Cob: $500 ??#$"#$!

[Shannon C. Dealy]

On Thu, 31 Jan 2002, Darel Henman wrote:

[snip]
> No way.  Not even close.  Whoever tells you $500 dollars is not giving
> you even a tiny microscopic piece of the picture, if you are planning to
> build a building to live in.   Not to mention that there is no imputed
> labor costs there.

Actually, they are giving a very realistic picture, the problem is not
that it can't be done, but rather that:

    1 - It probably won't be able to be built with a building permit as a
        "residential structure" that will meet all the requirements of
        building codes in most areas of the USA and some other countries,
        but this is not a problem with the house, rather it is a problem
        with building codes.  For at least some members of this list,
        there are no codes of any sort to deal with, and others have
        simply opted to ignore permits and building codes.  For those
        who choose to go this route, it is quite realistic.

    2 - For many people it would not be their idea of a "house", but this
        is a matter of personal choice, not a deficiency in the $500
        house.

As far as there being no imputed labor costs, no one has claimed
otherwise.  The point of a $500 house is that it is possible for a person
to create their own house using their own labor for $500.

As far as the rest of your response:

> 1.) septic tanks, just the tanks alone can cost $2,000 or more.
> 2.) digging trenches for it, gravel for the trenches, hole the the tank,
> 3.) plumbing work to the toilet, sinks, etc.
> 4.) pipes, faucets, and other materials.
> 5.) water connection
> 6. a toilet itself might go for $50 at least, sink and fixtures
> similarly.

This assumes you go the conventional modern route (which admittedly is
generally necessary if you go with permits in the USA and some other
countries), if you go the alternative route, composting/mouldering/etc.
toilets can be built for little or no money.

> 7. how about a tub and shower for cleaning yourself.

While the $500 house doesn't have a tub or shower, thoughout the world,
many people get by with just a small basin of water for bathing.
Alternatively, one person I know of has a tub which is the base for their
kitchen/dining table, remove the table top and take a bath!

> 8. any doors or windows.
> 6. roof, materials and labor
>
> The list goes on.
> But, never ever, believe jokers who say you can build for $500.  It is
> very misleading for people to say $500.   The only way possible is to
> not mention reality and to have people provide labor for free and to get
> all the materials for free and material transport and then get the
> building department to give you a free building permit.   Even without
> the building permit the $500 is wrong.   You might be able to build a
> little cob shed for that, but with no facilities for living in it as
> like a kitchen, bath, sinks, toilet, heaters, windows, etc.

The $500 house has - kitchen with sink, counter, and gas stove, running
water, dining/living room area with wood burning cob bench stove, electric
lights, a wall of large glass windows, loft for sleeping and a small study
area.  Yes much of what is there was scrounged, but I see nothing wrong
with this, and frankly just sitting here thinking about it, I believe that
I know where I can get items comparable to what was used in this building
for little or nothing.

> Heck building permits alone if you are going that way can be in the
> hundreds $.

This depends on where you live, in some areas permits have very small
fixed fees, and in others the price of permits has a maximum limit based
on a percentage of the cost of the structure.

Ultimately, the problem with the $500 house is not that it can't be done,
but rather that it will not meet with everyone's expectation of what they
want in a house, and government permits where required will either prevent
it from being built, or will prevent it from meeting the $500 price (which
is one of the reasons why some people opt to go renegade).

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
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