Cob house of Michael Buck

Michael Buck used only natural materials or unwanted items to build a cob house at the bottom of his garden. He said he wanted to challenge the notion that paying for a house should take a lifetime. He is now renting out the property to a worker on a neighouring farm, who pays for her lodgings in milk

This cottage cost just £150 to build, using only natural or reclaimed materials, and is now rented out for a fee of fresh milk and cream. And with no mains electricity, gas or water, the bills don’t come to much either. Former art teacher Mr Buck taught himself how to thatch in order to create the cottage's intricate roof