We built this fireplace over the summer of 2013. It is made entirely out of cob and plastered with a lime plaster finished in a Tadelakt technique. With both of us working full time jobs, we worked on this project in the evenings and our rare weekends off. Overall, from start to finish, we worked for 10 weeks.
Since it was first fired up it has seen immense amounts of use and is a favorite gathering spot for family and friends. While we generally use it for warmth and glow, we do on occasion also use it for cooking using the tandoor skewers. Over the winter of 2013, the fire cob back wall failed and required repairing which took about a half a day worth of work. The suspected reasons for this failure are detailed in our construction blog and since its repair it has burned countless times without difficulty.
The tadelakt is as silky smooth and shiny as when it was first completed and in the spring we give it a soapy bath which restores its luster to full effect. For the details of its construction and tadelakt finish, visit our blog.
