Cob: how do folks handle other responsibilities duringbuildin g?

[Michael Saunby]

On 27 August 1999 16:01, Tom Fetter [SMTP:tom_fetter at hotmail.com] wrote:
> 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!
>

But there must be problems with people embedding technology in houses, even 
"green" technology, if it isn't also likely to have a very long life. 
 Bathrooms and kitchens for example rarely last more than a decade.

There is also the issue of building to suit a late 20th or early 21st 
century lifestyle.  Fine for those that choose to adopt one of the tried 
and tested constant lifestyles, e.g. subsistence farmer, artist, craftsman, 
etc. but for those that go with the flow of the society they submerge 
themselves in, the need will always be for a "modern" and therefore 
shortlived (shanty?) dwelling.

Of course there will always be those who have egos that they feel must live 
on beyond their lifetime, but perhaps they should be educated to write 
books, or paint pictures, rather than build vast monuments.

Michael Saunby