[Cob] Cob-Bale Walls

[Benjamin Brownell]

Several ways to successfully combine these walls, paying attention to a couple of constraints:
- Put loads down onto walls of the same type, so that there is not uneven settling or shifting under stress. You can bring a bale wall to a cob wall at a corner, but don't spread a bearing point/beam across them. If bearing on the bales, compress them very well ahead of plaster. Also create a good tensional connection between both walls to bond them together against relative motion, this may take some creativity. Normally corners are keyed together out of one material.
- Consider your designs carefully for how and why to combine them. Several homes employ bale exteriors for insulative properties, and cob interior walls for thermal mass and dimensional flexibility. Combining both in exterior may be at cross purposes
- You will probably want to vary your foundation system where the wall type changes, or make sure you have something that works well for both types.

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 17:30:52 +0200
From: Reno Derosier <reno.derosier at gmail.com>
Subject: [Cob] Cob Bale Construction

Hi All;

Working with an architect here in Eastern Europe to build a cob bale house
to code. My partner just finished a permaculture course in Turkey where she
was advised not to do both cob and bale construction.

Does anybody have input on the pros and cons of doing such. The
permaculturist was concerned about the integrity of the well where the two
items met.

Thanks

Reno