[Cob] R-values

[Charmaine Taylor]

Mary, cob has an R factor of ONLY 1/4 per inch, as discussed over time on this
list,  so estimated 4" of cob for ONE R..you need straw bales, otherwise an
earth wall will be 6' thick to get R19.


cob is mass and not insulation, and perlite will only help a little.

look at 14" thick light stray clay walls, or bale walls, which is common in
Mongolia, WI, ND, and cold areas.

I have a pic of a LSC house a girl built locally at my website..you can get a
R22++ with 12" wall...
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com/extremewalls.html
another LSC house in Nevada City has 12" walls and  they are claiming R25...
Fox Maple teaches LSC/Wood chip clay and the owner has 8" thick  clay wood chip
walls...and says he likes that, others claim you need a min of 12".  A heavy
cob type plaster can cover and seal the LSC wall, and look beautiful.


Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.eurekareporter.com/Stories/cm-01050401.htm
PO Box 375, Cutten CA 95534
707-441-1632

Mary Lou McFarland wrote:

> Does anybody out there have any info on R-values of cob?  How thick do I
> need to go to get a really good rating and would the addition of perlite or
> vermiculite to the mix help in uping the R-value?  In s.w. Iowa it can get
> cold enough that you can damage your skin after five minutes exposure
> outside and in the summer it can be 100 degrees with 80% humidity, so I want
> the best possible R-value.
>
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