[Cob] Re:traditional cob cottage

[Bernhard Masterson]

Hi Lori,
   Sounds like an exciting project to pursue as a student.  Here are a 
couple of thoughts.


>From: lori murphy <tefla2 at yahoo.com>
>-Does anyone know where I can buy lime to make lime putty?( I
>am in the Chicago,Illinois area) I dont need a large amount right now,just 
>need
>to experiment with some plaster mixes.
Don't know about quicklime.  But I have had good luck by getting hydrated 
lime from a mason's supply and soaking it in a 55 gallon drum for a week to 
a year.  Add the lime to water as you would making a casting plaster and 
give it a good stir each day for the first couple of days.  The traditional 
lime folks scoff at hydrated lime but in the plaster work I have done I 
can't tell the difference.  With hydrated lime there is no heat so it is 
easier to deal with.  Perhaps in 50 or 100 yrs one would see a difference in 
durability of quicklime putty over hydrated lime putty.


>Does anyone have suggestions about foundations and how to incorporate 
>radiant
>floor heating?
See the new book Rocket Mass Heaters and http://www.rocketstoves.com/ for 
information on home built high efficient wood fired stoves that will allow 
you to run ducting through the floor to heat with the hot combustion gasses 
of the stove.


>I would like to use a stacked stone foundation,recycled
>concrete,or could even cast stone myself if I had to,trying to avoid the 
>poured
>concrete foundation,and want earthen and flagstone floors.
I would encourage you to use broken concrete, urbanite, for a first project. 
  It is relatively easy to stack since it has two roughly flat sides.  You 
can mortar with either mud, lime, or Portland Cement mixes.  If you need 
material delivered I recommend you look for comercial dump sites that take 
fill dirt and other wastes.  They will often be able to deliver or connect 
you with a driver who can.  The cost is usually just for the delivery.


>I am also very
>interested in photographs of the INTERIORS of the traditional cob
>buildings,which I cannot seem to find anywhere,if anyone has some,please
>share-:).I am very curious about the layout of the rooms
>inside,kitchens,bedrooms,lofts,etc.
If you are looking for efficient use of space you may not find it in 
traditional English structures.  You might consult the book the Hand 
Sculpted House for a different viewpoint and excellent suggestions on how to 
go about designing space.

>I know it is probably more practical to do so
>in a cold climate,but I really dont want to build with strawbales,as cob is 
>more
>manageable for me to build myself,and I dont want to do all that framing. 
>So,I am
>wondering,if I make very thick walls of cob,like 4-5 feet,if that would 
>help
Even cob walls 3 ft thick will be far more work that dealing with straw 
bales.  Are you familiar with the concept of bale-cob walls?  There is a 
good written piece on bale-cob in one the last Cob Web journals.  Bale-cob 
allows you to skip framing, strapping, and several other steps associated 
with straw bale.  My bale-cob house has proven to be very efficient.  In the 
Pacific Northwest we heat our 450 square feet with a cord of wood/yr.

- Bernhard
_________________________________bernhard_masterson at hotmail.com