Cob: New with questions

[The Van Wey Family]

Hello all. How many of you are there, anyway?! We just purchased the
most ebautiful piece of land in Western Montana. We have run the gammut
on alternative construction ideas, although I am still fairly ignorant
about cob.  Can a few of you clue me in on the basics? One thing I was
wondering was about the cold, snowy winters here. Will that be a
deterrent against using cob? Is it just simply straw, sand and clay, or
is there some sort of cement added? I can't imagine how the walls could
be load bearing with just the straw, sand, and clay. But then again, I
said I was ignorant about it.

Another thing is will cob lend itself well to building 2 story
structures?

Thanks all.

Have a nice day.

Shane Van Wey