My goal is to build smart, eco-friendly and with no more cost than necessary for a good home. I am still in an early fase. No decisions have been made yet.
I did some initial ‘research’ to
cob building. There are many advantages, but also a few properties to be taken into account:
- almost no insulation value (there are not
enough sun hours for a passive
solar solution in our winters);
- labor intensive;
- needs time to dry/settle.
First I was looking for a way to insulate the outer shell of the cob construction. To me that makes the most sense. I am not convinced so far of a good technique. I want it to be a natural material, and it must breathe. For example:
straw bales add significant thickness to an already thick wall.
An alternative is a wooden construction, fill in straw bales for insulation and cob only for the interior (thermal mass). However, that adds costs (
wood).
A construction where the straw bales bear the load of the roof will likely not get a building permit in my country.
So then I thougth about how to use cob as a replacement for wooden beams. For example: would it be possible/wise to make vertical cob-beams that can handle the roof load? Maybe by making a casing of thin wood around it? Could this make a strong building?
I would love to hear some thoughts about this! Any input is welcome and much appreciated. Thanks!