channel. Thanks for sharing! We love what you are doing!
Thank you and welcome! More content on it's way.
I personally think that this kind of living could be drastically improved by 1st removing politics and "rules" and including community ex:community garden community farm and most goods received and given by barter.
Good job and I look forward of seeing more of your videos since we don't see much all year round sustainability here in Canada.
We will most likely be sharing more details about our legal process, and the results and ramifications, sometime soon.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 Please do. I want to build a cobb house or earth ship and its hard to know whats "allowed" in Canada. Also what part of Ontario you live in and how much was the land your on? Saving for land is a pain.
We bought our land, basically an unwanted wetland parcel, in 2008, for under $40,000. We read the law, and asked questions of the building inspector to confirm if the loopholes we saw were correct. There is no law (other than possibly municipal or township bylaw) which says you can't live on your property. The law clearly says you can build a 10x10 without a permit, provided it has no plumbing. The law then fails to say anything else about "structures" which are not buildings... since its self evident that shelter from the elements is a fundamental and basic human right, it follows simply that providing oneself shelter for free, while complying with the law is a reasonable and lawful solution. We will have to wait until we actually go to court to determine if our interpretation of the law is correct. At very least, the state must NOT act in an aggressive, predatory, or obfuscative manner, which it appears is the de facto interpretation of the application of the building code act by municipalities. (For profit).
"Additions" are another issue, suggested at but not specified by the township. Our local bylaw states (for permitted buildings, seeking additions) a fee of $9 per $1000 cost for additions. This would mean that the township is pursuing us for a grand total of $9 for the "additions" we added to our original 10x10 after the first year living there.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 Ok cool. Thanks for the info. Cant wait to see more videos and hear what happens.
very happy to see the way you guys are living.(via exploring alternatives channel)
that kind of living is my dream. i can adopt many of your techniques and ideas. as well as the designs of your property.
thanks
all the best wishes
love from india
I understand there is a burgeoning, and prosperous permaculture community in India. Perhaps there is a local who can help you with hands on learning. Best of luck in your pursuits!
@@ontariopermaculture3665 yes there are lots of permaclture community in india. thanks for the wishes.
From the comments, looks like Exploring Alternatives has really put you on the map. Glad you have opened a Patreon Account - you should mention it in your description or in your next video. Just tell people if they like what they see and would like to support what you are doing... etc, etc. Whereabouts in Ontario are you, if you are willing to say. I'm outside Perth, ON, in quite an amazing community.
Once we are clear past tomorrow's hearing on the legal status of our home, we will be posting many more videos! Thanks for the tips!
@@ontariopermaculture3665 Look forward to it. Fingers crossed and good vibes sent re the legal stuff!🤞🤞🤞💝
Thanks for this, more content please!!
Coming! Be ready soon.
Great job guys. Best of luck for future endeavors.
Thank you!
It would be nice if you could videotape HOW you actually make the cobb walls/house - showing the steps - just hearing the terms 'waddled' is like a foreign language- have no idea what you mean, but would love to see the process, so we can learn how to do this. Your house is pretty amazing, you are very talented people.
We will definitely be back into earth sculpting / home building / foodscaping season come April or so. In the mean time, we will be trying to show some interesting wintertime content while we relax from the home-work, and plan for spring.
Inspiring!
Did you do this on unincorporated land to avoid permits and inspection? Also, how does the cob technique fair in the winter months? I am asking because I am contemplating on buying cheap land up North to build a natural/off grid cabin. I am sure you guys know how much colder it can get up there compared to down here in Niagara/Hamilton, but there really isn't any affordable land down here anymore. The cob style didn't even occur to me until I came across your place. Very inspiring and impressive stuff.
Thanks alot. Nice place.
We built a 10x10 in an incorporated township to test the cob process, as this is what we were told by the inspector was not illegal. We acted on the reasonable assumption that the law must not prevent those without money from having access to shelter. We also realized that all of this, in an unincorporated township would have been fine with no problems, but that northern townships are colder, distant from support networks and jobs. Glad you were inspired! We will keep posting!
