A reader brought it to my attention that you can’t leave comments on this blog without registering, which I actually hadn’t realized until now. I’d like to try opening up commenting to anyone without the need to register, so if you’ve been reluctant up until now, there ya go! Thanks.
appreciated!
Sweet!
Awesome pictures! I’ve been following your blog since the Parade article in May. Totally fascinating!!
Awesome.
I’m looking forward to making a reciprocal roof. I would like to use the spreadsheets at the snail lodges web site but I can’t access them. I get
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The requested URL /twiki/bin/view/English/SnailCabin was not found on this server.
Apache/2.2.9 (Debian) mod_fastcgi/2.4.6 PHP/5.2.6-1+lenny9 with Suhosin-Patch mod_wsgi/2.5 Python/2.5.2 Server at http://www.lesspress.com Port 80″
I salvaged a yurt cover and sides and that means that I have to have specific dimensions. If you would send me a copy of the spreadsheets I’d like that.
Hi There, I’m an Australian and have enjoyed reading your site. I built a mud rendered strawbale house 7 years ago. I am just finishing a cob/pise shed for my solar/system and root cellar – 1 wall to go. I had some thoughts on your moisture issues. For your external and internal walls you might consider adding some slaked lime to your plaster(preferaably from a local lime pit). This will naturally wick the water from the mud in the walls – the lime should draw the moisture from the wall. You can mix it with the mud or coloring to get whatever effect and color you like.
As you dont have a damp coarse or a stone at the bottom of your walls you need to create a something which alows gravity to drain the water off your site, otherwise the feet of your walls will always be wet. One thought I had was to dig an ag drain around you house, say 2 feet deep, put agri drain in the bottom, back fill with gravel and a layer of topsoil to cover. This should be connected to whatever natural water drainage you have to take the water off site. This is what most stone age houses did to keep their walls and houses dry – look up some of the British and European village archeaological excavations and you will see this ditch or gutter around each building (I think Stone Henge even has this).
As for internal humidity I dont really have experience in this. My property is in a dry climate so its not an issue. What about some naturally hydrophilic products like a bucket of salt or flour bag full of rice? You keep them inside and they absorb water from the air and put them outside on sunny days to dry out.
Anyway, i think your project and web page are great. Keep it coming!
Your cob house is awesome.