Cob: Foundation and stemwall

[Amanda Peck]

Two-storyness may make a difference.  But we, on advice from a) books and 
the internet and b) some greenhouse builders in Kentucky, just put block in 
a mortar bed on top of the rubble trench.  No rebar going horizontally, a 
fair amount going vertically. It took the greenhouse guys in Kentucky to 
convince the carpenter.  This IS different, 8 inch block, not two feet wide 
urbanite for a cob wall, but I hope this experience helps.

Just like you, we put a drain to daylight in the bottom of the trench.  And 
another drain outside of that.  The bulldozer guy was convinced (rightly) 
that there would be a LOT of water coming down the hill.  For some reason, 
that bulldozer guy is very concerned with water flow.  Maybe because he's 
spent years building logging roads.
................
Kim wrote:
Rubble trench foundation is complete--dug, graded, tamped, gravel layer
added, tamped, piped, more gravel added, tamped, ditched to daylight
downhill.

House will be a 16'x16' two-story with either a "1/2 vertical log 1/2
screened in" or a "1/2 cordwood 1/2 screened in" 10'x20' room on the north
side [running the length of the cob] for the kitchen and laundry.

Trench is 4 foot wide for stability, varies from 1 foot deep to 2 foot deep,
and is on red clay subsoil.

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