[Cob] failure

[Dulane]

I think this is relevant to the whole list.

First I want to report that my floor that was having such a difficult time
drying is doing well the second winter with only a minor mold dusting on the
high side of our hill. It was waxed and sealed in a very wet year (+11 in)
in the Pacific NW. Since drainage is my current problem, I could dig out
that hill area better and fill in a lot of pea gravel on that side. I could
also do some minor trenching on my hillside during the rainy season. Plus,
on the inside I could take out an inch of floor on that edge and fill it in
with perlite and maybe fit in some corkboard at the top.   

I have an outer wall addition that suffered run-off damage during
construction because a tarp came down during a bad storm. I also had some
well meaning residents that wanted to cob into November. Four inches of the
wall they built froze hard. I didn't realize how bad it was, but instead
cobbed over it to finish the wall in the spring. So now, even though the
outer addition is lime painted and looks sturdy, parts of it sounds like
cardboard when thumped on. That 4 in layer is like an earth fault. So I
don't expect it to last more than a few years. Luckily, this outer wall does
not affect the main structure, and I don't mind redoing that wall
eventually. (I miss cobbing.)

Also, since I used a cordwood design to finish the upper part of my house, I
have been learning about 'checks'. That is where you can see sun between the
wood and the cob. This means your house really does breathe. It is a bit
hard to fill all those checks. The other day I put a nail in a round of wood
and whole round almost slid toward the outside. That freaked me out. (Spit
wood has more anchors.) 

Unfortunately, condensation becomes a big issue over time. It isn't a deal
breaker, but it can be if you don't stay on top of it. For example, my
mattress is raised with a slatted wooden futon platform, because body heat
(and moisture) creates it own ecosystem over time. If the mattress wasn't
raised it would rot. 

I live in a damp cool area, so this is a consideration for building in this
climate. My cob hut is a spare bedroom. If it got more use, I would insulate
it better. Probably use a butter knife and stuff a wool mix around those
'checks' and re-cob the ends. 

And single pane glass is always going to be a problem in cold country, so it
is gonna be worth your time to recycle some good windows if you can find a
deal. Also, save your colored glass for a design effect, don't throw them in
randomly, unless you can't help yourself. 8-)  


-----Original Message-----
From: coblist-bounces at deatech.com [mailto:coblist-bounces at deatech.com] On
Behalf Of dhowell at pickensprogressonline.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 12:14 PM
To: coblist at deatech.com
Subject: [Cob] failure

I would like to hear about cob construction, of any kind, which has  
failed. Details on why it failed and what other cobbers can do to  
dodge those problems. Thank you.

Damon in Georgia, USA

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