[Cob] Stone Haven

[dhowell at pickensprogressonline.com]

Janet: The walls will have rebar as that has been proven to make cob  
stand up even better in an earthquake.

Damon: This doesn't sound legit, it really doesn't. I believe they're  
not taking into account the different expansion rates of steel and  
clay and how that will cause clay to shrink away from the rebar,  
letting in moisture to rust it away, then you're left with a cavity.  
Yeah, that sounds really strong. Sounds to me they're taking what  
they know works with concrete and adapting it to clay, it's not the  
same material though. And you're right, this is gonna be what the  
codes require: weak buildings because of the lack of foresight and  
knowledge of natural building materials. I wonder where the Cob  
Cottage Company is in all this "cob code writing" stuff? They  
probably have much more to offer than most engineers, because they've  
been improving cob in earthquake-ridden zones since the 80's. As a  
recall their book said to not use steel. But whatever, I guess I  
don't much about it myself. I'm just using common sense which is what  
most cob enthusiasts do.