Cob: how do folks handle other responsibilities duringbuildin g?

[Tom Fetter]

<snip>
how would such a machine be any different that all the existing
>(expensive, resource-depleting, highly manufactured, energy-guzzling, 
>noisy,
>dangerous, dehumanizing) machines that we already have and use to construct
>dwellings?  If it were as simple as mechanizing most aspects of housing
>construction, well, that was done decades ago...
>
>John Schinnerer


John,
I think there is a significant difference between building a "conventional" 
house, using lots of high-tech and high-energy consumption methods, and 
mechanizing some aspects of cob (or other environmentally sound) building 
techniques.

I think that we've got to consider the lifetime energy consumption of 
something like a cob house - which will be here possibly to the next 
milennium.  As you know, most frame houses aren't intended to last more than 
40-50 years at the outside. I've personally got few problems with building 
houses with very long lifespans using methods which enable a much broader 
usage of building techniques which are sustainable (i.e. not relying heavily 
on forests, highly processed materials etc.), even if they may include a bit 
more "embodied energy" at the outset.  The energy consumption more than 
evens out over the long haul, and if mechanization allows a broader use of 
the building materials, all well and good!

Tom.


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