Cob: how do folks handle other responsibilities during build

[Patrick Newberry]

You talking to me!
Just kidding, yup I have lived this story.....
Well first thing, Cob may not be for everyone, yup it's true, one 
building medium is not a one size fits all solution to our building 
needs. But it can be a very important option for those in the right 
situation., 

My situation is:
I moved to the country, but for the first six months I had to commute 2 
hours a day and thus I really only worked on the house on weekends. 

Next, I had to come to terms with the fact that the house was going to 
take several years for us (aka ME) to complete. (crews, we don't need 
no stinkin crews). Our solution was we ended up with several spaces 
around the land. We now have two trailers, multiple tents, outdoor 
kitchens, all sorts of hang out areas and even an old school bus. We 
have slowly made spaces for ourselves. We started out with 4 of us 
living in a one room trailer. Now my kids are teenagers and they have 
accused me of ruining their lives. I just laugh. Hey I say, someday 
when you have kids you'll be able to tell them, man you think you have 
it bad, I had to live in a tent one year. We spend a LOT of time 
together. 

Next I Lucked out and now work from home. This is the single most 
important factor that has helped our situation. I still work about 45 
to 50 hours a week on my job, but it's at home. When I worked in the 
city, there was a bit more of a feeling that dad had dumped the 
the family in the country while he ran off to the city. 

Next I hate tv, but I allowed (ha ha, I should say I valued my life 
enough to ...) my wife to get a direct TV satellite dish and get 400 
million different stations. I gave in because I realized how much they 
had given up for me to search for my dream. 

So now I work every chance I can on the house, but I don't worry too 
much about time since I have arrived at a sustainable living situation 
(FOR US) that does not require that I get the job done in 6 months or 
6 years. I work hard at involving the family, but I never put pressure 
on them that makes it a hardship, rather I have made a choice that if 
they want to help, they help, if they don't and feel happy sitting in 
the trailer watching I love lucy re-runs, it's ok too. By not having 
the pressure on them they get bored and wonder out and see what old dad 
is up to and then they lend a hand and our relationship bonds closer. 
If I were to put a whole bunch of pressure like gosh-dang-it we need to 
put in more hours building this cob house before winter pulls in or we 
are all going to freeze to death, the relationships might be strained 
a bit more. 

Would my situation be good for everyone, heck no. To some people my 
life would be hell, to me it's heaven. It's just how you look at. For 
example you mention that your 1100 sq foot house has been outgrown, yet 
it many parts of the world it would be considered huge, heck even 
massive. Are those people crazy. Maybe,or  maybe it's just a matter of 
mind. What you are use to, what you expect a whole lot of things. 

It does generally take one person to take the leadership role and be 
the one who takes ownership of the project. In my case that is me. I 
also realize that just because it a very important part of my life, 
doesn't mean it has to be the most important thing in the whole 
families's life. But I am finding them gaining more and more pride in 
the structure as it as moved along. Heck everyone in our small town 
knows about the earth dome in Mauk. They now have semi-celebrity 
status. I let them share in that credit since the credit, to me, 
not just how many hours they have put into making cob, but also in 
sharing of our lives. 

Have there been times when I've had second thoughts? Yes there have 
been. But when I have those times, I walk below to where I'm building 
this house, this thing which as been such a part of my life for the 
last couple of years and I'm ok. I'm ready to keep going. 

If I were to wake up today, would I do the house like I"m doing it now, 
Probably not. I know more now. But the  fact is I'm grateful for my 
ignorance as this will be such a cool, one of a kind house that I'm 
glad I gave birth to it. Not knowing the full extend of the struggle 
allowed me to take the first step.  You know like God protecting 
drunks, fools and alternative builders.

Love and Light
Pat
http:www.gnat.net/~goshawk




> So folks, what have the veterans of the process learned about how to
> do this type of project without ending marriages and causing juvenile
> delinquency?  Scrabble together a large enough nest-egg to build and
> live without a job for 6 months?  Inherit?  Keep one partner working
> at a truly lucrative job while the other heads up the building crew?
> 
> All stories gratefully received!

"There is No Hope, but I may be wrong."