Cob and building in Hawai'i

[John Schinnerer]

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Aloha,

Back from my summer adventures, including an excellent cob-building =
workshop with the average normal-sized welshman himself...

As for Hawai'i, where I've also lived, and may again, allow me to =
blather:

Tim is right about the reactionary nature of building codes and building =
officials.  There is indeed very little earth, and what there is seems =
to me more valuable as a growing medium than a building medium, so cob =
is a poor (if not impossible) choice to build with.

However, here's some positive aspects:  there are places on the Big =
Island where land is cheap (due to various things, including the economy =
being poor) and it's possible to "get lost" as far as building =
inspectors go - if you keep a low profile and stay mellow.  Also, most =
anything with a HI-licensed architect or engineer's stamp will be =
approved (it's really about liability, not about codes - the county just =
needs to know who to blame), so if you can find an interested and =
sympathetic engineer or architect that's a possibility.  A friend of =
mine out there paid for his CA architect to get a HI license to get the =
stamp.

  Anecdote:  occasionally bureaucrats do stupid things and give you an =
easy out.  My former "boss" and his wife live in a lovely pole-framed =
home in upper Puna, built unpermitted and off-grid (and very nicely) by =
the previous owner.  The assessor was going through their area for the =
first time in years and made the mistake of being caught trespassing on =
their property - when he started complaining about the dwelling, they =
told him if he just went away they wouldn't charge him with trespassing. =
 They never heard from him again...

Building codes technically do not apply to Hawaiian Homelands, so if you =
have any connections to build on such property it should be possible to =
experiment with whatever you like.=20
=09
	>Most people in the rainy sections have their house up on posts.=20

This is no longer allowed, actually - in HI county, building codes now =
require either slab-on-grade or full perimeter foundations (or an =
engineer's stamp...).  Older  houses are mostly post-on-pier, however.

	>There isn't any practical indigenous house building techniques in =
Hawai'i.
>The natives used
>hard-wood timber-framed huts thatched with thousands of leaves.  (Not
>really practical for 2 million people presently living there.)

That's a pretty sweeping statement...could be said about any indigenous =
technique, including of course cob.  I mean, mixing and building by =
human power?  Earth and straw?  Rocks?  Building by hand, without power =
tools?  C'mon, it's just not practical!  You'd have to make thousands of =
batches of cob...and there's only about 1.2 million people in Hawai'i, =
which happens to be about the same number as the best current estimate =
of how many Hawaiians were there before Capt. Cook showed up.  They =
managed to house themselves...

Actually, they thatched with bundled pili grass in some places.  Palm =
leaves are also good - a roof will last 10-15 years, and a new one can =
be cut and applied in a few days, by hand and machete only, and the old =
one is compostable...  Lots and lots and lots of lava rock for stone =
building techniques; ohia and guava wood for pole/timber framing; bamboo =
is a great idea but only this last year is any timber/structural bamboo =
getting planted, and only a small amount so far.

So, I see a lot of opportunity for natural building techniques in =
Hawai'i!  Cob, alas, isn't one of them, but I hope to be able to play =
with some ideas over there at some point - learn from the old locals and =
make the rest up or adapt from other tropical climes.  It may be a few =
years, but when it happens you're all invited to come visit and help =
out!

John Schinnerer=00=00
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