Jodie Lyn Brown’s ‘Cob Heart House’ sits at the top of a hill in Maleny, Queensland, surrounded by a garden full of fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. This beautiful hybrid home (half cob/half timber) is made even more special as it was built by Jodie herself with the help of a natural builder friend and a team of enthusiastic volunteers.
Jodie’s path to her cob house started when she separated from her husband and was living in the small town of Imbil. She’d purchased a large town block in an affordable area and had a house built for her. With four young children she had no plans to build her own home at that time.
Not long after she was drawn to the Crystal Waters Eco Village, where she ended up living for six years. It was at Crystal Waters that she was introduced to earthen homes and natural building. She found the perfect house to rent there, one made using rammed earth construction with the walls having a soft, earthy and nurturing feeling. Jodie was able to visit other earth homes, including rammed earth homes, a strawbale house and many which had been designed using passive solar design principles.