A Little Cob(b) Garden House
Eco Villages; Cobb House and Land Collectives:
These planned communities can be strictly zoned, by each group. Zoned with only 1 type of eco-building style; Cob, Strawbale, Earth bags, Tree-houses, or Hobbit homes; or zoned to be of a mixed eco-variety, as long as they are of sustainable building methods.
Starting with College and University Students
"Commitment-to-Purchase" Lists: from participating students; of at least, 10-20 cob-construction, student-purchasers.
Questionnaire Rules
In the beginning, a small assignment of simple rules has to go with each community.So then, the participating students sign up for the right type of eco-village.
Let them fill out a voting questionnaire.
An example is: circle the : "welcome or not welcome" / "yes or no" fields.
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More rural? 10 or more miles from a city; yes or no
Land with trees? yes or no
Drinkers? Light to no drinkers are welcome or not welcome.
Couples? welcome or not welcome.
Children? welcome or not welcome.
Walk-ins only: No vehicles Parked at the properties? yes or no.
Temporary housing trailers allowed during the build? yes or no.
Houses maximum? in size to 800 sq ft.; yes or no
Animals? welcome or not welcome.
Only 3 large barn animals, per land plot? yes or no
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Daily Commuters? are welcome or not welcome.
Mandatory monthly community meetings? are welcome or not welcome.
Composting toilets, leaf or industrial? are welcome or not welcome.
Electric golf carts allowed? yes or no
Quad machines allowed? yes or no
Do you want a cooperative business to go with the ecovillage? in ex. growing basil and flowers; yes or no
Do you want to participate in a cooperative business? yes or no
Vegetarian Only Residents? yes or no
Are hunters welcome? Never.
Include brief Selling Rules; buyers have to be verified and voted on as compatible with the neighbors? yes or no
Then, after collecting the votes, it helps to find the appropriate land for the group.
Selectivity
In the Future; a quicker online, group-matching database can eventually make it easier to vote and find your preferred group, anywhere in the world.Where selectivity, narrows down your eco-village choices considerably.
ie; Include mostly Retired women who were professional ballet dancers or opera singers only.
Debt-Free Purchases
Start with smaller investments, per person. Then the initial land is debt free, aside from property taxes. prices anywhere from 1,000-25,000 each person (per land plot).
Building loans are a problem though, as one of the major points of eco-villages is to avoid defaults and foreclosures.
If a building loan is later acquired, independently by a group member, he or she could default.
I suggest that each community disallows building loans.
Unless the loan is backed by another form of collateral, aside from their present eco-house.
This avoids any chance of liens or bank seizures occurrence.
If a seizure ever did occur, the group would always have the first option, to buy the property.
These Eco-Communities are not supposed to cost a fortune, just be simply constructed.
Roofs:
Including the use of naturally fallen wood from a forest; over lumber purchases or tree harvesting.
Meaning thatch collection & application, with or without a green roof on-top.
Plastering:
While also avoiding lime and concrete products as much as possible on the walls, by implementing gley/manure mixes.
Oxblood for flooring is not necessary, but keep it in mind, as a use, if an animal dies of natural causes.
Pond Sealing:
Again the gley mixture, however, coated with a 20% clay to mud coating,
that is further burnished with a tool to seal the pores.
Where later on, the inclusion of swimming ducks & leaf matter, continue to seal the bottom and sides with their droppings.
Finding the Land
Selecting about 5 land properties to vote on, (Most groups will want land closer to their college; 0 - 100 miles... However, some may even want adventurous international builds.).typical land sizes from, .... .3 to 5 acres each plot.
Including park and community areas, to at least 10% of the land area.
Example of the min. 10% park rule:
Where 20 acres = 2 acres for parks, community and recreational.
Leaving 18 acres, divided between 28 purchasers = .64 acres each
Voting on which Land to Purchase
Having an easy voting process for the small group,and allocating subdivision designers* from either members of each group, or design students from other groups.
(designers include park & community areas in their drafting plans.)
*hopefully designers can get school credits for their work. while also obtaining enough professional experience to be formally hired by more pricey eco-community groups.
Land Purchasing with Safe Methods
Buying the land through a Title & Escrow Company. Whether for sale by a real estate company or by owner.
Starting the Structures
Into the dirt; Beginning building, trench digging and soil tests.
Starting with simple interiors
Bulk Buying of building & garden supplies
an option for each member, within each cob community.1) Sand & bales for walls, and foundation; gravel & stones.
2) Garden plants and seed swaps.
3) Other various construction items;
wheel barrows, shovels, trowels, tarps, etc.
4) Farm animal supplies; oats, corn, wheat, etc.
5) Solar & other energy equipment.
6) Water supplies & delivery systems. 7) Food; 5 lb min; nuts, seeds, olives, flours, grains, olive & avocado oil, dried fruits.
Bulk buying food, can reduce costs considerably;
from 3000$ per year, normal in-store purchases... to 1000$ per year, approx. 1-2 deliveries.
Storage conditions being the main factor, for bulk dried foods, avoiding moisture, etc.
Where 20,000$ per 20 persons per year, reduces the 1000$ for each person even further, as a 5 lb min, becomes a 25 lb min.
Figuring out;
how to mimic the above ecological sub-division mechanism, for older people. Persons that have left University.Perhaps, the University Alumni, is a good place to start,
by creating mailing lists of those interested persons.
Persons with Botanical degrees, Geological, Arts, Architecture, etc.
Careers for the Student Builders
New jobs can be created for the students;Careers where they assist the older groups, in many ways;
Land Finders,
People Grouping, (collective formation experts... (dancer groups, artist groups, etc)
Purchase and Buying experts,
Accomplished Designers,
Building Permit Helpers.
Adding Mailing Lists to Youtube
A feature for the Youtube.com Vlog-Publishers,helpful in creating lists of interested persons, who want to join eco-building communities.
