Questions: Ground first, or roof first?

Hey everyone.

I intend to build my cob house next year. Since i live in Malaysia and Malaysia is a tropical country, we normally have hot weather all year round,  except for November-December, where it's mostly rainy everyday. Other times, rain is quite unpredictable. So my question is, should i build the roof first (to protect the clay from the rain), or do i start from bottom to top?

Thanks in advance!

Well....
If you build broad eaves you can work in the shade!
But your cob may be slightly slower to dry.

But... as long as it dries, your work is protected from unpredictable weather....even if you have setbacks that don't allow the timeframe you expect.....

I help build these homes in Australia.
I have always recommended creating the roof first, as stated it gives you shade, rain proofs the site and
the cob dries at about the same rate because a breeze is the best way to dry them.
Scorching sun can cause faster drying that creates cracks etc.

It is also a source of water if that is hard to get near the build site.

Bill Haynes wrote:Well....
If you build broad eaves you can work in the shade!
But your cob may be slightly slower to dry.

But... as long as it dries, your work is protected from unpredictable weather....even if you have setbacks that don't allow the timeframe you expect.....

That's what i thought too. 30-40 years ago, working under the sun was not really a problem because where i come from, the weather was mild. The sun wasn't as hot as it was compared to other states. But now, somehow the weather has changed. Thanks for the advice!

John C Daley wrote:I help build these homes in Australia.
I have always recommended creating the roof first, as stated it gives you shade, rain proofs the site and
the cob dries at about the same rate because a breeze is the best way to dry them.
Scorching sun can cause faster drying that creates cracks etc.

It is also a source of water if that is hard to get near the build site.

Thanks for confirming my original thought. I haven't gotten to the stage of how to erect the roof yet, i'm still learning how to properly build the walls (plus plastering and painting/finishing). I have a lot to learn, especially how to install solar panels on the roof. But i'll get to it. Thanks for the advice, appreciate it!