Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Becky Bee’s The Cob Builders Handbook (Chelsea Green Publishing, 1998) is a friendly guide ...

In the sustainable home building industry, many prospective homeowners want to make environmentally friendly choices, but struggle to make sense of a building industry that labels every house framing ...

Making homes out of clay, sand and straw — a material called “cob” — might raise eyebrows in earthquake country, but Bay Area devotees are hoping to gain acceptance for what they say is an inexpensive ...