We started with a 10x10, in an incorporated township, which we read and confirmed to be fully legal with the inspector. We relied on the benevolence of government, and the letter of the law. It seems relying on benevolent government was a poor choice, but time will tell with the courts decision. Our opinion is and has always been that the government surely would not make a law forbidding a citizen from acquiring shelter with no money. If they did, such a law is surely contrary to the charter of rights and freedoms, which provides for a "free and democratic" society. If "free" does not mean "without money", then there is lots more work for the government to do to align with real world solutions to real world problems. We just happen to be the monkey wrench, which makes all this self evident.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 They should update building code and include some sort of sub-section called "experimental living" and include technical styles like Earth Ship, European Timber/WattleDaub, Log, Cob, Yurt etc.
They shouldn't be bothering us at all but it's just a compromise.
Whats the worst case scenario for you guys? Will they destroy the buildings and you'll be forced to rebuild a standard home?
Its B.S. Hope you guys win.
I'm wondering if the clay is good for pottery. Will it fire?
If it is... You have a wonderful resource to develop an income from.
Pottery clay is the same clay, just finely screened and filtered and perfectly well mixed.
A kiln, and pottery are very high on our interest list. It is an inevitable extension to clay based living. Perhaps one of our 2021 projects will be a kiln.
Incredible build! One question. How much ramming or compaction is needed with the cob or other layers you implemented in this design? Thanks
Cob does not "need" a lot of compaction. The european monolithic mass cob wall approach was traditionally done with just stomping foot pressure onto the thick wall to mash one layer into the previous. This reduces the need for sand and fibre overall. If sand content is correct, less pressure is needed to ensure cohesion, and the fibre component interlocks the matrix solidly.
The stem wall (the layer on top of the rubble trench, 3 bags thick) is rammed earth sandbag. Any rammed earth approach takes as much compaction as you can manage. The more compact soils are, the less likely they are to move again.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 So I am trying to get this technique right in my head. Was a trench dug approximately 3'x3' then filled and compacted with granular(type a or b etc.) up to ground level. Then covered with a rock base at about a 2' to 3'x level height? and then i guess you start applying the cob straight ontop of the rock? Is that what is done?
I cant find a proper video for cobbing especially in colder climates. I heard some people mix Portland Concrete in their ratio and rebar for extra durability. The rebar acts as waddle and daub I suppose.
Any advice or books/videos youve seen to do it right would be appreciated. You clearly know ehat you are doing.
Cheers.
The trench description is good, though bottom shall be "your frost depth", which may be 4 or 5 feet deep for northern climes. Also, place a drain at the bottom, like weeping tile pipe, or "v" shaped tiles upside down. The "plinth" layer can be concrete, brick, rammed earth, rock, or something creative but sound. Be sure that cob does not contact soil! If you manage this, you're probably golden.
By our research, cob and concrete do not mix, but experimentation may yield unique results. Rebar would provide additional integral strength, but is not needed provided straw / fibre content is enough. Cob is easy and fine to do in the coldest climates, provided the cob dries above 5*c. The ONLY way cob does not work structurally, is if it "dries" while freezing. This causes "spalling", or internal flakey layering. Best of luck in your research!
@@ontariopermaculture3665 Thanks alot for that information.
My kids have watched the exploring alternatives video and decided our south eastern US red clay would work to build their own house 🤪
I wonder how long it will take them with their limited knowledge...? How long did it take you to build your 10x10? Honestly I’m more concerned about the foundation than the rest!
We were able to build our 10x10 with only limited construction experience, some books from the library on building to code, and the book "the hand sculpted house" by Smiley, Evans, Smith. Your clay will work for building if it has at least 5% clay content. First, get a jar, and half fill it with a sample of soil you think might have good clay. Add a dash of soap, and water to the top of the jar. Shake well, and let completely settle. Once the water is clear again, get a ruler and measure the layers. The top layer of soil will be clay, the last to settle. (Ignoring biological materials which float or sit on top). Compare measurements as ratios to determine amount of clay in your soil. Otherwise, watch our video "lovely filth" for the physical tips for discovering good building clay soil. Best of luck for you and your lifeschoolers!
