I didn't want to drift the Insulation thread too much and I couldn't find any mention in the Search feature. So here it goes. Cob. I hate the stuff. HATE. I am a total Cob Snob. Yet, I am finding that it may be the best material for insulation on the coast. A great characteristic of cob...not affected by humidity. Cob actually absorbs humidity so it makes the indoors feel cooler. At the moment, I am searching for an example on the East Coast. Another thought would be to use the cob for courtyard walls. Perhaps it would keep an outdoor space cooler at night.
I'm no expert but just a few random thoughts... I could see it being used for an artist studio or small workshop. It looks like you need a good/dry base to build on that does not collect water. I didn't realize it could be left in it's natural state, I thought it needed to be painted. The cost may be prohibitive unless you have property with a good clay source. Straw can be had cheap enough, but buying clay could be pricey. When I built my oven, I came across a few sites that had cob homes with rocket stoves built into beds for warmth. http://barefootbuilder.com/faq.html
http://www.small-scale.net/yearofmud/2013/09/04/outdoor-pizza-oven-first-fire/ Check out the cob house build link. I used their site for mud oven info.
I decided to do a little research on clay homes because of my interest in kivas. I have found examples of homes and builders in NC. Clay is pretty common in certain parts of the state. A stumbling block is getting the homes to pass code. I will probably end up buying a shack but it is nice to have a long term option for beating the heat and fighting off hurricanes.
Lol. I was thinking earlier today that the Kiva could be a pizza oven. Will check out the link. Here is a guy from NC: http://risingearthbuilding.blogspot.com/ Two seconds later I found a Cob school up in Asheville so there are a bunch of resources.
