Rethink Your Life!
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Kiko Denzer on Art


Cob: Re: Underground Cob

Yun Que yunk88 at hotmail.com
Sat Jan 18 19:45:41 CST 2003 

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<P>Hey Mike! and company  Cat here! </P></DIV>
<P> Found the <U>Air Core Floor  </U>article it is in the Dec, 1985/January 1986 No 30 this issue also has a rounded Solar Adobe, Busting shingles, and a great article on an African stone, mud thatch dwelling called Rondavel. </P></DIV>
<P> The August/September 1985 No. 28 has Carved Timber Frame and Roof Framing. </P>
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<P>February/March 1985 No. 25 has The Nicolai Fechin House, an adobe house with some wonderful woodwork, masonry stoves, and hand carving. The Humboldt House a delightful 3 tier house that could be adapted for earth building.  </P>
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<P>The publication offers back issues but I don't know how far back so if these are of interest and someone has a scanner and some time I would not mind sending copies of  them on.  </P>
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<P><EM>for the good of all </EM>Cat</P>
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<DIV></DIV>>From: "Mike Swink" <MSWINK77 at MINDSPRING.COM>
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<DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: "Mike Swink" <MSWINK77 at MINDSPRING.COM>
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<DIV></DIV>>To: "stefanson" <STEFANSON at SBCGLOBAL.NET>,"Coblist" <COBLIST at DEATECH.COM>
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<DIV></DIV>>Subject: Cob: Re: Underground Cob 
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<DIV></DIV>>Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 17:08:31 -0500 
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<DIV></DIV>>I was taught in school that the hyrdostatic pressure which pushes over walls etc. Is the chief concern in underground shelters. 
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<DIV></DIV>>What ever you can do to provide adaquate drainage around your structure is a good thing. 
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<DIV></DIV>> Note this type of water travels several feet underground and is not the water which is on the surface. Small streams which you see gving water to dug wells is also the same way. 
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<DIV></DIV>>Most people forget that overtime the earth changes around a home with settlement of organic material [leaves,dirt,etc]. Can build up to the point it covers drainage pipes and thus defeats thier purposes without being mindfull such things need to be done on regular baisis. One home the water meter had to be raised up,to stay on top of surface four times. . 
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<DIV></DIV>>I liked the links to the method of waterproofing of the ancient times. Gley which is simply manure ,straw and clay once drys out acts as membrane that expands when moisture comes into contact with it like Bentonite Waterproofing[http://home.cogeco.ca/~nhemm/waterproofing/bentonite.html] Note with the gley it requires more than What I said to work so do your home work. Even with Bentonite and Electro Osmois they still use gravel and sometimes even do things to prevent surface water. 
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<DIV></DIV>>I do not know if it is the bias that I have been taught which gives me alarms some one would build a cob underground structure. 
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<DIV></DIV>>If the house was built up into a ridge then most water would never be a problem. Some people need to view thier land from a plane to see how water flows. Driving in a car does not show the lay of the land. When a water main burst open it was so unexpected that peoples homes had a lot of damage from a unseen source of water that was underground. It was the strange sinking areas of the yards that prompt people something was going on. One house had a better drainage system and was not effected. 
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<DIV></DIV>>One unrelated thought about water drainage is that of Thomas Jefferson's Home. He built it to last. He did not have gutters but he did brick lined a dug ditch around his home. 
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<DIV></DIV>>In germany to overcome water problems due to snow melting when it was 5ft deep or so. Was to cover areas around the house with cobble stone and thus the water melted and then flowed into cisterns or streams. THe rain and water never underminded these homes like some we see here in the USA. 
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