[Cob] New to cob; particular question re: bringing electricity to a cob structure

[James from House Alive]

Phil wrote:

"Have also found no help or replys from Cob Cottage and find that this
coblist is probably the best we can hope for. There are a few people who
have cob knowledge but most of those we have attempted to contact have not
replied either. Seems there is more interest in building cob houses in
Africa then here."

I'll have to disagree on at least part of this one:  There is a large and
thriving community of knowledgeable (and learning) cobbers here!  Most of
the ones I know, though, don't spend a lot of time answering questions
on-line...

True, the codes make it difficult to build 100% load bearing cob buildings
in most parts of the country, but there are many creative ways to design and
build the perfect  "natural" dwelling to suit anyone's needs.  I strongly
recommend taking a workshop from one of the many qualified and skilled
teachers scattered around the country.  You can learn about some of them
here: www.cobworkshops.org, or here: www.naturalbuildingnetwork.com.

We have an article on our website that discusses the code issue in a little
more depth, perhaps you will find it helpful:
http://www.housealive.org/newsletter-archive/building-codes-natural-building.html

If you want to help support the "Cob Codes" movement, you should send a
donation to John Fordice:
http://www.deatech.com/natural/cobinfo/cobcode.html (not updated in about 10
years, but at the Natural Building Colloquium last month he said he was
ready to get started again working on this project!  He just needs
funding...).

Lastly, I encourage people to spend time thinking about all the things they
CAN do, rather than the things they can't.  There are so many possibilities!

-James
-------------------------
James L Thomson
(617) 851-9628
7540 Griffin Lane
Jacksonville, OR  97530
www.housealive.org
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"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what
matters."

-Seneca