Do you have a full time job with income? If not, no bank will give you a loan.

No I don't , but I've heard of certain lenders loaning to unemployed the down payment and interest is just crazy high though, I will look into some different options though thanks!

If you don't have a job, how do you plan on paying the interest and principle on the loan? I can't believe I'm gullible enough to answer this thread.

I'm sorry; what's a 'cob' home? Is that a builder or a style?

Ok I understand it might sound crazy to you but I'm not asking you to understand.. Obviously I know I need money and a full time job in order to get a loan.. I didn't say I'm moving at this second im asking which loan I would need in order to buy land and get materials so that I know what to work towards in the FUTURE. Thanks for your input. One day you might see it happen and you'll be surprised ;)

It's a style of building. You should look into it they are amazing and great for the environment.

House made of corn cobbs? I think it might be a little drafty in the winter.

We plan on in someway taking out a loan to buy land and pay for materials and other building expenses .

That plan should include full time jobs for you all, and a few years work history.

What type of loan would cover that?

None ... lenders are extremely reluctant to finance self-built housing, and if it's not a traditional material, they won't do it. It's also very hard to get permits in many states. Some have guidelines for adobe (which is NOT cob) and straw bale, but cob is rare.

Your best bet would be to buy land with some sort of shelter on it to live in - a trailer, perhaps - and buy materials as the money becomes available.

I agree with the loan challenges. Maybe there is a way to do it as a research or academic project through your school?

Unless you are building very small to tiny, cob and adobe are not a good fit for Michigan's cold winters. These earthen walls are more thermal mass than insulation and such walls are usually only desirable in high desert climates with wide diurnal temperature swings.

A small to average size home with earthen walls would bleed enormous amounts of energy. Most cold climate homes rely on fossil fuel combustion for winter heat and it accounts for most of a home's environmental footprint and energy costs. If you plan on heating with wood, you would be putting your indoor-air at more risk with the increase in indoor combustion and would be polluting the outdoor-air more with the woodsmoke.

The exterior will be made of straw bale and the interior walls will be cob .

I have not thought of doing it as research for school that's a great idea.

I've also seen start up loans for farmers(which we are) that might help.

Straw bale homes have not faired particularly well in Michigan because of humidity levels. They more lend themselves to more arid areas. You will also want to very carefully check the zoning laws wherever you buy your land, as they might have some stipulations on not only energy code, but building materials.

Start-up loans for farmers are for buying farm stuff, not building a house.

The places raving about cob construction are way warmer than Michigan.

The farmers loans also help farmers buy land for there farm. That all we would need really is the land cost to be covered, we have saved up enough to cover building materials but of course it would be great to get that covered as well.

Here is a link that shows the steps on how to build in humid climates.

http://buildnaturally.blogspot.com/2011/01/yes-you-can-build-with-strawbale-in-wet.html?m=1

Interesting but I can tell you I wouldn't build it in FL or even on Long Island in NY.

Okay well I'm at least going to try. Never say never...

To answer your original question

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/beginning-farmers-and-ranchers-loans/index

I believe you were implying the USDA offers grants, and let me tell you they do not. You must still qualify for the loan and at best will give you a loan at 2 or 3%. You need to talk with someone at your local USDA office as they will be able to walk you through everything.

Successful farming is very hard, expensive, and does not pay much. You have to really love ot because it is a way of life.

Good luck.

ETA: There is actually a USDA loan to help farmer owners pay for the building of home for farm employees on the farm. It is a low interest loan which must be paid for and always remain in the name of the farm owners.

I hope you won't get discouraged. We are finally able to build our ( currently in progress) straw bale home. Have you done any building yet with straw bale or cob? It is immensely satisfying. The school project suggested above sounds like a great idea. We have a friend who successfully built straw bale in Montana! There are a number of straw bale homes in Colorado. There is a book entitled Serious Straw Bale, A Home Construction Guide for All Climates, which you might like reading, The current issue of Mother Earth News has an article, Community and Self-Reliance, describing 7 different places where people have banded together for what they call, "Cooperative Homestead Hamlets." Perhaps finding like minded groups would offer you and your friends more possibilities. Best of Luck!

Thank you so much, its always great to hear some encouraging words, most are quick to tear the idea down. Best wishes to you as well!

Ha, cant help but think of the wolf who blew down the house of straw but maybe the piggy didn't pay attention to the importance of uplift resistance.

Strawbale will have no problem meeting the thermal requirements. The moisture issues are where to focus efforts. For most of the East coast, the average year-round humidity is higher than the safe range for strawbale. Interior humidity during the cold season is a concern for all cold climates and needs to be monitored and kept below 40% to avoid trouble in the winter. Be sure you read John Straube's BSC article on building with strawbale.

Hope Iam not out of line to link to this freshly published Natural Building post.

I was hoping cismontane would chime in with experience on straw bale building. You might not get a whole heckuva lot of support here for doing anything non-standard, but there are probably some more specific resources for you regarding cob and straw bale.

I am in the Pacific NW, which a lot of people think of as "humid," but mostly isn't, at least compared to other places I've lived. We built a house in a county that does allow for straw bale and cob construction, and has specific requirements for owner-builder construction as well (you still have to meet codes for health and safety, but not some of the others, and fact that it was done owner-builder is something that remains on the title.)

Financing is a separate issue, and I don't know much about that. I think that lazygardens suggestion and the idea of a school project are good ones. The first cob building I ever saw was done as part of a workshop and it was sort of an outdoor kitchen. A smaller scale is a good place to start. They had someone come up from Oregon and charge people to teach cob building and then they got to keep the structure that was the workshop project. This was quite a few years ago, but as I recall, they were planning a cob house up until that point, then ended up going with a more hybrid approach in the end. Good luck!

The issues addressed by Springtime builders are certainly important ones to consider. San Diego County has strict building codes but permits building with non load bearing straw bale. I believe we got a discount for the permit because of using it. We get some snow in winter, and monsoon in summer because we are in the mountains. Julian north of us has a number of straw bale buildings and gets more snow and freezing temps than we do. Our straw bale contractors address the concerns that Springtime builders raises by careful building techniques and the longevity and structural integrity and livability of these homes attest to the success of well built straw bale homes. I am no expert. I do know issues of inside air, vapor permeability, appropriate plasters for cold and wet environments are all considered. Straw bale and cob construction reuses natural resources, is a technique in which owners can participate in building their home and lends itself to all kinds of styles. We happen to be going with an early California Rancho look, but google staw bale homes and you will see finished homes you would never know are constructed of straw.

I find the discussion of where to build a straw bale or cob home interesting. I live in a rural community 30 minutes outside Buffalo, NY and there is a straw bale house around the corner from me. It's certainly not arid here ... the house has been there fro about 5 years now.

I've been reading your posts cismontane1, I find it fascinating to see your home progress.

Good luck OP.