Cob: Re: Insulation etc

[Mike Holland]

Michael Saunby wrote:


>In the old days the fires would have smoked a lot, as evidenced by the
>colour of much of the wood, this may well have surpressed wood worm.  Worth
>bearing in mind that in England we don't have termites, well except in one
>house in Devon that accidently imported some and the authorities have been
>struggling to control.


Would smoke deter woodworm?  We've the same type/age cob structure as you
have, I think - complete with the blackened timbers.  I had assumed that it
was the lime content in the earth plaster on the walls had protected the
embedded wood - the exposed timbers had been limewashed for protection -
after the fact, I think, because under the limewash coating much of the
surface had been attacked.

Mike