Cob: Regulations

[wgnmaker]

I am looking at land in NM.... Deming to be exact...  Someone from the
papercrete list also
looked at it and was kind enough to inform me that there are covenents... 20
pages worth!!.

A little background... I was attracted to this land because the seller was
toting it as a hot bed for alternative construction.  It is secluded... 13
miles out from town.... at this time very few people.. my nearest neighbor
would be more than a half mile away..  Anyway when I approched  the seller
regarding above covenants his response was that people just go ahead and 'just
do' (in other words: build and do not ask) and after all this is the "Wild
West"!!  What do you think gang? (Jesse James excluded)

Wayne




Shannon C. Dealy wrote:

> On Thu, 20 Jul 2000, Tami Blaylock wrote:
>
> [snip]
> > My other concern is how likely will it be that I will actually be
> > "allowed" to build a cob structure in my back yard? I am right in the
> > middle of a heavily populated residential area, so I doubt I would be
> > able to "get away with" building without obtaining  permits, etc.  Of
>
> It generally depends on the size and type of structure, a garden wall in
> most parts of the country probably would not require a permit, or at most
> might require a permit for building a fence.  Fence permits in the cases
> I've seen have no structural requirements, just property line set back and
> height restrictions.  Small garden sheds of less than 120 square feet at
> the eaves of the roof and less than 10 feet tall usually do not require
> any permits in most areas, though you should always check with the local
> building department to be sure.  I have a small write up on ways some
> people deal with the building code and natural buildings at:
>
>    http://www.deatech.com/natural/articles/code_alternatives.html
>
> > course I will contact my local building inspections departments, but I
> > was just curious as to others' experiences with building in densely
> > populated areas and dealing with the authorities. Is this a situation
> > where it is easier to ask forgiveness than get  permission? Or is that a
> > risky attitude?  I would love to hear your stories.
>
> It is very risky to build without a permit if one is required, if the
> building department should find out (perhaps from a bored busy-body
> neighbor), they can and often will make you tear it down.
>
> Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
> dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
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