[Cob] New, climate questions

[Jamie Carr]

Hi I'm new here, I've been dreaming of a self-built cob house for a few months now. I'm starting to plan out the details of construction now and have some questions for those of you with experience.

I want insulation on the north wall of some kind, whether it's a perlite or vermiculite or sawdust or wood chip additive to part of the cob, or what I don't know. I worry about the moisture issues, expansion and shrinking, or structural issues with some more insulating options - cordwood, structural strawbale. Things that require wood framing intimidate me because I'm unfamiliar with it and because I don't know if I can make a cheap, healthy, effective foundation under wood framing (for cob I was thinking gravel and broken concrete trench, with gravel and/or lime earthbags above as a first course or 2 of the wall).

The climate I'll build in has 33F mean temp in January, 72F mean in July. Pretty high humidity. I've been warned about the lack of insulation of cob though the thermal mass is encouraging. Certainly up north with colder than freezing as as avg would not be good but what about this? With only a good woodstove and ceiling fans I want to keep the indoor temp comfortable between 60-75F all year (that's what we currently set our thermostat to). Those of you living in cob homes currently, what is your climate, how is your house constructed (foundation, water barriers, windows, insulation, etc), and how does cob perform there for temperature and moisture?

Thanks,
Jamie