[Cob] Wattle and Daub versus Cob

[Shannon Dealy]

On Thu, 7 Aug 2008, Maureen Okundi Aseno wrote:

> Hi,
> Anybody done some research on the difference between Wattle and Daub versus
> Cob Building?  As I look at the houses in my area, the dominant building
> method is Wattle and Daub, but the walls are very prone to cracking.  Any
> thoughts most welcome.

I'm by no means an expert in wattle and daub though I have done some, but 
here is my take for a very coarse comparison:

                             Cob        Wattle and Daub
                            ----------  ------------------
Labor                       High            Moderate
Build time                  Long            Short
Water                       Lots            Some
Straw                       Lots            Some
Sticks/wattle               None            Lots
Compressive strength        High            Low
Tensile strength            Moderate        Moderate to high
Building life               Long            Moderate to low

These are of course heavily dependent on the techniques used, the 
materials at hand and other factors.  For example, the building life of 
wattle and daub would be significantly affected by the type of sticks 
available and the insects and bacteria in the region which might attack 
it.  The severity of the weather and the manner of construction can also 
have a significant effect.

FWIW.

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
dealy at deatech.com     |          - Custom Software Development -
Phone: (800) 467-5820 |          - Natural Building Instruction -
    or: (541) 929-4089 |                  www.deatech.com