Gobcobatron: Small, Cozy Cob House
Gobcobatron is a small cob house built by Ziggy in 2008-2009. It’s a small, one room home, roughly 200 square foot space in the shape of a snail.
Featuring a reciprocal roof with wild grasses, earthen plasters, a terracotta tile floor, a recycled urbanite foundation, and a tiny mud room, the house is made largely of local, natural, and recycled materials.
The house has attracted a lot of attention through Ziggy’s blog, The Year of Mud, which features documentation of the full project, from start to finish (and beyond!).
After living in the space for several years, Ziggy and April have decided to build a new home, converting Gobcobatron into a three season dwelling, as a fully cob home is not the most practical building style in our climate.
The Year of Mud is now offering Natural Building Workshops, including Straw Bale and Timber Frame Workshops.
Gobcobatron in the media
- Featured in 2008 issue of The Bund Magazine of Shanghai, China
- Included in May 2010 issue of Parade Magazine: Home, Strange Home
- Featured on the cover of the Fall 2010 issue of Yes! Magazine: 10 Ideas for Building Community Resiliency: A Hand-Built Home
- Interviewed in May 2011 for Boing Boing: Brian “Ziggy” Liloia on How To Build Your Own Hobbit House
- Included in Popular Science September 2011 issue: Top 10 Backyard Genius 2011
- Featured in ‘Homes Made From Wacky Materials’ on Forbes, February 2012