[Cob] Fwd: Covering log with cob

[Monica Proulx]

(Folks, I am trying to send this again, it keeps coming back as delivery
failure, so forgive it it gets in more than once)


Sorry, but another note on the cob/log thing.

I failed to mention the obvious that even though you would have to build
some kind of a foundation wall for under your cob, (thus termites don't have
continuous dirt access to your logs) all the termites need is a small gap
between the cob foundation and the log foundation and they can make their
tunnel where you will never see it between the two.  You would have to
almost pour a concrete foundation for your cob probably to get it tight
enough to keep them out.  The problem is the two part foundation.  Once they
have bridged the gap from ground to cob, then they have essentially a dirt
highway to your logs once they hit the cob.  I guess the biggest problem is
that you wouldn't be able to see what is going on in the logs or test the
soundness of them by doing the stick test (jabbing a penknife into the
surface of the wood) since the logs would be buried in cob.

In this case it sounds like what you would be doing with cob wouldn't
be building load bearing cob walls, and so the soundess of your log walls
will always be an issue, vs. someone who builds a wooden support for their
roof and then cobs up to the roof.  Their cob probably could carry the load
of the roof if their wood supports were ever eaten by termites.  Besides,
they then have a solid foundation that they can see the inside and outside
of to do termite checks for tunnels.  Having had family who had termites, it
only takes one tunnel I think, to get them established.  Termites are a big
concern where I live along a river in Pa., maybe that is why this is such an
issue to me.

I am curious as to what anyone else thinks of cob and wood combos buildings
and termites.

Monica