Cob Cottage has tonnes of character

MWCobrange ECONOMY: The wood stove with wetback adds to power savings. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

Clive Aim's Cob Cottage is near Lismore Forest, about five minutes beyond Upokongaro. It was begun in 2008 and will be finished "one day", says Clive.
Cob, a mixture of clay and shellrock, he says "is very forgiving and flexible.
If you lay it on too thick or not smooth enough, all you need to do is shave it off with a spade the next day and you can reuse the cast offs by adding some water."
It is used worldwide, even in rain swept Devon and was the preferred form of building material for many early European settlers to New Zealand.
There are a few cob houses in New Zealand. The house built after World War 2 in Putiki is rammed earth, a much more technical method. But this modern cob house counters the earthquake risk by using steel reinforced concrete in the foundations, columns and beams.
Overall the weight of the cob is estimated at 80 tons. "All moved in a kitset wheel-barrow, which just made it to the last internal wall in December 2013," Clive says.
Power is supplied by solar panels and batteries, which are needed to store electricity as there is no cheap access to commercial supply. It is good enough to provide up to 10kw a day, enough for 24 hours a day power for all appliances.
Hot water comes from a wetback to the wood stove with plenty of free wood on the property. Broadband is available through the Inspirenet repeater on the main road.
The house is almost finished, all internal walls are complete, with just some earth plastering and gib stopping to do. The walls will be white washed which can be tinted. Clive said that they could not use paint "as it would seal the walls and prevent any moisture from being released."
Cob buildings are warm in winter and cool in summer, regulate humidity and are fireproof.
Clive said that people "love the character of the walls."
¦Open day is on Sunday, April 12, 2-4pm. Ticket and map $5pp on the day from St Mary's, Upokongaro, which will be harvest decorated. Devonshire Teas. Organised by the Friends of St Mary's for maintenance funds.