Cob in Snow

[Speireag Alden]

Sgrìobh HandyM2 at aol.com:

>When I visited England and Wales I stayed in several B&B's that were Cob or
>simular structures.  IIRC the Cob buildings were rather cold or had been
>retrofitted with StickBuilt interior walls and insulation.  Thermal mass is
>nice when the 24 hour temperature cycle is averaged out to be confortable.  If
>the 24 hour cycle is less than confortable (hot or cold no matter <G>) then
>thermal mass is not so useful.

    One thing to bear in mind when citing the UK and their neighbors as
places where cob works is that it may have been the method of choice
because of availability of materials (clay soil and straw) rather than
because it worked best in the climate.  Many of the coastal areas are
timber-poor, as I understand it.  This is not to say that it can not be
made to work, it's just to say that it may not be the optimal solution,
even in climates where it's traditional.

>BTW I am curious about Earth Floors...  Can you put them over foamboard
>insulation like a poured concrete floor?  Would be real useful as a passive
>solar floor thusly.

    I imagine so.  You'd have to wet-pour the first few inches, though;
mechanical compaction would damage the foamboard, I imagine.

-Speireag.
0>>>>>>(---------------------
Speireag Alden, aka Joshua Macdonald Alden
Joshua.M.Alden.91 at alum.dartmouth.org
Usually found somewhere in the wilds of New Hampshire.
Nach sgrìobhaidh thugam 'sa Gàidhlig?