Cottage Building in Cob, Pisé, Chalk and Clay: A Renaissance (2nd edition)

A practical guide to low‑tech homebuilding, this work explores the revival of earthen techniques—cob, pisé, chalk and clay—in the early twentieth‑century English countryside. The author sets the scene with a friendly discussion of why traditional timber is waning and how “dry‑earth” methods promise a summer‑time craft that can still deliver sturdy roofs, floors and joinery.

Drawing on recent experiments, especially a showcase house built by a noted architect, the book offers detailed instructions, measurements and observations from laboratory tests and overseas projects in Africa, Canada and Scandinavia. Readers will discover the challenges of working with earth in a damp climate, the seasonal rhythm of construction, and the growing community of builders eager to reinvent affordable, sustainable dwellings. The tone remains honest about the method’s infancy, inviting curious hands to join the experiment.