Cob: Introduction & middle ground

[Taylor Publishing-DirtCheapBuilder]

Alberto, there is middle ground between cob and straw bale.. depending 
on your need for insulation from TX  heat.

 you may be better off choosing a light straw clay...or "diet cob" 
(little joke)  tossing chopped straw with a thin slurry of clay slip and 
hand packing the muddy  straw into  brick-like forms or shaping between 
studs can give a compromise, and high insulation. ( not as high as 27.5 
for a full bale, but a 12" or 15" deep wall can still improve vvalues 
over the mass of cob, AND take less of a footprint on the foundation.

Placing a thick cob plaster  the inside and out will give you the chance 
to design the viewable part of the house with cob to your heart's content.

Because I have so much free edwood sawdust,  I use that with my clay 
(and lime)  to make a "fibercrete" and love the ease of precasting 
blocks, and placing them between studs on an existing structure.  a 
cob/clay plaster will finish off the interior wall, with a lime plaster 
over that.


Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
PO Box 375, Cutten   CA 95534 707-441-1632    books at dirtcheapbuilder.com
 http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com    http://www.papercrete.com