[Cob] cob, the not-so-big house, and metal roofs.

[Amanda Peck]

I don't think that book was written for us!

I've enjoyed--not always agreed with, but enjoyed, Susanka's columns in Fine 
homebuilding (whatever it is) magazine for years.  Her website  
http://www.notsobighouse.com/  might be a lot more useful than the book for 
those of us concerned with whether we need a 400 foot one-story or a 1000 
footer with 650 feet on the first floor, the rest as a story-and-a-half 
upper level.

But I have an internet acquaintance who LOVES the original book, used it 
often when he built his own--gorgeous, from pictures, house.  But--he moved 
from a suburban townhouse condo to the Old Home Place with two kids and a 
wife.  He and his wife both work out of their house in separate businesses, 
really need office space for each of them.  And, coming from a condo, they 
probably thought in terms of house-space substituting for LAND for room for 
adults and kids not to keep bumping into each other.

Metal roofs:

There are TWO KINDS of metal roofs, one very much cheaper than the other.  
According to (I think) Dan Chiras' Solar House.  My barn has the "ag 
quality" where if there is an occasional drip, no one will care.  And after 
thinking about it for a while, that's probably fine.  There may be enough 
pitch to run water off of the roof, and not down on the--sealed with painted 
OSB--ceiling joists.  Although if I'd realized it I would have put a little 
bit of pitch in those too.

House quality--where ANY leak is a disaster.

Makes sense to me.  Two of my neighbors have new metal roofs.  One in 
particular looks pretty exotic.

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