[Cob] Cob and an existing house...

[Lee Courtney]

I bought 4.5 nice acres in the Texas Hill Country. The house that is here and that I am currently living in is an older mobile home (though double wide and large enough for me and my family.  I thought about building a cob house elsewhere on the property but the prospects of dealing with building permits, electricity, and plumbing are daunting to say the least.  I like the beauty and insulation of cob and have started building a cob shed next to the house.  I was wondering if I could just do a cob "cover" if you will around the entire house to increase insulation and  cut down on the amount of sun that hits the house (it gets HOT here in the summer, they didn't orientate the house well). Plus outwardly, it would look like a cob home instead of an old mobile home. Plus, nothing need be done with the electric or plumbing (I don't think).  I would extend the roof to provide a proper "hat" for the walls, perhaps adding a porch.  Is this feasible? How thick should I make the walls that are enclosing the existing structure?  Am I just off my rocker?

Thanks in advance for your comments and thoughts.

Lee