[Cob] Cob:long response to some of Jill's questions

[Amanda Peck]

Jill--Good for you on thinking small.

I've been not nice at all to the people who wanted to build a 2000 square 
foot cob house for ten grand.

Looking at apartments for inspiration is a good idea.

A lot of your questions would be answered if you were to go "shopping" for a 
travel trailer.

I would consider three things.  a) virtual shopping for a travel trailer.  
b) field trips to local companies--and especially outdoor shows--that 
feature them c) purchase of one to live in--maybe both while you are 
building, and possibly to incorporate into your house.  That last HAS been 
done, I think by Jersey Devil.

I live in a 24 x 8 foot, maybe better designed than executed one (Conquest). 
  Since I have rarely had a real stove, the 3-burner gas with about a 6" 
deep oven seems uptown to me.   I can bake potatoes, and pies, and for 
Thanksgiving I DO graciously allow someone else to take care of the turkey.

I loathe under counter refrigerators, annoying to use, I believe that most 
are not terribly energy efficient--in this case, meaning that if you don't 
have mains electricity--i.e., a pole and a bill from the electricity 
company--they will hog  your Photovoltaic panel/battery system.  Sunfrost 
refrigerators are the Cadillac--pricey and wonderful.  The least expensive 
energy efficient electric ones are the--good sized--chest types, like a 
freezer except that they’re not, and there‘s Mike‘s plan.  A couple of 
companies are making propane refrigerators, not just for the travel trailer 
market.

In an 8-foot wall I have a small 2-door refrigerator/freezer that works on 
propane as well as 110 volt (standard house wiring) electricity. the stove,  
6" of counter space (just about made up for by the fact that I can put a 
cutting board over one of the twin sinks)  Twin sinks.  Under counter 
storage--two drawers, a cabinet under the sink.  two small cabinets above 
the sink.  Microwave above the stove.  Oh, yes, and the gas hot water heater 
lives behind the refrigerator, and there's a knife block behind the stove.

http://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/conquest/conquesttow/tindex.htm#
If you click on floor plans, I have the 24RBL.  That tub isn’t bad for a 
shower, might work for a small kid, but too shallow and small for an adult.

Lovely tiles, by the way.  I’ve always liked the Winslow Homer tropical 
paintings.

Digging a hole for the tub?  It could work, might be a whole lot of fun, but 
how are you going to drain it?   Consider PLUMBING.   It’s important, and 
why some of the tiny cob houses don’t have inside bathrooms.

If you run a search on “Ofuro” you might get lucky--Japanese tubs of similar 
size

And Kohler used to sell a small deep round tub, didn‘t see it when I looked 
just now.

If you were to live in a travel trailer for a while, getting to know your 
land--a very very good idea, by the way--you could build a cob hot tub, 
following Becky Bee’s instructions, or look into the Snorkel hot tub site.

Roof Pitch.  5 in 12.  Five inches UP for every twelve inches (i.e., a foot) 
across.  That’s about the maximum pitch you’d want to walk on--or work 
on--yourself.  Down below 3 in 12 you start running into potential leakage 
problems.  Can’t, even if you wanted to, for instance, use regular shingles, 
and even roll roofing gets iffy.  The higher the pitch, the more room you‘ll 
have in your loft.  12 in 12 is lovely that way.  I don’t roof.

Metal roof means that it’s fairly easy to do rain water harvesting.  If 
there’s enough rain in Western Washington, and if the Powers that Be haven’t 
declared (they have in parts of Colorado, I understand) that it’s illegal.

Some of the Southern Living house plans don’t look too bad--try the cabin 
section.  Find the periodical, because I think you have to know the name of 
the plan in order to see them, and the latest copy I have is loaned out.

Here’s one--the first floor floor plan:
“http://i.timeinc.net/southern/images/HP_Images/FloorPlans/742-1_f.gif”
And a picture of the house:
“http://www.southernliving.com/southern/homes/house_plans/article/0,14203,240479,00.html”

this one hits a few of my “forget it” buttons--e.g., only one door, 
but--real kitchen, washer, dryer--you need mains electricity for that!--real 
tub.

Do you need to buy these--pretty expensive--plans/building license if you 
are making all the changes you need to make to build in cob?  I’d be 
interested in other people’s ideas here.  My guess is that the LESS 
experience you have building, and the MORE contact you will have with 
codes/planning/subcontractors the better off you will be to hold your nose 
and buy the five-plan set.

And, for something a bit different, look at either Christopher Alexander’s A 
Pattern Language and/or this feature on the web site.

http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/begin.htm

Having the main floor below outside floor level sounds like a recipe for 
disaster to me.  Think what an inch or three of rainwater somehow getting 
diverted inside will do.

Lovely tiles, by the way.  I’ve always liked the Winslow Homer tropical 
paintings.

Digging a hole for the tub?  It could work, might be a whole lot of fun, but 
how and where are you going to drain it?   Consider PLUMBING.

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