intro...

So, I’m not too much into blogging, but as I start to really get into this long building project, I wanted a way to document my experience, to share it with others.  So here it is.

I’m building a home, out of cob, for a lot of reasons.  First reason being that my partner Noel and I need a space to live in that isn’t a small room leading a double life as a sort of community kitchen.  Another reason to build a cob house – lots and lots of clay soil.  But really the main reason is that  it’s fun.  Definitely way more fun than working to make money to pay someone to build a house for you.  I think I’ll trade treated lumber, vinyl siding, asphalt shingles, pvc, concrete, loud machinery, and a lifetime of debt for clay, sand, straw, and days spent outside working with friends.

I spent a lot of last fall gathering materials.  Lots of “urbanite” of various sizes, ranging from small gravel sized pieces to use in the rubble trench, to larger chunks to use when laying the foundation.  I’ve got some wood, some windows, as well as buckets, tarps, and other random materials and tools.  The house plans are complete, a building site chosen, and some test holes dug.  My main obstacle has been my inability to stay in town long enough to get any work done.  But after being gone for almost 2 months straight, I’m back without plans to leave any time soon.  So it’s on now!

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