[Cob] building vs planning

[dhowell at pickensprogressonline.com]

Well it's cold outside and although I've heard of people standing around a fire drinking coffee and cobbing on their breaks, it's hard to do much in the way of building. But this is the time of year when planning takes place! Unfortunately for me, i have rough ideas of what things will look like but the real magic happens during the building process, that is if the plans are vague and allow for many possibilities. You know, the things like twisted branches in the corners for towel racks, and flat rocks protruding from the wall for small shelves and even steps upstairs. Boy, that's what makes cob houses so cool! The plan would be like, "roughly ten by ten room with a loft above this part of the room, stairs here, fireplace here, windows here, door here," then the room comes alive when you respond to the actual environment, such as, "there's a giant tree root right here, so I'll have to dig around it, and wouldn't it be cool to bring this piece of marble out of the wall to showcase the local stone?" 
Damon
Jasper, Ga, USA