[Cob] foundation on unstable caly with high water table

[Amanda Peck]

Unfired clay anywhere near a high water table?  After all the trouble people 
go through to design their houses with good-sized overhangs to keep rain off 
of their walls?

I think I've read that where there is permafrost (e.g., far northern Alaska, 
presumably Russia as well) one can make a "floating slab"  foundation.  I 
haven't seen the booklet for this type of construction for years, but I 
think that's where I got the idea, it's basically only mentioned in passing 
here:  http://www.alaskacabin.net/ so that booklet is probably not worth 
buying.  but then you have the problem of a waterproof barrier between 
ground--and foundation--and your house material.

How do people normally build there? (and does it work?)

One might be able to put big pads sufficient to keep your house from sinking 
under a series of piers or posts.  And keep the house material half a meter 
or so off of the ground.  This kind of thing:
http://www.bigfootsystems.com/  but I don't know if you'd want to put a 
heavy cob house on piers or posts or piles.
..................
Christo Markham wrote:
We want to build a small cob studio, 5metersx 7meters.
The problem is we are here in the Netherlands far below sealevel.
With unstable clay ground and a very high water table after 40 centimeters 
we hit water. Any suggestions for the foundation?
We are thinking of dumping as much sand as we can to get something in 
between the water and the floor.
Typically they drive 20 meter piles in the grond to build the foundation 
ringwalls onto. This isn't possible as we are only accesable with 
wheelbarrows.

_________________________________________________________________
Fixing up the home? Live Search can help 
http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG