This is one of the best things about using cob and adobe. You can find the materials just about anywhere for little to no cost at all. If you live in the desert clay soils and sand are everywhere. Wetter climates usually have heavy layers of clay subsoil and clay deposits along rivers, streams and lakes. Sand and clay are found virtually all over the planet. You might have to go dig it up and haul it a short distance but usually you can find it for free. Now understand that if you have the money to spend you can go order clay, sand, brick, block, and even premade adobe bricks. The choice is yours.
Now since part of this project is to spend as little money as possible we’ve been gathering all of the free materials that we can. We need rock so we go and find it on open public lands. I am not advocating theft at all. I called the BLM and State Land agencies and asked if it was ok to gather the materials. I was told that as long as it was not on private land or on a mining claim it was legal to gather dirt, sand and rock. Mining claims or private property require permission from the owner. I’ve only found that I needed on thing on private property so I knocked on the door and asked and they said take any of the rock or sand I wanted. It was that easy. I also just talk to people and sometimes I get lucky with people wanting to get rid of steel, brick, block, dirt or just about anything you might need so be open.
I will say this, there is a sense or feeling of accomplishment when you can look over and say not bad for a bunch of junk and dirt. You’ll know that what you have done has changed the way you look at things and the way everyone else that experiences using it looks at things as well.