HOW TO PROTECT A COB HOUSE FROM RAIN

[@stopthatmikey]

To protect from rain: 1. High stemwall foundation, 1 ft to 1.5 ft 2. Roof overhang, preferably 2 ft 3. Render (lime plaster or earthen plaster) over your cob wall Thanks so much for sharing info!! :-)

[@rikkispencephoto]

I’m getting ready to build a cob house 😋

[@G.LuxSoar]

How is it going?

[@stardustrelaxingvibes]

I'm from the UK & we have a big problem with people using a sand & cement render to cover old cob buildings. As this modern render is not breathable I'm told it will damage the walls if water can get behind it and not escape. Have you ever come across this?

[@thiscobhouse]

Yes. This is 100% correct. Do not use cement based renders on earthen walls.

[@redfoot69]

how about underground i cant find a way to protect cob form ground water on walls

[@brianminghella3312]

Excellent. Nothing I can add except a suggestion you find a Slaked/run lime supplier who can also supply Pozzulan clay. Thats the magic bullet to make your render really durable. Its actually a super fine volcanic ash. You dont have to add very much but it will make the lime render that much more weather resistant. Should get at least thirty to fifty years before needing to recoat. You only need a very thin coat, no need to slather it on thick. Run lime is better than slaked if you can get it.

[@charlottefaris7929]

You always do great videos.

[@ev3400]

Super interesting !! Thanks

[@scottadams5858]

Great video Alex, what I love about cob is its scuptability, being an artist this is one of the factors that has drawn me to want to build a cob home. How much have you done in a not squared up but sculpted cob home and what are some challenges involved with that?

[@thiscobhouse]

I don't do a lot of sculpting. Just not my specialty. I do find that the problems arise with the cob drying and the sculptures cracking and flaking. It will require a lot of experimentation to get the right cob mix to be able to do them without problems. Some clays are better than others for sculpting with.

[@scottadams5858]

@@thiscobhouse so maybe try doing small sculptures with it until I find a good mixture with the earth in my area?

[@thiscobhouse]

Yeah, that would be a good place to start.

[@scottadams5858]

@@thiscobhouse thanks for your time answering my questions, other than your videos I have a book called the sculpted house which was great, so thank you for doing these videos Alex

[@lalotz]

So I heard the recipe is as follows 3 part sand 1 part clay 1 part straw You mentioned lime as in limestone..how would that fit into the mix?

[@cybernoid001]

If you coated your outside wall in tadelakt, will it still breathe?

[@zachariahstillwater]

Thank you so much for your advice!

[@heksedansd.2919]

Interresting!!- Thank you!☺

[@raysaffee5704]

How long does cob have to dry before you can put lime plaster on?

[@rameshbaburameshbabu5749]

I m fm south india. What is the natural ingredient mixer for with lime paster e.g( natural fruits and leafs paste. which is available in my local s/india) please give the list and demo vedios. Thank you sir.

[@robunique]

How can you make a Greek Mykonos style building, in cob, without tiles on the roof? I mean a flat rooftop with cob? Is that doable?

[@frankenstein3163]

Good shear. Hope you don't mind me asking but what's with the eye brows ?

[@watchmanawakens4388]

What about if it's a dome build without a roof

[@a.s.e.1779]

Thank U!

[@lindaolson4325]

Hi Alex, are you vacationing?

[@denisewroblewski9444]

How do you mix the Lyme stone covering? What are the ratios

[@thiscobhouse]

It will depend on the type of lime you use. Usually its going to be a partial mix of lime powder, sand, and water. I have in-depth information on this in my video course: www.members.thiscobhouse.com/online-cob-house-workshop/ And in my ebook: www.thiscobhouse.com/how-to-build-a-cob-house-step-by-step/

[@kingpen]

I'm building a cob complex that is semi-subterranean, the family room being 12 feet above and 12 feet below the ground( and I also live in an area that gets a decent amount of rain). As of right now, the plan is to put a living roof on top( Cob, then a vapor barrier, weed cloth and sod on top). I'm still scouting area, preferably a hilly one, which would facilitate runoff, but in your well-seasoned opinion, how does it sound thus far~?( P.S. I've also got Building Green, by Clarke Snell and Tim Callahan as a guidebook.)

[@justanotherhuman8918]

I have plans to build my own cob house too...I would be super interested in pics of your build!

[@kingpen]

@@justanotherhuman8918 I'd love too, Ms. Holter, I'm going to be practicing building sometime in the first week of June to get used to it. I'm building a workshop out of pallets and felled spruce trees, courtesy of Hurricane Michael, haha~! This smaller project will help me learn how to better gauge of the amount of time and money required to build a cob house~ :D

[@justanotherhuman8918]

Brandon Conner Are you on the west coast by any chance?

[@justanotherhuman8918]

I just got the Hurricane Michael ref so no not on the west coast! I’m too far from everything i want to see!

[@kingpen]

@@justanotherhuman8918 Haha, I'll keep you posted, haha~! You can catch us @conner_crew on Twitter, we've also got a KZbin channel, The Conner Creative Crew. I'm in school right now, but I will be graduating in a month, so stay tuned~!

[@rameshbaburameshbabu5749]

Sir, i can understand u r english spkig .thank u . In future u should spk in simple english clearly & slowly (like this vedio). bze we will understand vry good. Thank you sir. I m fm tamil nadu state south india. Thank you sir

[@spareamintz8708]

Having lime on the outside will the cob still continue to breathe or will this cause a barrier for moisture build up inside the walls?

[@thiscobhouse]

Lime plaster is still vapor permeable so it can breathe. The same with earthen plaster. When it comes to cement-based or synthetic finishes, that's when things get dangerous since they won't breathe.

[@questioner113]

Any ideas about how to deal with termites and rats?

[@thiscobhouse]

I'll make a video on that topic very soon. Basically, termites don't eat cob walls, and rats don't burrow in it. Its too dense and hard for them, I think. Conventional stick frame construction has both of these problems to deal with though regularly.,

[@questioner113]

@@thiscobhouse thanks. Looking forward to that video. I have been considering cob but concerned about termites attacking the straw. There are also many large rats on the site. .

[@nickwilkinson5515]

But during construction it is a problem, right?

[@thiscobhouse]

It can be, but not if you take some simple precautions. A lot of clays will be fine under heavy rains, but sandy clays like in Florida need some extra protection from rain as they erode faster. Putting plastic tarps over the walls when not working is a simple solution.

[@nickwilkinson5515]

Thanks, so are you a one-man cob team? I am hunting for land to buy in NC not far from the French Broad River before it gets to Asheville. I'd love to work on some building teams if you can hook me up. I live in eastern Tennessee and look to have my own property within 2 years but I need to do a lot of research and experimentation because my experience is limited.

[@thiscobhouse]

As of now, i only offer workshops. My time for service oriented stuff is too limited unfortunately. But maybe in a couple of years.

[@obiterdictum3]

i am a cob house!

[@myquarantineduty4812]

I wish I could build a cob house in my country Philippines

[@chellebelo6573]

Can we get building permit?