Devon house made out of MUD is for sale for £795,000
- Four-bed cob house in Ottery St Mary was built by local builder Kevin McCabe
- Mr McCabe was on Grand Designs five years ago building his own home nearby
- The sustainable house has thick cob walls and a ground source heat pump
A house in Devon built by a local builder who was a favourite on Grand Designs is for sale for £796,000.
The four-bedroom and three-bathroom detached house in Ottery St Mary was built by Kevin McCabe and with its thick cob walls is appropriately named The Cob House.
Mr McCabe lives in another cob house nearby, which appeared on Grand Designs in 2018.
Cob is a natural building material typically made from a mixture of sandy sub-soil, clay and straw.
This four-bedroom cob house in Ottery St Mary was built by local builder Kevin McCabe, who is a favourite on Grand Designs
Mr McCabe spoke exclusively to us about why he likes working with cob and building houses in this way.
He said: ‘It was built in 2006 before I appeared on Grand Designs when I built the nearby house that I currently live in.
‘Building cob homes is important to me. It is built from the local environment, which means that it inevitably blends with the local environment.
‘You are not bringing in designs from elsewhere, which means it reflects a very vernacular tradition. For the cob house, I built it from the soil out of the garden.’
He went on to say: ‘There is something like 40,000 cob houses in Devon and people often don’t realise they live in one.
‘It was nice to be able to thatch that house, which is different from the cob house that I live in, which has a green roof. It is a couple of miles away.’
The property in Devon is currently on the market for £796,000 and the estate agent handling the sale is Hall & Scott
The farmhouse-style kitchen has bespoke oak units, granite worktops and a Rangemaster cooker
The kitchen also has tiled floors and bespoke chestnut wood sealed double-glazed windows
The main living room has a multi-fuel stove as well as wooden ceiling beams and a large window
The estate agent handling the sale is Hall & Scott, which described The Cob House as ‘impressive’ and a ‘superb’ property.
As well as the thick cob walls, it includes a ground source heat pump which serves the underfloor heating and hot water system.
It also has tiled floors and bespoke chestnut wood sealed double-glazed windows.
The house is spread across three floors and includes a feature oak staircase and oak doors leading to the main living room that has a multi-fuel stove and a large window.
The property appeared on Grand Designs many years ago showing the McCabe family living there while they built another cob house nearby
Mr McCabe appeared on Grand Designs in 2018 to reveal the finished cob house that he lives in called Dingle Dell, which is also in Ottery St Mary.
The separate farmhouse-style kitchen has bespoke oak units, granite worktops and a Rangemaster cooker.
The main bedroom is on the first floor, along with an en-suite bathroom featuring a roll top bath, and a separate family bathroom.
The second floor has two further double bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom.
There is sufficient parking for several vehicles and a single garage with a recently installed EV charging point to the side.
A ground source heat pump serves the underfloor heating along with the hot water system
The entrance is via a large wooden door that is surrounded by the curved cob walls
The house is spread across three floors and includes a feature oak staircase and oak doors
The main bedroom is on the first floor, and has an en-suite bathroom featuring a roll top bath
The property is in Ottery St Mary, which is one of the oldest towns in Devon and boasts a range of amenities, including a butcher, bakery and chemist.
Schools include The Kings School, while there is also a sports centre and medical centre.
The town has good access to transport links with access to the A30 and the M5. The City of Exeter and its international airport are nearby.
The property is in Ottery St Mary, which is one of the oldest towns in Devon, and is surrounded by countryside views
The average price of a property sold in Ottery St Mary during the past 12 months is £540,916.
It compares to an average of £353,708 for the country as a whole, according to property website Zoopla.
Daniel Copley, of Zoopla, said: ‘This picture-perfect property looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale with its cute thatched roof, cottage garden and scenic surroundings.
‘Further afield, there’s lots to explore in the East Devon countryside including the Jurassic Coast, Exeter Cathedral and the famous Seaton Tramway.’
The house has space outside to park several vehicles and has an EV charging point on the side of the garage
The cottage garden has a generous lawn area with some mature planting around the edges
Mr McCabe appeared on Grand Designs in 2018 to reveal the finished cob house that he lives in called Dingle Dell, which is also in Ottery St Mary.
The show’s presenter Kevin McCloud returned to Devon seven years after the project began.
Mr McCabe is still involved in building cob houses and does a lot of repairs to older homes.
He explained: ‘Of the 40,000 houses in Devon, some of them have the wrong render which needs to be removed and replaced.
‘Cob houses are very comfortable to live in as they have thick walls. If they have the right plaster and render, it will absorb and release humidity quite readily, which means the building is more comfortable to live in.
‘And healthier as it doesn’t dry out your airways to the same extent.’
Mr McCabe runs courses for those looking to learn more about how to build cob houses. More details can be found at www.buildsomethingbeautiful.co.uk.
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