Frugal Farmhouse Remodel with Cob
A Farmhouse Cob Remodel
Benefits of a frugal farmhouse remodel with cob. With less experience and money, you can remedy mold and mildew and stop your home from attracting destructive insects.
The sun is finally coming back. I thank God for that! It really has been a nasty and cold winter. The chickens are really happy about the sun too, and it makes me happy to see them happy. It’s also going to be nice to be able to get outside and get some projects done on the homestead.
When you buy an old farmhouse/trashed meth-house, the list of things to do and clean up seems never ending. But today I am indeed praising God for the roof over our heads and the food that is in the pantry and fridge. This time last year was ROUGH! And now here we are just barely over a year into our lives in this new place and it seems like it’s all going to work out. Even though daily sometimes, I have no idea how. But what is so new, is that I trust that, and trust in God in a new way that I never did before.
Today I thank God my son is here with me. He is breathing and conscious. We are now over a week since his last grand mal seizure and I’m praying that continues, forever really. One of the reasons we left our comfortable home was to find someplace we could actually own and grow a garden; to become a homesteading family.
This isn’t where we intended to be but it’s where we ended up. And for that, right now, we are grateful. This house might be a wreck. It might smell bad in a lot of places, but we have a roof and it’s ours! And we hope you come along with us as we figure this thing out.
Why This Farmhouse Remodel is called Mississippi Mud Home?
Well, because it’s a cob remodel in Mississippi. See everything in Mississippi begins to mold and break down even as you build it in your mind! Hahaha, no… really! So I’m hoping all the things I’ve learned from watching my favorite natural building, homesteading family channels helps us out here. I REALLY hope my projects help other people here in the south who may have never heard of these more affordable, DIY methods.
Why A Cob Remodel?
We plan to re-build this home with cob to solve many of our key problems. Mainly the mold and mildew issue because of the high humidity levels. But then there’s also the termites and other wood eating insects out here. Uggg every disgusting insect you can think of thrives out here in this environment!
So how do we protect this place from them!? We’re going to use cob. But first we’ll be treating all of the wood we uncover with a borax and water solution. We’ll also burn the wood using the Shou Shugi Ban method. You can watch about why this is an amazing technique from one of my favorite homesteading family channels here. And check out their website and blog here. https://tinyshinyhome.com/earthbag-chicken-garden
And I can’t forget to mention the terrifying storms out here! We have no storm shelter but thankfully this home is on a good foundation and is built from white oak. It’s STRONG! However since we have no storm shelter, it could stand to be stronger and I’m hoping that my ideas will make it so 😉
I am new at this blogging thing and I hope you can see the value in sticking with us to watch this place make it’s transformation from a drug house with a truly scary and sad past to a wonderful and productive small family homestead. More to come! Thanks for taking the time to read and share.
Till next time, may grace mercy and peace be with you and yours!
~Rachel, Mississippi Mud Home
