Cob: Yes-Barn conversion

[Charmaine R Taylor]

Chris wrote:

  I'm considering converting my barn to a home using cob walls on the
interior of the
  existing exterior barn walls.  Is this a stupid idea?

Hi Chris, not at all...but as Jeanne said a light-straw-clay or even
easier a sawdust-woodchip-clay can be used, and has been used in Germany
for hundreds of years.

A light form bard is attached across the beams/studs and a mix of clay
battered woodchips are lightly tamped in place, left to dry and them
more wall  height  is added- about a foot at a time, but don't begin in
winter as it does not dry easily in cold wet weather. Mold can possibly
start, I did this in my old barn, facing the north wall, in summer, and
it took a few weeks for it to dry.  The other solution is to PRE-make
flat panels that fit the stud widths exactly, someplace dry and warm,
and place them in all at once, buttering the sides and back with clay
slip/lime mix as light mortar. The you can plaster over with  a clay/cob
mix as the finish plaster.

You might try placing building paper against the inside planks and
putting up a test panel, see if moisture gets in, or if problems occur.
Papercerete (paper + clay slip, can be premade too, and fitted in. I did
this as insulation betewn redwood walls in my old cottage. I call them
papercrete "waffles". Or think of them a rigid form insulation which can
be made any thickness needed 2-6".  I use cardboard box lids tamped
full, left to dry out in the sun as my panels.

hope this encourages you!

Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.northcoast.com/~tms