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Cob
Building Tutorial
Chapter 13: Getting Around the Building Inspector
 Unfortunately, the
office of the building inspector is designed to protect the building
industry, not the consumer. One drawback of working with cob is that
many building inspectors are unfamiliar with the material. Cob is not
covered by most building codes; however, adobe is covered in many. If
you can convince your local building inspector that cob is a modified
form of adobe, you may have better luck in getting your project
approved. Another drawback is with insurance companies. Most won't
insure cob because they have no experience with the material. There's
some tradeoff in this department. You might not be able to get the
building insured, but since cob is so durable and cheap, in the unlikely
event that a disaster occurs and damages your building, it can be
rebuilt for about the same amount of money that you would have spent on
insurance premiums. If this is really a concern for you, consider the
fact that cob itself is fireproof and extremely durable. For a story of
about how her first cob studio survived not one, but two hurricanes in
Gulf Breeze, Florida, visit Christina
Ott's Barefoot Builder website at: www.barefootbuilder.com.
 If you haven’t purchased a building
site yet, the first step would be to arrange an appointment with the
building inspector of the county you’re considering. Prepare to have a
lot of patience in scheduling this appointment. Most building inspectors
are overworked, so they’re more concerned with meeting with contractors
for big commercial projects than meeting with someone who wants to build
his own home. By no means should you try to talk to the building
inspector over the phone unless you’re ready to play an endless game of
telephone tag.
Once you’ve managed to get the building inspector
face-to-face, feel him (or her) out on how familiar he is with cob
building or adobe. If necessary, take this book along with you and drop
it off with him so that he can familiarize himself with the process of
cob building. You might also direct him to Devon Earth’s website at:
www.devonearthbuilding.com. This site has a wealth of technical data on
building with cob.
 If your building inspector still won’t budge, you may
try to convince him that cob is a form of masonry. Since most building
codes don’t have a specific section for cob, most inspectors will try to
shoehorn cob into another category. Their main concern is accepting
liability should something go wrong, so they will want some standards to
go by in the event of a catastrophe. For example, imagine yourself as
the building inspector who signed off on the levees in
New Orleans
prior to Hurricane Katrina.
It may be that after all this
explaining and cajoling; you still won’t be able to convince him. First
off, realize that the codes are designed to protect the building
industry more than the consumer. They spell out in very specific detail
what materials may or may not be used in construction. While in theory
most codes allow the building inspector some leeway in what may be
passed, in practice most inspectors won’t go out on a limb if they don’t
have to. Such positions tend to attract people with a bureaucratic
mentality, and such people are generally more interested in protecting
themselves than in passing something they’re not that familiar with.
 The primary concern of any building
official is health and safety. If you can demonstrate that your plans
are safe, you’ll go a long way towards persuading the inspector. Try to
remember that old saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than with
vinegar.” If you approach the building inspector with an adversarial
attitude, he’s probably not going to budge. Play nice. Actually, you
might also want to play dumb. Let the inspector assume the role of the
expert. Ask a lot of questions, and feign ignorance if you have to, to
win him over. Let him explain things to you. It may sound simple, but
you’d be surprised at how many people like to feed their egos in this
manner.
 If all else fails, you may be able
to get your plans passed by retaining the services of an architect or an
engineer. If you have to go this route, make sure your designer is
familiar with natural building techniques. Also make sure your architect
or engineer has experience with cob building in particular. Share your
vision for your future living space with your designer as much as
possible. Try to get her to see it the way you see it. Point out how the
building will fit into the landscape, how you plan to incorporate nature
into the design, and any questions you might have. Your architect may be
able to offer valuable suggestions about the design that you haven’t
considered. When you are satisfied, take the plans to the building
inspector for approval, and you’ll soon be on your way to your green
dream home.
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