[Cob] RE: what you put over an earthbag foundation etc

[Amanda Peck]

Plaster--one way or another--over the polypro bags.  See the book by Doni 
Kiffmeyer and Kaki Hunter.   Maybe even down into the ground, if a) you did 
a real, genuine to frost depth foundation with them and b) haven't coated 
the polypro with something already.

I've got an earthen floor about a foot off of ground level with gravel fill. 
  Not sure if it's damp because I didn't put something damp-proof under 
there or because I don't have a door and a window in yet.  That's one of 
this fall's projects. so I may find out.

Rumford fireplaces--Ken Kern liked them.  Seems like a retreat center that 
Ocean's involved with has both a heated cob bench for continuing warmth and 
a Rumford fireplace to heat the place up more quickly.
..............................
Cindy wrote (snipped a bit):
   hello, i live in maine and have been working on a small cobb home for
   a couple of summers now. I built my foundation out of bagged sand...
   bags of polypro. I love the look and the sturdiness of the wall but i
   dont know how to get the cobb off the ground on the outside of the
   house and yet keep these bags from the suns rays... i am thinking i
   should go around the outside of the house with rocks and build the
   cobb walls off of these stones. has anyone else used the poly bags for
   their foundation and if so how did you deal with this issue. I just
   started cobbing my in door woodbox this summer and it came out lovely.
   I want to have a small inside fireplace on top of this wood box... a
   rumford style fireplace. I hear they are pretty heat efficient.