Cob: Re: Posts embedded in cob

[Shannon C. Dealy]

On Thu, 2 Nov 2000, Shawn Honeychurch wrote:

> Hey, this is great to know!
> Where we are there is rarely ever a hard rain.  With large overhangs and
> proper gutters and drainage around the perimeter of the house, I could
> probably get away with a 1 foot foundation (above ground), then.  I am still

This would certainly help greatly, though you will still get some splash
from rain hitting the ground nearby.  In any case, you could
also/alternatively provide some exterior covering for the lower couple
feet of the wall or just apply a coating of plaster (cob or other
types) every few years to replace any cob that errodes away.

> wondering about how to make a water proof  barrier between cob and
> foundation if the foundation needs to be rough to stick to the cob.  If we
> laid plastic on the top of a stone and mortar foundation, do you think this
> would do the trick?  Would the cob still stick to that?
> Robynn

It is important to remember that water moves very slowly through a cement
foundation, and even slower through a rock one.  In most if not all cases,
if you have proper drainage around your foundation, I would expect that 
the cob should have no problem wicking the moisture away from the top of
the foundation and eventually evaporating it off the surface of the wall.

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
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