Cob: Thin walls

[Jeanne Leimkuhler]

Mafi Stock wrote:

>I am very, very new to the idea of cob-building by mere mortals, and to
>this list, so please bear with me.
>
>Recently thin walls have been discussed, including African methods of
>mud-building.  Which brings me to the mud huts that I saw in Iraq many
>years ago.  Somewhere I read that cob is suited to rainy areas such as the
>U.K. and the Pacific Northwest.  Does this notion take into account floods
>as well, or not?  Because I do remember that when the River Tigris
>overflowed, the dried mud huts would revert to the mud from which they were
>made, and many lives were periodically lost. Is it a question of variables
>in the mud-mixture composition or that cob wouldn't stand long soaking?
>
>I would love to build me a sweet Englist cottage, complete with open
>hearth, and bread-baking oven.  Has anyone in Connecticut been able to get
>a permit to build a cob house?  My son tells me I should get real. :-)
>


Mafi, what a nice name. It seems to me that you are the one that is
"getting real". Natural building is a way to get intimately involved in the
creation of your immediate personal environment. It is inexpensive, healthy
and an emotionally rewarding experience.
Unfortunately flood or standing water seems to be the one weather condition
that cob cannot withstand, but it can put up with a lot of rain. Roofs are
built with wide overhangs in wet climates to keep the walls as dry as
possible. Walls are stone at the bottom to keep the cob from absorbing
water from the ground and lime plasters are used to waterproof the
exterior.
As long as you are not building in a flood plain, there is no reason why
you shouldn't be able to build your "real" english cottage.


Jeanne Leimkuhler
Senior Designer
InterArt/Sunrise Publications
1145 Sunrise Greetings Ct.
Bloomington, IN 47402
812-333-9381  #2460