[Cob] Clay

[philmoulton]

<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=15565938/grpspId=1705041688/msgI
d=464/stime=1225286169/nc1=4507179/nc2=3848640/nc3=4025338>   I know living
in Portland this even to me sounds strange, as all dirt in Portland is
mostly clay.
 However we are moving,to Otis (just east of Lincoln City and  the ground on
the property does not appear to be clay like.
Is there a source for good consistent clay
We are planning on building a cob home that  my probably incorrect math says
I need a LOT of clay.
 3 exterior walls 24 ft long  one interior wall and the entry way figure
another 26 ft.
figure also  8 ft high and 2 ft thick (may be able to go 18 inches tho...) 
 That comes out to 1568 sq. ft. of cob, figure it rounded off to 1600sq ft.
Although Cob is a mixture of sand and clay and straw it still it means I
need a lot of clay.
To be consistent I should have all my materials on-site before we start. 
Getting a consistent mix is important, so getting it in buckets from here or
there with varying content of clay is not sound thinking.
 The lot we have will need some excavation prior to pouring a foundation but
I do not feel there is near enough "dirt" to be worth while,As most of the
foundation work will only be 1-2 ft down and the interior will be a adobe
com[onsite floor of some sort so I may actually have to add material to get
it all even.
 
Also the lot we have is not conducive to Solar heat as there is a fairly
large hill to our Southeast. There would be some solar gain during high sun
but not much. the hill is just low enough to allow a dish to clear it but
not by much so it could be as much as 30 degrees high. 
 Being in the coast range should we reconsider Cob and think more Straw bail
or a more clay/straw mixture for thermal insulation.
 Btw We are still looking for someone who might be interested in "mentoring"
us a bit who does have hands on experience building a Cob home.
 
Phil and lilpony 
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