Cobbing is easy! There is an abundance of cob-building workshops offered in Oregon and around the United States, for those looking for a more hands-on approach. But constructing with cob can also be learned through research, visiting existing structures, and by talking with knowledgable people. Building with cob is easy compared to traditional building methods, but a lot of research planning must take place before one even begins.

I’ll break down the essentials of constructing with cob below, but know that this is just a surface glossing and MUCH MORE information can be found in books, videos, and other websites. Here is a great video that shows the basic steps of mixing cob and building with it:

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1. Test your existing soil for sand to clay ratio 
2. Decide if you need to bring in additional clay or sand to create the perfect mixture
3. Make test bricks- for more info about that click here: test bricks! 
4. Plan your location, keep in mind how much sunlight your site will receive, rain runoff, surrounding features such as trees, and accessibility to your site- Becky has great info here: Cob Builders Handbook
5. Build foundation of structure. The “cap & boots” are the most important part of cob structures. Rain will eventually break down cob, so the roof overhang must be large and the foundation must be rather high off the ground, keeping the structure out of sitting water. Good resource- Cob Builders Handbook  
6. Mix ingredients on a large tarp (see video above for how to do this)
7. Plop cob mixture onto foundation and start sculpting!

…again, there is a lot more to this, so check out the sources below for a more comprehensive how to guide.

sources:

http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxyrnkhfJo1qhkgmq.png

http://www.earthbench.org/how-to-cob.html

http://ecocosas.com/wp-content/uploads/Biblioteca/Arquitectura/cob_builders_handbook.pdf

http://ilovecob.com/gallery/projectmoonunit/

https://domzhliny.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/cob_mixing.jpg