Cob Earth berming cob buildings?

[Deborah Harmes]

Don,

        My husband and I are exTREMEly interested in the concept of earth
berming with a cob house.  In the prototype house that you mentioned, did
you wrap the straw bales with the plastic and then cob over the walls that
were earth bermed?  We weren't sure if cob would start to "soften" from
repeated potential exposure to moist soil, although we had hoped that an
adequate drainage field surrounding the house would solve that problem.

        Mark was born in England (where there are lots of cob buildings
still in use) and grew up in Australia where earth building is undergoing a
BIG boom (we just moved back to the states from there a year ago).  We love
the idea of a more free form and organic building material --- but we were
also concerned about dampness inside the house.  After staying in an
occasional damp B&B in England or Ireland, we know what we DON'T want in
our own house.

        Thanks for posting this!

        Deborah