Cob Strawbale Construction Building Permit

[M J Epko]

At 07:37 AM 12/3/97 -0800, you wrote:
>        We are Jackie and Jim and live in Virginia.

	Hello Jackie and Jim!

>We have been monitoring this mail for almost a year now with 
>particular interest in "Strawbale" home construction.

	Are you on the strawbale list as well? If not, subscription instructions
are at
http://solstice.crest.org/efficiency/strawbale-list-archive/info.html

>This is the first time we have submitted a mailing - mainly
>because we only had questions and no experience.

	That's never stopped me before.   :)

>        It is our understanding that there is a model "proposal" 
>that is available to assist in the process of securing the required 
>permit, but are at a loss to know where to find it.

	Sound like David Eisenberg's working paper. I've got a copy, and have
never seen anything else so comprehensive on the subject. DCAT is currently
working on a new website called Institutional Barriers To Straw Bale
Construction (supposed to be done by the end of the year) which is shaping
up to be nothing short of incredible. It'll have information on obtaining
insurance, a lot of code stuff, things which will be very helpful to you.
Watch the SB List for an announcement in the next month or so. In the
meantime:

Straw Bale Construction and the Building Codes
This is a regularly updated working paper. 30 pages of information on
working with your local code officials to obtain a building permit for
straw bale construction. Learn how to gather information, go through the
process, and use existing provisions in the code for alternative materials
and methods. Included are letters from building officials and a list of
building officials willing to talk with other building officials about
straw bale construction.

A very well-spent $10 postpaid, available from
DCAT (Development Center for Appropriate Technology)
P.O. Box 41144 Tucson, Arizona 85717 USA
(520) 624-6628 · strawnet at aol.com
http://www.netchaos.com/dcat/



   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      M J Epko        duckchow at ix.netcom.com
      almost Wyoming, north of Nebraska, USA
               by way of New Mexico
      (not soon enough) - for now, Minnesota
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Whoever then wishes to be free, let him neither 
  wish for anything nor avoid anything which 
  depends on others. If he does not observe this 
  rule, he must be a slave.
                        - Epictetus, Encheiridion