I received a great inquiry this morning from a member of this community who made a comment about how she had considered the merits of cob construction but now was leaning towards log construction. I thought I might share my response…
There are many alluring alternative methods of construction out there… including cob.
I’ve “experimented” with many of them. They all have their appeal, as well as their drawbacks. It seems that each form of construction has it’s hardcore advocates… individuals who become authorities of their chosen method, those who promote the positive features of that type of housing, but never mention the negative, and go on to dismiss all the other types.
After building homes for a decade, employing all manner of techniques I eventually came to an epiphany and that is that homes that were originally built locally, centuries ago, using minimal tools and locally sourced materials, were not only proven to endure but were also timeless in their visual appeal. I discovered that new homes built using these early designs and techniques, along with modern features and techniques, made tremendous homes, ones which were in strong demand, with promising resale values, and easy financing (if desired), and proven longevity.
In my area (and that of NC) those types of homes would be log cabins, timber frame, farmhouses, and stone. I also have found that by combining these styles of construction into one home that we can create a striking home that is warm and inviting.
I am currently on the “downhill side” of creating a free mini-course on 12 steps that anyone can take now, at nearly no cost, that will take them from the “dreaming about, but don’t know where to begin” stage to being well on the way towards living in that dream home. I’m also wrapping up the Handmade House Academy… eight hours of my sharing all that I’ve learned through decades of building handmade houses. You ought to think about signing up for that… this first offering of the course will be at a discount price with lots of added freebies. Make sure and sign up to the mailing list at handmadehouses.com for updates. Noah
Originally posted 2016-03-16 14:54:09.
Im interested in learning more about the minicourse and the academy. I have been a devoted follower of yours for a long time now and share many of your posts. I have just moved to Bolivar Mo where i am buying land and planning on building a log home on my own.
Any and all information will be much appreciated
Sincerely
JR Strite
JR… thanks for getting in touch!
I’m jealous… I wish I was so near to building my next home! (now only two years into the future, but still, it seems so far away)
I built my first hands-on home nearly 40 years ago, and have been building unique handmade homes ever since. I’ve learned a lot in all those years… trade secrets and simple ways in looking at things. There is no shortage of information out there on how to notch a cabin, but none that teach a person how to build an attractive home. Rather than taking my insights to the grave at some point in the (hopefully) distant future, I thought about how great it would be to just sit down and share a full eight hours of focused time with what I have learned and thus be able to move many people 30 or 40 years down the learning curve (think about how much money could be saved, and how much better a home could be built by doing that). I wish I had had that kind of resource when I first started out. I had hopes that this would all be put together by the first of this year… but man o man… there is a lot of work involved, mostly techie stuff that this old man has had to figure out one step at a time. If you are signed up to the mailing list, have no worries, you will get an announcement in the coming weeks about when the course will be finally ready for release. Noah