[Cob] Insulation Idea-hybrid cob-lime

[Charmaine Taylor]

Charity, if wall-depth-space is an issue why not use a version of straw
bales..Light straw clay?  .. people are often describing this as
shredded straw tossed with a clay slip, then packed into place.  if you
are in a northern.cold climate then and EASIER method of  sawdust or
woodchips, built up thickly  like cob, with a cob plaster on the
interior, and a lime plaster on the outside can work.  this will allow
the rains to not harm the walls, and allows for a natural wall all the
way through.

you can precast blocks or bricks with paper-clay-sawdust, straw, etc.,
and mortar with cobble mixes, then plaster.

Papercrete,  when it is made with lime-clay  has the added value of
preventing mold growth, and I am happy with it in  infilled blocks,  and
as a plaster.  BUT it does need to have a lime plaster or clay-lime
stabilized plaster over it..    Walls can be as thick as you need, and
look as organic as desired, you can choose to use some standard stick
framing to support the roof, and have all the rest as  cob variety
formulas.

SInce this is the cob list I won't go further with adulteration...but
consider having the South wall as cob for retained heat in the mass, and
hybridize the other walls.

my 42 cents !

PS I am plastering an old clothes dryer DRUM with lime-Rub-R-Slate and
clay recipes to make a huge (FREE) tiled mosaic plaster.  I have some
images up at the website( on the  home page is a clickable link
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com)

I am trying to achieve a thick looking, but lightweight planter with
embedded fun things like  salvaged colorful tiles, seashells, driftwood
etc. But there are 3 tricks to making this work... keeping things dry-
working dry- and using a low cost bonding mesh.


Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com


Charity Davis-Custer wrote:

> Hello Cobbers,
>
> I'm new to the list and I've been reading about cob
> for a few years (I've also read three years of the
> archives....I will finish the rest soon).  I'm gearing
> up to design and build my first cob structure.  I'm
> looking to build a shed/partial greenhouse/winter
> bunny house.  Space is a major issue as I'm building
> in our tiny suburban backyard which is mostly garden
> space.  I'm concerned about the lack of insulation
> value in cob and I was considering wrapping the
> exterior of the walls in a 6 inch layer of papercrete
> (Charmaine Taylor's lime recipe) and then coating that
> with a lime plaster.