Cob house building in Costa Rica.

[Cancertomnpdx]

I have posted similar posts in years past, so it is time to ask again. It has been several years and someone may have built such a structure.

Do you know of anyone who has built a small cob structure on their property anywhere in Costa Rica?

If you do, do you know if they used either straw bales and/or rice bales for their cob?

Also, I am trying to determine if rice straw will work for mixing into cob. I see rice straw referred in Costa Rica Ministry of Ag docs, but I can’t see any information about the production or use of straw bales in these documents. Any thoughts on this or ideas where to search for this information?

Thanks,
Tom
Portland, OR

[DavidCMurray]

In any of Costa Rica’s many and varied climatic zones and sub zones, it seems to me that constructing a building from organic materials is a blueprint for disappointment. That’s why masonry construction is the norm. To be sure, some homes are constructed of wood, but their longevity is very questionable.

Unless you have a 100% foolproof way of permanently encapsulating those materials to prevent the intrusion of vermin, mold and mildew, and moisture, such a structure would, at the very least, require constant maintenance and replacement. Otherwise, its useful life would likely be very short.

An additional consideration whenever one thinks of using a very non-standard building technique is that of finding construction workers who will understand and follow the construction practices that would be so foreign to their experience.

I certainly have not been everywhere or seen everything, but I can say that I have never seen baled straw here. I wonder if it’s even available.

[elindermuller]

Actually the old wooden farm houses last forever because they were build from Cedro which will not rotten and bugs don’t like it, plus they are pretty earthquake resistant. You can still build with wood, but it is expensive and high maintenance. A while ago I asked an architect about alternative building methods (straw bales etc.) and he told me that it is not allowed due to earthquake codes etc.

[maravilla]

you could legally build an earth bag house of 40 sq meters. you’d have to check out your soil first.

[pranaspakeywest]

I just got back form a great sustainable building workshop at Ranch Mastatal. They have done various natural building techniques at their place in the mountains between Parrita and Puriscal. Check them out at: http://www.ranchomastatal.com

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