John and Bengi, thank you for the building replies. I will take a look at the roof overhangs, and inquire more about how the cistern is sealed. For a 2-story building, what length of overhang do you recommend?
Something else that concerns me is that the cob exterior to the strawbale is very, very close to the ground in some areas. (The house is on a slight incline, so the amount varies from a few centimeters to almost a foot). I need to inquire in this interior strawbale is this close to the ground in places as well, or if it's just the cob facade. Curious... what do you recommend as a good distance from the earth for the cob and the strawbale? We can't change the strawbale distance (unless maybe we excavate down, but that causes other problems with rainwater flow). The other cob and strawbale houses I've seen and helped build, we had a good foot and a half of mortared stone or cinderblock at the ground level, so the cob was nowhere near the earth. I need to ask them for the building plans.
John Dean... thank you for the welcome!
