Cob contracting work

[Mike Carter and Carol Cannon]

Wow - this is a huge topic.

Note 1) that Michael Smith is really into neat hybrid stuff (strawbale,
bamboo, wattle and daub, light clay, cob, cordwood, and who knows what else)
and 2) that Brooke has indicated a desire, after all that exposure, to be a
COB builder, not a natural builder.  If the reason someone is attracted to
building is cob, how would working for the world's "coolest" drywall
contractor make that person happy or fulfilled?

Being a contractor takes a lot of skills that have nothing to do with
particular technologies.  Learn marketing, business law, how to write good
contracts, insurance requirements (unemployment, workers' comp, general
liability), how to keep a job site running, how to train workers, hiring and
firing, bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, estimating, and where to find just
about anything or any skill quickly.  Plus worrying about how to pay workers
when the client's check hasn't appeared yet.

Because of the way cob has been introduced, there are a large number of
workshop graduates who would like to do more with cob but either lack the
resources for building their own home (and keeping food on the table while
they do that) or can't find steady work that pays (since they are competing
with free volunteers or paying workshop participants for limited projects).
This situation stinks.  When they do find work, they are often without
insurance and Social Security and unemployment benefits because of competing
with "free" labor and the willingness of employers to exploit the surplus of
cobbers.  What happens if they get hurt?  I've written about "all us junkies
running around looking for our cob fix."

There are some solutions.  Marketing, research and codes, and certification
of cobbers will help.  We need to reach people who are considering building
"green" structures and interest them in cob.  Around Austin, there have been
dozens of strawbale houses started in the last two years and not a single
cob home that I know of.  Many of those who have considered cob have chosen
strawbale instead.  Their reasons are almost always "cob is too slow" (read
expensive).  They decide this for themselves, often after taking workshops.
We need architects and contractors to be marketing cob as a solution to
potential home builders and back feelings with facts and solid bids.

There is also a lot to be said for specialization.  I keep hearing from
people who have taken cob workshops how slow it is.  After about 6 months of
full-time work, I estimated that each of our crew was building wall at a
rate of about 3-5 times what an average recent workshop grad could do.  And
I would have included myself in that average.  You NEVER stop learning with
cob.  I would not want to hire cobbers at full rate (and I have hired a lot
of them) who did not have at least 2 months of full-time production
experience.  Cob construction is a legitimate craft in its own right and
people will pick up all kinds of masonry, carpentry, electrical, roofing,
and plumbing skills by working on cob houses.

There are a lot of people out there.  Find the one or two you can build cob
for next year.  Convince someone to build with cob.  Best Wishes.
Mike


From: Robert Bolman <robtb at efn.org>
>Brooke,
>
>People approach me like this all the time.  I'm not a very ambitious
>builder.  I've only employed people on and off, under the table.  I expect
>to be hiring a couple of people for an alternative sort of project next
>spring/summer.  Meanwhile, what I typically suggest for aspiring
>professional natural builders is to get a job working for a relatively
>"cool", counterculture CONVENTIONAL builder.  Begin picking up useful
skills
>while trying to nudge conventional building in a better direction.  When
>natural building takes off and there are indeed jobs available on an
ongoing
>basis, you'll be poised with a broad range of skills to find ample
>employment doing what you want.
[snip]