[Cob] Question on Planning a Cob Building

[Amanda Peck]

A clay pottery studio sounds like a good idea.

Christopher Alexander.  Christopher Alexander.  Christopher Alexander.  
Might consider Christopher Day as well.   I'm currently in love with Tony 
Wrench--a neighbor of Christopher Day.  At least his web site and book, 
never met him.  The Evans/Smiley/Smith book will also give you some ideas.

A Pattern Language is the classic--expensive--book.  Here's an Australian 
synopsis.  I think Mike Swink came up with this link:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/%7Ebutter/pattern/

I went through the process on the web-site when I was thinking that the 
first building to go up was going to be my studio (quilting, photography).  
It took me about a week, and what I ended up with was going to be 
technically pretty difficult, but I think it had room to do everything I 
wanted to do, lots of light, was going to be very comfortable to work in, 
with a fine collection of places for fabric and books.  I may still do it.  
After I FINISH the barn--more or less, anyway, after the house.  And that is 
here (Bookmark it, it's VERY hard to find on the site):

http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/smallhouseframe.htm?/leveltwo/../smallhouse/smallhousetable.htm

None of those will help you with electrical outlets.  Talk--early--with an 
electrician, get that little codes explained book with the hole so you can 
hang it on a nail--most large building supply places have it.  And there's 
that funny shaped book from Taunton Press--the electric one will be part of 
a series called Code Check.


....................
Deborah wrote:
I am new to the list. I have read the first 6 months or so and also this 
years archives to get up to speed.

I have also order The Hand Sculpted House and spent a lot of time exploring 
the cob sites in the net.

My question is:
What would be the best or at least a good source of information (books, 
websites, other?) on the planning stages for building with cob.  Not just 
the site choice and orientation.

I am talking about the details of a building.  So that everything is planned 
for.  For example, how to figure out how many nooks and how much space they 
need to offer to be able to house a person's books or whatever else they may 
have.  How much built in storage/shelves, how many outlets, and other things 
that could be tailored for the individual and built into the structure.

I currently plan to build a small cob structure to house my pottery studio.  
I think that since building with cob is like a giant pottery/ceramics 
project it is a fitting first building.  I hope to start the actual building 
in the spring 2004.  I currently enjoying sketching as I begin to lay out 
the floor plans for a future home.

Thanks so much for being a valuable information source.
Deborah in NC

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