[Dick]

Originally Posted by Celticwarrior

Neither cob nor adobe would be buildable in Indiana, due to water and freeze/thaw cycles.

I did not realize that. Anyone want to buy a book on building with cob?
I guess it's straw bale construction then.

[Celticwarrior]

Strawbale is becoming more popular out here, since it's R-value is huge, and with solid plastering/stucco-ing, it can last a long, long time. The old fear of it being too flammable was put down several years ago by some official testing. A standard stick-frame house with it's chemicals and standard insulation went up far faster than the strawbale home. It has the added advantage of being easily expandable. I think my only concern with it is the inability to tie it to the ground effectively. Like a mobile home, I would think that it would be susceptable to high-winds or tornadoes because it isn't fully tied to the foundation. However, it is far more durable in cold weather, and fairly immune to wet weather as well. The biggest drawback to cob here in the midwest is that water saturation, followed by wide freeze/thaw episodes. It is apparently considered a good building material in BC and Oregon, but has few proponants here east of the Mississippi. Strawbale would be far more appropriate to our climate.


Like other earthen wall systems, cob does not have a very high insulation value per thickness (less than R=0.5 per inch.). One way
to get a higher R-value is to build a very thick wall. The traditional 3-foot-thick cob walls in Devon may have the equivalent of R=15 or so. The problem is that in a very cold climate such as yours, all that mass will be constantly losing heat to the outside, especially on the north side of the building and other parts that never receive direct sun in the winter. (If the wall gets regular sun on the outside, solar warming will make up for some of the heat loss.) Generally I would not recommend using cob for exterior walls where winter temperatures stay below freezing during the day. ---Michael G. Smith has a background in environmental engineering, ecology, and sustainable resource management. In 1993, along with Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley, he started the Cob Cottage Company, a research and teaching group.

[Unswydd]

Thanks for the links CW! I really liked some of those. Wish I had the land to put one on. I'll have to check on that part tho. My brother might give me a spot in the North 40 to put something on. Then it would really be cool!

[Dick]

I saw that there had been some cob structures built in BC, but they are all on the southern end of Vancouver Island or associated Gulf Islands, where the weather is relatively dry and sub-zero temperatures are rare and short lived.

I considered the problem with water, but figured that as long as the cob was elevated (concrete foundation) and the roof overhang substantial it would take care of the problem.

I may dig into a hill so that I have no north or east exposure, but then I would have to still make sure that the cob wasn’t in contact with the ground.

Thanks for the info.

[stairman]

Ive read where mildew is a problem with straw bale houses. That may be a geographical issue too, Im sure in a humid environment as ours that would be the case. Id say to do your homework before attempting any alternative structure.

[Unswydd]

I've thought about the COB thing too. Also the Hay. but withall the rain we get here in Raintown IL I'd be in mud!

[Sctr22]

now this is living in a cave...



The inside is gorgeous, would move here in a split second...

[Celticwarrior]

Originally Posted by Sctr22

now this is living in a cave...



The inside is gorgeous, would move here in a split second...

Yeah, they apparently got the money to take it off of EBay. I looked at that place in the auction. Heckuva nice place. Inside there is even a stage where folks like Aerosmith have played for the owners. Amazing place. If I could afford it, I'd get one of those!

[stairman]

No need for air conditioning there.

[cool_arrow]

Very nice house in the rocks there. I once went to some dolomite caves/mines that were out in the Mojave desert in the middle of summer. It had to be about 115F in the shade but was very nice and cool in the caves. From what I understand the ground temperature is pretty stable once you are into the ground only a few feet which makes me think that a subterranean home might be easy on the cooling and heating bill (but likely has its own unique set of problems).