As to time, once we had tested bricks of variable compositions of clay to sand to fibre, which itself took several weeks for drying, breaking, and retrying, the build took approximately 30 days of one-layer-a-day cob courses @ about 10 hours man labour per day. This was for a storey-and-a-half though. We had also finished the wooden construction portion, itself a months+ work, which was actually detrimental to cob. (We didn't know that yet). We now suggest one follow a more simple post design, and a more circular pattern than what one would create out of lumber, and for ease, build the roof first, and build up to it. In this way, you've got shelter from early on, and can dance your cob under shade or rain shelter!
Thanks for sharing. I live in Ontario too , how did you fight government, please make a . video. I always had this idea in my mind .
Such an interesting question but loaded.
We never fought government.
They fought us.
While we tried to communicate and comply legally, about a law we felt we had long ago complied with.
Here's the history: the time was 2008, just as we were about to buy our property. We had read the laws and bylaws, checked with the inspector, read about code compliance, and wanted to do what was completely legal.
The law, in this case the Ontatio Building Code, says a 10x10 without plumbing does not need a permit. We confirmed we could sleep in a 10x10. We confirmed there was nothing illegal about moving and shaping wetland earth into structures of large size (provided the appropriate conservation authorities agreed, which ours did, and that no heavy equipment is used). So, we built the 10x10, and during the construction, the inspector actually came by, witnessed the construction at the conventional lumber stage, and saw our trailer. He summarized before leaving "no house here". He left no instructions, and did not recommend a permit.
A year passed.
We reviewed the law again, and found that once one created a "not-a-building", one was in a grey area legally, as the law does not again reference anything but "buildings" which are clearly defined. In this grey area, we utilized our human right to appropriate shelter, and put up an additional porch. When no black helicopters arrived, we put up another porch. Eventually we added large windows to the porch. At this point, we internalized it was surely legal to do so, as we had been talking in the local paper about our projects for 4 years...
In 2018, the NEW inspector came by with a posse, everone arms crossed and stern, to confront and threaten us with an order to get a retroactive application. They directly answered "if we cannot afford to apply, will you tear down our house?" With a "yes". We read the application closely, and saw that using the form would require us to submit false information, which the form states is criminal. The form is for plans, or documents, not extant buildings. We informed the township of this, asked for more information, enough to move forward with an application, but all we got was a vague checklist of possible prices, a vague list of rules about "designers" and their responsibilities, (not including the last page which says anyone can design their own home), another order to apply, and this repeated in two more letters before they simply said "apply within the next 3 days or we will take you to court", via a registered letter, which requires at least 5 days to send. We sent a letter to our town council asking for input and recieved nothing.
Ever.
So, it's a long story.
The bottom line: we set out, 12 years ago, to, within the letter of the law, create a free, experimental, health promoting home from freely available and recycled materials.
- We proved it possible.
We recognized that a 10x10 without plumbing is not a structure fit for human habitation, but reasoned the law would never forbid a human from sheltering themselves appropriately, so we tested the grey area of law, trusting the benevolence of government.
- it appears that trust was a little too early placed, and for this reason, for the protection of others who may need free shelter, we will persevere and triumph.
We also set out to determine an appropriate lifestyle, for human beings, on and in alignment with the Earth.
- We believe we have proved it possible.
Now, all we need do is to present this proof to a Judge, and determine if our interpretation of the law was correct.
It was.
I will report in January.
Wow , thanks i will pray for you and your family , and i will start my project as well.thanks again
do you own this land? do you have to pay taxes on it?
Yes, and yes :)
@@ontariopermaculture3665 how do you make money to pay for the land?
Prior to covid we were chefs, and Bryce was an agricultural worker part time. Since covid, we have had no culinary business, little agriculture business, and been managing on basically just Canadian Child Benefits, and Canadian Emergency benefits. In essence, we have a clear model for minimum income sustainability. While we really do miss serving fine field to fork cuisine, it has been easy to focus on our home.
@@ontariopermaculture3665 oh cool, thank you for answering my questions :)