Cob: Cob In The South

[Darel Henman]

CJ,

sorry to take to long to get back to you.  To eleviate you cob
concerns.  Some actual examples in a real harsh environment.   The
pictures in the URL's below have Japanese text which you probably can't
read and don't have the fonts for, so the text will look like jibberish,
but the pictures of the wall tile water throughing-off mini roofs should
be viewable.  So take a look at what's been working for hundreds of
years.

One example of a solution is the Japanese mizu-kiri, literally
(water-flick-off tile), that has been used for hundreds of years in
Eastern Kochi, Japan, the apply a lime plaster over the mud-straw
wattled walls.  This area, which faces east towards the Pacific Ocean,
whence the typhoons come every year with the attendent heavy downpours.

The lime mortar they use, is unique even to Japan, but it is the
strongest.  It consists of lime, with about three months old smelly
fermented rice straw, then let to sit a while then applied.  I think the
lignen of the straw helps it.    This is called "Tosa Shikkui", for the
Tosa area of Shikoku Island of Japan.

They also have "mizu-kiri", this is a mini-coming out of the wall water
protection roof:  Here are a few pictures here, aslo some pictures of
people scultping with the tosa fermented straw lime mortar.
http://www.joho-kochi.or.jp/kounan/sikkui.html

diagram around mid-page:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/SweetHome-Green/4660/204.html

This site has a drawing of the mizu-kiri wall roofs, plus some pictures:
http://www.inforyoma.or.jp/muroto/machi.htm

First picture here is nice:
http://www8.ocn.ne.jp/~kyosyu/kiragawa.html

This has some real good examples rain protection wall tile side roofs:
http://www.ehdo.go.jp/kagawa/college/nakawaki/kentikuki4.html


If it rains a lot year round there, you could simply use a large
overhang, and put a porch there so it wont go to waste.  Porches are
great!  Since you probably only have one hurrican a year or so?  Not
like Tosa, that gets about 16 typhoons a year in addition to normal
rain, you should be fine.

I hopes this helps.

Darel

> From: snakedancer at gulftel.com [mailto:snakedancer at gulftel.com]
> 
> I guess one of the main
> things that concerns me are the limitations of the cob, if any, in reguards to
> hurricanes. You know we do deal with those pesky little critters from time to
> time. Now I know any house will have it,s limitations in a bad enough
> storm, but I am concerned about large amonts of sustained wind driven rain.
> ANyway, please feel free to send me any info you think may help. Would love to
> maybe get a chance to chat with you or come see your place sometime Pat as my
> wife is from Valdosta and we are up there from time to time. Thanks for any
> help yall send my way. Aho, CJ
>