[Cob] strawbale, geodesic domes, and igloos

[Dognyard]

GlobalCirclenet wrote:
> 
> For non-builders to play around with alternative methods and
> materials is inviting disappointment or disaster, and those pushing these
> alternatives without the drawbacks aren't helping the cause of
> sustainability and energy efficiency.

Oh! Oh! 

I beg to differ. What you are calling non-builders, I will, for the
moment call inexperienced builders. And an inexperienced builder is only
that for a short time :-). I am, somewhat, an inexpereinced builder, but
that sure doesn't deter me from learning to do something myself and to
avoid depending on expensive alternatives. Building a house is technical
to a degree, but it isn't rocket science. It can be learned fairly
easily - either hands on (seminars, etc.), or with lots of reading and
research - IF, one is amenable to learning to do it correctly.

When it comes to plastering, though, it is even less technical. There
are things you need to know to do it correctly, but to me it is more
artistic than technical - especially when it comes to the finishing layers.

So owner-built homes may not be for everyone, and some people may indeed
not be capable of learning to do it well enough to pass codes, etc., but
I do believe that MOST people are entirely capable. And even those who
cannot learn, are more likely too stubborn to listen to good advice and
follow it, and not incapable of learning at all.

See, I have a tendency to go against the popular opinion that "the
masses" area an uneducated lot. On the contrary, they are smart enough
to want to build their own homes and not be in debt for the rest of
their lives, then they are smart enough to learn how to plaster a wall correctly.

Oh...and depending on "professionals" if you happen to have the money to
do so, is certainly no guarantee a job is done properly. If I do
something wrong, I have no one to blame but myself, and I just get busy
and fix it. If someone else messes it up, then I have to waste good time
and energy in chasing them to try and get it rectified - often to no
avail. I have way more confidence in myself than I do in any stranger.

I am just now FINALLY getting do something in cob! (YAY ME!). I am
building a pump house (stick built from scavenged material - so far it
has cost me about $18 and I think I have to go buy a bit of plywood, so
maybe another $50 all together), and along one wall, I have put in a
stone foundation and will be building, essentially, a garden wall. It is
not part of the pump house itself, but will lean up against it. So I
will get to play with some finishing on that wall, including the finer
earthen plasters as I finish it.

Karen in Alberta