[Cob] Tropical Cob

[Amanda Peck]

I don't know much, did notice at the Hunter/Diffmeyer earthbag people had 
done some work in the Carribean somewhere--Virgin Islands maybe.  Might look 
at their book at least on the subject of foundations.  Good 
hat--roof--essential.  I'd hate to have to split banana leaves and stalks 
into the size of straw.  How well do banana plants compost?  There might 
well be an inverse relationship there to their usability for cob--you want 
your fiber to stay whole inside that clay/sand mix.

Out in the Western Pacific there is a horrid grass called "swordgrass"--well 
known for slicing one's legs and arms during walks in the uplands.  But it 
might be the right thing to use for strength inside cob, even though in some 
ways it is more like HAY (leaves!) than STRAW (stems).  It might curl up and 
not be so painful after it dries.

Something on the order of hay or grass surely grows in Puerto Rico.
.............
Aurora wrote:

Hi folks--
	I'm brand new, and have been silently reading for a while. My brother and I 
want to build a cob house on our land in Puerto Rico, where there's lots of 
clay, sand has to be purchased, and the most abundant local plant fiber is 
from banana plants.  Bananas are related to jute, so stalk fiber should 
work, but it would be great to know if anyone's tried other fibers besides 
actual straw, which is not easy to get in the mountains of Puerto Rico.
	It's clear from reading other posts that we need a raised foundation and 
big eaves to cope with the heavy rain and high general humidity.  
Fortunately, our childhood house was built on a six foot thick slab of 
cement, and if we dig out around it, we should be able to keep water running 
away from the house. We also have bamboo and some Honduran pine on the land. 
  Any other thoughts about tropical construction?
	Thanks, Aurora