Winner of 2019 Building Designers Association of Queensland’s State Awards – ‘Best Small Home’ (Gross floor under 150m2) Winner of 2019 Building Designers Association of Queensland’s Regional Awards – Sunshine Coast ‘Sustainable Building Design – Residential’ and ‘Best Small Home’ (Gross floor area under 150m2)
This owner/builder cob cottage in the Sunshine Coast hinterland is part cob, part contemporary construction. Cob is a mixture of clay, sand and straw, which is mixed, often by stomping, until it creates a smooth, malleable but strong material to form walls etc. This is an inexpensive, but labour intensive building material that can be used to make organic walls and shapes. The cob is built in layers, waiting for the previous layer to part-dry before adding the next layer.
The cob walls of this cottage are situated on the non-weather side of the house with large overhangs. The sweeping wall shapes create north-facing openings that allow for winter sun penetration. These walls will eventually be rendered with natural plasters. Internal walls separating the dining, living and main bedroom are all made of cob, whilst the kitchen, other bedrooms and bathroom are clad with Colorbond and weatherboard, with plasterboard interior.
The Cobhearthome is currently listed as a Airbnb destination, which can be found here.
