[Cob] Cob in Ohio

[Jack Simmons]

-I have been consulting with a green architect who has
advised me not to-
-build with cob. This is because the area where I
live, northern-
-Kentucky/SW Ohio, is, according to him, unsuitable
for cob. His main-
-concern is winter temps and r-factor/insulation
issues. Is there any -
-way to salvage my dream of building cob on my
property?-

I think it would also depend on how large a structure
you intend to build. A small home with a low ceiling
is easier to heat than a large home with high
ceilings. And the beauty of building a smaller home is
it's not quite as much work to build a thicker and
therefore "mass-ier" cob wall that would do a better
job of holding in warmth generated by a woodstove.
Even a small woodstove will produce a surprising
amount of warmth in a small house. I lived in a old
miner's cabin in Colorado for a couple years way back.
It was drafty as all out but with the woodstove going
it would get so hot in the winter that I'd have to
open the windows just to keep from baking alive. 

The wife and I also are going to try to build with cob
in Ohio (eventually). We've found online examples of
cob buildings in cold snowy places like Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick. Can't imagine what your green
architect would think could go wrong in Ohio. The only
concern I have is that Ohio can be so very wet. But I
think a large overhang on the roof and starting the
cob part of the home far enough above ground level
should take car of that.

Jack Simmons
42 East Lowell Avenue
Akron, Ohio 44310

(330) 922-9842

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