Rethink Your Life!
Finance, health, lifestyle, environment, philosophy 		The Work of Art and The Art of Work
Kiko Denzer on Art


Cob: Yahoo! Photos: coyotemike3769's photo(s)

Michael Fitzgerald puppetman at ix.netcom.com
Tue Jun 3 23:05:52 CDT 2003 

Hi Cat:

Thanks for the praise.

I just got a message from Fernco and they say my Cinva-ram is being crated
and should be here soon. Bought some straw bales earlier this week and will
probably mix my first batch of cob this weekend. Now that we live in the
country my daughters want to get a dog, sooooo I think a dog house will be
our first cob project. (That way I will have somewhere to go if your
suggestion of Natural Home doesn't work out.)

I had thought about putting the fireplace in the corner but I have lived all
my life in old houses and I reckon a fireplace is meant to make a statement.
My intention is to have it overstated, rather than understated. I have a lot
of sculpture from Africa that will live on the mantle and maybe my dad's old
16 gage shotgun. (With a trigger lock of course.) and maybe one of those
very classy singing fish. The walls will be covered in bookshelves and that
corner will get the electrical panel and then be covered with books. I have
been working on the model and noticed I will have trouble with the door
size. (good eye Cat!) I haven't widened it yet but I will be checking on
line for lazyboy leather recliners to see how big it might have to be. I
really want this door to be as small as possible. I was kindof hoping to
invoke Hobbiton. I may have to build the study around the chairs. (I can
just see me now, winching them up to the rafters to pour the floor.)

I was just reading Chucks post about a lintel and I have been puzzling over
my window problems as well. It just hit me that windows really don't have to
open. If my windows didn't open then they could be designed differently and
I would get the full benefit of the long arch you see in the model without
having to break it up with sashes. I have to try to figure out how to get
some ventilation in the building during the summer. I have just finished
Fathy's "Architecture for the poor" and his use of a wind catch is
intriguing. Does anybody know where I can find a book that details vault and
dome building a little, no a lot, more. I'm looking for a Domes for Dummies
kind of book. My new dog will probably be a poor dog so I am considering
doming the dog house just to see how fast the dome washes away and if it can
be maintained with a little maintenance. Has anybody tried concrete
stabilized block and then built ala Fathy and dispensed with waterproofing?
If you shmeared the dome with asphalt could you then come back and spray it
with a sand blaster and imbed earth in the tar so that it doesn't look like
a shmeared tar roof?

I am still working it out in my mind and on the model.  Got some thinking to
do about the roof as well. Thanx for the suggestions Cat.

Michael Fitzgerald
Anthropologist/Woodcarver/Puppetmaker




   (Snip)

  Cat here,  Your model is wonderful, The entry opens into the side of the
fire place,  have you allowed for moving furniture thru this space?  Would a
corner fireplace opposit the door be possible?  It would give a more open
look and less masonary construction?


    (snip)

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<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Hi 
Cat: </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Thanks 
for the praise. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I just 
got a message from Fernco and they say my Cinva-ram is being crated and should 
be here soon. Bought some straw bales earlier this week and will probably mix my 
first batch of cob this weekend. Now that we live in the country my daughters 
want to get a dog, sooooo I think a dog house will be our first cob project. 
(That way I will have somewhere to go if your suggestion of Natural Home doesn't 
work out.) </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I had 
thought about putting the fireplace in the corner but I have lived all my life 
in old houses and I reckon a fireplace is meant to make a statement. My 
intention is to have it overstated, rather than understated. I have a lot of 
sculpture from Africa that will live on the mantle and maybe my dad's old 16 
gage shotgun. (With a trigger lock of course.) and maybe one of those very 
classy singing fish. The walls will be covered in bookshelves and that 
corner will get the electrical panel and then be covered with books. I have been 
working on the model and noticed I <EM>will </EM>have trouble with the door 
size. (good eye Cat!) I haven't widened it yet but I will be checking on line 
for lazyboy leather recliners to see how big it might have to be. I really want 
this door to be as small as possible. I was kindof hoping to invoke Hobbiton. I 
may have to build the study around the chairs. (I can just see me now, winching 
them up to the rafters to pour the floor.) </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I was 
just reading Chucks post about a lintel and I have been puzzling over my window 
problems as well. It just hit me that windows really don't have to open. If my 
windows didn't open then they could be designed differently and I would get the 
full benefit of the long arch you see in the model without having to break it up 
with sashes. I have to try to figure out how to get some ventilation in the 
building during the summer. I have just finished Fathy's "Architecture for the 
poor" and his use of a wind catch is intriguing. Does anybody know where I can 
find a book that details vault and dome building a little, no a lot, more. I'm 
looking for a Domes for Dummies kind of book. My new dog will probably be a poor 
dog so I am considering doming the dog house just to see how fast the dome 
washes away and if it can be maintained with a little maintenance. Has anybody 
tried concrete stabilized block and then built ala Fathy and dispensed with 
waterproofing? If you shmeared the dome with asphalt could you then come back 
and spray it with a sand blaster and imbed earth in the tar so that it doesn't 
look like a shmeared tar roof? </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I am 
still working it out in my mind and on the model.  Got some thinking to do 
about the roof as well. Thanx for the suggestions Cat. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2>Michael Fitzgerald</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
size=2>Anthropologist/Woodcarver/Puppetmaker</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
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  <DIV>
  <P><BR><BR></P>
  <DIV>
  <DIV></DIV>
  <P><SPAN class=045110203-04062003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff 
  size=2> (Snip) </FONT></SPAN></P>
  <P><SPAN class=045110203-04062003></SPAN>Cat here,  Your model is 
  wonderful, The entry opens into the side of the fire place,  have you 
  allowed for moving furniture thru this space?  Would a corner fireplace 
  opposit the door be possible?  It would give a more open look and less 
  masonary construction?  <BR></P>
  <P><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><SPAN 
  class=045110203-04062003> </SPAN><SPAN 
  class=045110203-04062003> (snip) </SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>