Cob Devon cob and lime mortar couple off to Mexico

[Michael Saunby]

This article was in my local paper today here in Devon.  I thought some of 
you might be interested.
Regards,  Michael Saunby

Okehampton Times, April 1, 1999

Helping the poor to help themselves
-----------------------------------

Couple take their building skills to Mexico

by Roger Malone

A MERTON couple are off to Mexico because of their extensive experience in 
using and producing lime mortars for cob and stone buildings.

Jan and Jerry Sharpe have been asked to set up a lime mortar production in 
Obregon by the Canelo Project which works in conjunction with the Save the 
Children Fund.

The Canelo Project is a small organisation based in south eastern Arizona 
and has worked in Mexico since 1994. It is dedicated to developing an 
alternative building system that relies on the abundance of straw in the 
southern Sonoran desert region as well as other local resources such as 
clay.

'The project wishes to set up lime production in order to further their 
work with alternative housing for the region's poor. We have been asked to 
join them to help set up production' said Jan.

Word of the couple's expertise reached the Canelo directors after a mutual 
friend mentioned their specialist abilities.
'You could tell people how to do it over the phone or write it out but when 
people see you do it it makes it a lot clearer.

'The project directors were keen for us to demonstrate how to do it as well 
as set up the production methods.'

Both Jan and Jerry have extensive experience as specialist suppliers and 
contractors for repair and conservation of old buildings.

'We work on all sorts of buildings from small cottages to stately homes 
owned by the National Trust but this will be the first time we have worked 
abroad,' said Jan, who teaches the use of lime plasters on specialist 
courses including at the University of Plymouth.

The couple have also supplied 200 tonnes of haired lime plaster to 
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

They will be spending two weeks in Mexico and are taking their two children 
Rachael, 12 and Louis, ten.

Jan said the bales of straw will he there ready for them and by the time 
they return to England they will have left be- hind enough people capable 
of running the process themselves. Tle Sharpes will be tutoring them in 
processing and plastering.

'A lot of their homes are made of cardboard and corrugated iron. With the 
heat in that area up to 46 degrees sitting under corrugated iron at that 
temperature can have a detrimental effect on their health. If people live 
in bad housing their health suffers,' said Jan.

She said the homes would be created by digging foundations, creating a 
timber frame then using straw bales and plastering them with lime plaster.

'We will have the raw material of quicklime and that is added to water to 
make a material called lime putty - which looks like thick- set natural 
yoghurt. To that you add sand and it makes a mortar which is just plastered 
on.'

Jan said it will then be whitewashed and look like a normal house. She said 
the method has excellent insulation proper- ties keeping inside warm in the 
cold and cool in the heat. These simple but comfortable one room homes cost 
about ?300 to build.