[Cob] The mobile home...

[Jennifer Roberts]

I understand where you are coming from and I think it is great! What a 
wonderful and inspiring use for old mobile homes! I think a lot of people 
are so purist that they forget other benefits of natural building, such as 
affordability, recycling, ingenuity, etc. The main benefit for natural 
building, for me, it to make safe, healthy, and affordable housing. I am 
finding that even though cob, earthbags, strawbale are mainstream in some 
circles, I still have to be a pioneer, trust myself, and allow for risk. 
This might mean that instead of putting your idea out into the natural 
building "experts" that you strip the trailer and go for it, accepting that 
it may not work but trying anyway. It is really hard to examine ideas and 
ask for feedback, then get agendas. Just because someone may be into natural 
building does not mean they are open to fresh ideas. Listen to the feedback, 
filter it for yourself, and if you decide it is still right for you, just go 
for it! I would love to hear about what happens, because if it works you 
would essentially have a ready frame available to people to do the simpler 
work that is easy to learn, and be recycling structures that are often 
dumped or free for the moving.

Go for it girl!
Jennifer




>From: "Lee Courtney" <heylee34 at hotmail.com>
>To: "Shody Ryon" <qi4u at yahoo.com>
>CC: Coblist at deatech.com
>Subject: Re: [Cob] The mobile home...
>Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 19:36:34 -0500
>
>Ok it started with wanting/needing a shed.  I have read about cob and 
>earthbags and rammed tires etc as an affordable way to get this done.  I 
>have experimented with all methods.  Cob has been the most enjoyable and 
>creative and simple and easy method that I've found and my soil works well 
>with it.  So I'm going to have this beautiful sculpted shed next to my old 
>ugly mobile home. Now I also want to add a sunroom and office to my house 
>and of course I want to use cob. So I'll have this beautiful earthen shed 
>and room additions attached to this old ugly mobile home. The reason I was 
>doing the mobile home instead of just starting from scratch is, as I have 
>said, to use the existing electricity and plumbing and roof.  Most of the 
>expense of cobbing from what I have read are those things (along with 
>windows and doors, etc).  I can just cob around the existing windows and 
>doors that are already set in place.  I am excited about doing this myself 
>and am a single mom with three kids.  If I can save some money then I need 
>to do so.  I love earthen architecture, the look, the feel, the thick 
>walls, and the feeling of living with the earth instead of just on it, but 
>I also need to be practical and I would like to use the resources I have 
>instead of just getting rid of them. The room additions will be a new cob 
>building along with a cob floor.  Do you understand where I am going and 
>coming from?
>Lee
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Shody Ryon" <qi4u at yahoo.com>
>To: "Lee Courtney" <heylee34 at hotmail.com>
>Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 6:34 PM
>Subject: Re: [Cob] The mobile home...
>
>
>>It sounde like a waste of time; meaning you will spend
>>4 times the time you would spend starting from new
>>construction. One of joys/beauties of cob is the
>>grounded naturalness of it. If that is an aspect of
>>cob is not appealing to you; then what is it about cob
>>that you like? Have you ever walked bare foot on cob
>>floor? It feels alive and I feel strong and connected
>>to mother earth. I sounds like you are incorperating a
>>supersized big mac meals in a 100% vegan diet. YOu can
>>do what ever you want but I don't understand where you
>>are going or comming from.
>>Shody
>>
>>--- Lee Courtney <heylee34 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks for the input on my previous yet apparently
>>>wacky idea.  The vote is unanimous to get rid of the
>>>mobile.  Ok so here is a question... In order to
>>>save money can I strip out the mobile home, i.e.
>>>remove siding, insulation and dryway to where there
>>>is only the stick frame of the old house, and use
>>>cob as filler in the existing frame? This would
>>>allow me to keep the roof, the existing electrical,
>>>and the plumbing. I am considering exposing and
>>>redoing the plumbing anyway to use the greywater for
>>>the plants and lawn (and I have a well).  I know
>>>nothing of electricity and I don't really want to
>>>mess with that to much.  Ideas on this plan and if
>>>feasible, how thick should the walls be since I will
>>>have the original frame for the support of the roof
>>>etc....
>>>
>>>Thanks in advance again
>>>Lee
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Coblist mailing list
>>>Coblist at deatech.com
>>>http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
>>>
>>
>>
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