[Cob] Cob in Thailand and forget those Building Codes!

[Stephen Karrington]

> Is land *that* much cheaper in upstate NY?  It's not like Oregon will break
> the bank compared to prime areas like the coasts or FL.  What kind of 
> differences are you seeing in price?
> Besides cold winters, the summers in NY can be brutally hot and humid.  I
> have no idea why anybody from OR would beg for that pain unless for a job.
> At least in OR you get a milder winter, and the heat is dry in summer.
> Just wonderin'.
> p

If you want cheap conditions for building your cob home try thinking
internationally. I am in Thailand now and "mud building" is now
starting to take off. Its still in the infancy but has nowhere to
go but up. I just came across one company that is now in the business
of building "mud" homes for private people here in Thailand. They have
two projects going on right now. They call adobe or cob building "mud
building" here for the most part.

If I may list some positives of being in Thailand :) Its summer every
day. That's 12 months out of every year :) It has the best food in the
world. Not that I think the coblist would be filled with materialistic consumers,
but, it has the best shopping on the planet and its CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!
That means clothing, and just about everything else you can imagine.
For example, I just bought a designer short sleeve shirt here and it
cost me $8. That's cheaper than I could buy a t-shirt in the USA.
Ok, maye you don't think that's a positive, but, I listed it anyway for you
consumers out there looking for bargains.

They have mountains here in the North and all kinds of islands in the
South. Beaches, mountains, parks, etc.

If you want something custom designed, like furniture, clothing,
fabrics, clay pottery, whatever, they can do it here. The artisanry of
the people are fantastic. Silks, cottons, hemp, etc is all here and in
every possible conbination and design. You can just go to a mountain
village or small town where they make these things and get someone to
loom it for you. Just incredible.

Labor! If you need some help with those cob walls because you want to
get things done a little faster, then hire some local villagers. About
$10-$15 a day. And that might be overpaying. The local villagers are
out of work and anything that provides income is welcome. Those
prices are reasonable and affordable. A big difference than Colorado
where a gardener wants $50/hr to weed and plant. And that was the
price 10 years ago. Talk about inflation!

Oh yes, you can get a full time cook for about $100 or $150/mth, full time
gardener for the same amount, full time house cleaner for less too. Come to Thailand
and live like a king!!! :)

They have hundreds of herbs, flowers, and all kinds of natural
cosmetics derived from the lovely nature of Thailand. Really nice
stuff!

Land. It can be ridiculously cheap when you get out of the cities.
That's the good news, the bad news is a foreignor cannot buy land
directly. Its complicated to get into it but there are ways to do it.
I suggest an easier way like a long term lease that will go way past
your lifetime or get into a community project here as possibilities. There are
some communities already existing here and I'm sure more will show up.

Buildinng codes. If you are building outside of the cities there are
no building codes! Build what you want, how you want, and not have to
ask anyone anything about permission. I don't even think they have
building codes in the big cities :) Except for the skyscrapers in
Bangkok, people build where they want, what they want, how they want
and that's that. No one asks questions. Its a little crazy
how they build these houses here in Bangkok when the walls look like some drunk
did them because they are completely cockeyed. And the plumbing is
just a pipe that goes to the street or some hole in the ground. Its
nuts. If you want no building codes to deal with and get outside of the
big cities into beautiful nature, then Thailand might be for you.

If Thailand is not your thing may I suggest Chile! That's my next
stop and a report will be forthcoming. I know these places seem far
away but sometimes farther is better :)

Stephen