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 By Mark van de Kamp
As the dusty driveway makes another turn, one house comes into view. Then another. Each is small enough to be a room. And that's what they are. The sum of each structure is one house.
For those who entertain notions of "living off the grid" or who wistfully long for truly affordable housing, this mountainside ranch above Los Olivos is where sustainable living happens. |
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"I bought this property in May 2000 with a small inheritance and had no money left over. We slept in pup tents for two years until high winds blew them down. I needed to shelter my family," Betty Seaman explained.
Instead of buying a mobile home or calling a contractor, she traveled to Coquille, Oregon, and for six days soaked up everything she could learn at the North American School of Natural Building. Upon her return, she became architect, contractor, plumber and carpenter.
You could say she got her hands dirty. Using the time-tested process of mixing mud, sand and straw, Betty and her husband Tautahcho built their home, all 120 square feet of it. Heated by a compact woodstove and illuminated by sunlight streaming through reclaimed windows, they were very happy inside their new cob home. (Note: "cob" refers to the construction method, not to corn cobs; see "About Cob Construction" below)
"It was liberating to get out of the tent," Betty Seaman said. "Since then, we've learned a lot more about cob construction and built three more buildings, each one better than the last."
Over the years, the collection of cob structures has transformed their lives on the 160-acre spread. The Seamans and their children, Levi, 11, Sam, 18, and Cassie, 20, all live on the ranch in what traditionally would be called adobe homes.
Their homes are comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer, thanks to earthen walls two feet thick at the base. But there are trade-offs. No electricity, no natural gas, no land-line telephone. Not even any closets.
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| Thick earthen walls keep this Hobbit-like cob structure warm in winter and cool in summer |
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A spring and well supply running water to sinks, but when nature calls, it's a trip to a very clean and odorless composting toilet at the north end of the homestead.
"We do have a solar powered refrigerator," Betty said. "We didn't think we needed one until some German friends visited us and were appalled we didn't live with a refrigerator. This was their parting gift."
"The earthen ovens are really fantastic," Betty said, shortly before her husband started cooking dinner. "The food is cooked evenly and the (outside) ovens keep the heat out of the house."
Born in Santa Barbara, Betty spent eight years of her childhood in Arizona where pueblos are common. She remembers paying $2,300 per month in rent in the Santa Ynez Valley and lamenting the payments never meant ownership. |
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Now sheis a homeowner and a homebuilder and constantly teaches apprentices and the curious alike the merits of cob construction. She and Tautahcho give workshops to help others learn how to build cob structures.
"There almost always is an apprentice living here," she said. "They want to make a change. And, every single person who goes through here becomes a lifelong friend."
An unknown number of cob structures exist in the City of Santa Barbara and throughout the county. And, last year, the graduating class at The Family School near Los Olivos built a bench using cob construction techniques.
"In the cob world, they call cob nature's duct tape," she said. "It's really humanity's duct tape. In our climate, it's ridiculous that we're not outside in our yards more. People spend money on yards but stay inside. Cob homes, typically small, bring people together. It's kind of a wonderful thing.
"I literally hand-sculpted my house," she said, chuckling at the thought. "Most of the world's population still lives in earthen structures, but it's really only in this country that we think that means people are poor. It's a very practical and healthy way to live.
"Modern homes are off-gassing fumes from carpets, paints and furniture, and people keep the windows closed tight; it's no wonder lots of people feel sick," she said, as sweet mountain air blew through the screened window. |
Levi has lived more than half his life on the ranch and loves his room, all 60 square feet of it. The plastered interior walls harbor numerous cubbyholes and shelves for all his books and toys. If only the Solvang Skatepark were closer, he'd have nothing to complain about.
Betty's mother plans on living there full-time and the family is building her a special place with a few more creature comforts. The windows face south, where a giant oak tree's leaves give shade in summer and drop in winter to allow warming sunshine.
Looking ahead, Betty wants to get electricity from a stack of solar powered panels she acquired through bartering. Until then, movie nights on TV are powered by hooking up a car battery. But then, she can step outside any night to see thousands of stars.
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| Levi, Betty and Tautahcho enjoy life at their Spirit Pines ranch overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley. |
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| A cob wall now encloses a part of the family's well-used patio/courtyard area. |
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ABOUT COB CONSTRUCTION
Cob construction uses sand, clay and straw. Mixed well, this special mud is applied to the foundation in continuing layers. Cob is the English term for mud building, and cob homes were once common throughout England and Wales.
Similar forms of mud building are endemic through the world, because earth is the oldest building material on the planet. Today, it's estimated that one-third to one-half of the world's population lives in earthen dwellings.
Each layer must dry so it can support the next layer. The wall is tapered as you build up. When dry, the walls are very hard and load-bearing. Cob allows itself to be shaped and molded during building, so alcoves, shelves and benches can become part of the walls.
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Regular working doors and windows are embedded in the cob. Any kind of glass windows can be embedded as well. The buildings are durable and withstand rains. Usually a layer of plaster is applied to the exterior to repel rain and an aesthetic earth or lime plaster is applied to the finished cob. There are no joints or seams.
Cob houses have been known to last for centuries. Many townhouses and large manors, built of cob before fired brick became readily available, survive in excellent condition today. Among them is Hayes Barton, the birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh.
Cob buildings in North America dating from the same era are few and far between, but include a house built in 1836 in Penfield, New York, and a church in Toronto. |
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Copyright 2006, 2007 Inside Santa Ynez Valley Magazine, All Rights Reserved
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