[Cob] insulation and cob

[Jennifer Neil]

Thank you, this is very helpful--I do know about Yestermorrow and  
would love to take some of their workshops. We've not taken any  
workshops yet, just doing lots of reading and talking to people.

Do you know what the R-Value for cob is? Or do you know how it  
compares to "standard" construction?

We were hoping for cob because we love the sculptural element of the  
material and are worried we would lose that with straw bale. It is  
important to us to be able to have a rounded structure--is this still  
possible with a straw bale/cob hybrid home?

Thanks!!
On Jan 11, 2009, at 3:28 PM, tom wrote:

> Jennifer-
> Cob is a great thermal mass, but a poor insulator.  Conventional  
> wisdom is that all-cob construction isn't really ideal for cold  
> climates.  Have you taken any cob workshops?  Before getting too  
> far into your plans to build with cob I highly recommend you take a  
> workshop to fully understand the material (and the huge amount of  
> labor involved in building with cob).  The Yestermorrow school in  
> Warren, VT is a great resource for learning about natural building,  
> etc. (though it can be a little bit expensive).  There are several  
> cob structures in the area around the school.
>
> A cob/strawbale hybrid makes much more sense for climates that get  
> very cold in the winter.
>
> good luck
> Tom
>