Grand Designs Round Cob House
A change of fortune
The loans were temporary, of course, and Kevin had to take on as much paying work as possible in order to repay friends. Meanwhile trying to fund continued work on Dingle Dell, which was by now in his sole ownership. 'I lived in a caravan on site for the first year, until I finished the top floor of the annex, and I moved into that shortly before Christmas 2014,' he recalls.
'Gradually, as I was able to afford time and materials to work on the house, I began to make steady progress. By Christmas 2015, both floors of the annex were habitable and Kevin's partner Karen, and her two daughters Madi, aged 15, and Livi, aged 11, were able to join him in living there. 'From that point, we continued to make steady progress, as and when I earned the money to fund it, rather than rely on borrowing,' he says.
The kitchen cupboards were handmade from cob and timber by Kevin. Photo: Mark Bolton
Energy saving
They now all live in the main house, which was completed earlier this year. Thanks to a range of energy-saving measures including solar panels to heat the water, pipework and butts to harvest rainwater, and a borehole for the cold water system, the house produces more energy than it consumes.
Dingle Dell is named after both the traditional term for a small wooded hollow, and a corner at Brands Hatch racing track, where Kevin once raced with his late brother, Simon. Its efficiency means it meets Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6, and Passivhaus levels of energy consumption.
The impressive status is just reward for all the money and effort that Kevin has put into the project since the beginning. In 2009, he spent more than £50,000 on consultants, who helped him adjust his design to present a convincing case for the project to the local planning authority.
Each of the children's bedrooms has a rope swing suspended from a roof beam. Photo: Mark Bolton
Pushing the boundaries
'The house pushes the boundaries for earth buildings and shows us what can be achieved,' remarks Kevin's structural engineer, Barry Honeysett, on undertaking a cob-house project. 'Unlike blockwork or timber, there is no British Standards code of practice or any design information to guide us, so we had to start with basic engineering process, testing samples of the soil and working out what it could safely carry.
'Every element had to be carefully designed to make it practical and manageable,' Honeysett continues. 'The floors and the large expanse of turf roof are supported by a timber frame of radiating glulam [glued laminated timber] beams. These span the wide living space between the central stair core and cantilever beyond the outer walls.'
The circular bed adds interest to the minimalist layout in this bedroom. Photo: Mark Bolton
Sustainably minded
'Properly built and correctly maintained, cob is by far the most comfortable material to live in as it regulates heat and humidity naturally,' says Kevin. 'It couldn't be more environmentally friendly. It's made from the local environment and at the end of its life, which could be a thousand years or more, it can meld back into the soil, or be re-used as new cob.'
Set into the thick walls of the two buildings that make up the house is a series of huge window frames. Each of these is triple-glazed, and within the glazed link sits a greenhouse, where Kevin and Karen grow tomatoes. Each building has a wildflower meadow on its roof, a softly angled design that mirrors the wavy lines of the surrounding hills. To meet stringent regulations, walls were insulated with polystyrene – 100% recyclable and A+ rated for sustainability – and rendered with lime.
This shimmering beaten copper freestanding bath is the bathroom centrepiece. Photo: Mark Bolton
A place to chill out
Kevin insists that the Grand Designs cob house is a very relaxing place to be: 'It's always warm everywhere and the materials are all quite natural, which creates a general feeling of well-being. It just feels lovely to be in any part of it.'
The size and scale of the rooms in the main house are breathtaking and they're so beautifully simple, they need no ornamentation. 'We didn't want the interior to feel too contrived or over-designed,' says Kevin. 'With no deadlines or financial pressure to finish, we've had time to let ideas evolve and to create elements such as the earth floor, the cob and oak staircase, the arrow-slit lights and the glass wall in the main bathroom.'
Outside, Kevin says that there is still one more bridge and some balconies to construct, and then there is the landscaping to complete. He and Karen are also working on the design for a bespoke cob and oak, zero-carbon, indoor swimming pool.
Meanwhile, his magnificent home stands proud among the rolling hills of the East Devon as a monument to the art of cob-building. Its swooping curves and exquisite sense of place also mark the unquestionable determination of the king of cob to conquer all the odds.
Source: https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/grand-designs-houses/cob-house-east-devon/
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