Cob: $500 ??#$"#$!

[Darel Henman]

Ocean,
  You mistook my meaning.  And I wasn't using profanity just a
frustration.  

Now to clear up ... I am the first to agree with you that composting is
very good in both its savings in water and also in the good fertilizer
that it produces.

I do not, however, think it is good to make everyone think they can have
their dream house for a
mere $500 and not mention the true resource cost, such as one's time,
etc. Not to mention land costs money also...

To restate, I am with you on composting, and cob as being a good
material to build with.

Ocean wrote:
> 
> Indeed!
> 
> The Humanure philosophy makes a lot more sense than dumping our sh*t
> into a plastic underground tank that has to be pumped out and shipped
> away every few years or so, with the ever-present possibility of
> polluting our own groundwater supply.
> 
> Why not compost our waste, return it to our food chain as nutrients?
> Sure, it takes a little more work, and you have to get more familiar
> with handling sh*t safely, but hey, being so far removed from the
> cycles of life is what's gotten us cushy Americans into such an
> environmental nightmare.
> 
> Aren't we into cob (and other natural building methods) because we are
> wanting to return to a more harmonious way of living?
> 
> Ianto is a master recycler (which some of us may call a "dumpster
> diver") and he did indeed build his house out of 99% recycled
> materials. 

That's what I said.  One can only do it though by using free materials. 
But, to get free materials you need the truck, trucks insurance, gas, 
and time, a lot of time to search and collect the right materials or
have someone do that for you.  For those people who can't or prefer to
go another way they need to figure differently.  Don't you agree?

> He sh*ts in a composting toilet he built himself from
> recycled plywood, saves his p*ss in a 5 gallon jug to apply directly to
> his garden (the pure nitrogen kills weeds and feeds alliums just what
> they want!),

I'm not sure of the nitrogen content in urine, but it is high.  To much
is one place may not be good.  Somebody might be more up on knowledge
here.  Some plants will wither if directly given it, or given too much. 
Just now your plants appatite. 

> taps water from a spring, and is the best example of a
> person living up to his own ideals as I've ever met.  I'd love to say I
> follow my own ideals as well, but I'd be lying.
> 
That's fine, but is the building legal?  Some people might be concerned
with that in that some counties are not builder friendly.  People who
can't walk might need a water pump in the house, etc...  Some people
might want water filters and such.   I was talking about the cost, not
the merits of the house itself.

> So please don't respond to the "$500" question with such profanity
> (??#$"#$!), unless of course you are living a more harmonious
> lifestyle...

I was trying to point out to people that the $500 figure can be and is
in many cases misleading to many people and that they should not expect
to be able to build a fully functional by modern standards a house for
$500.

> 
> Ocean
> 

I hope that clears it up.  I'm sorry I wasn't clearer in my first mail
on this.

Darel