Straw clay?

[eenie114]

OK, so my mom found this cool method of building. I'll try to explain it well...

You take two posts, and stick them in a line thing. then you temporarily screw plywood on both sides, making a tall, narrow.... um, thing. (I'm tired) Then, you make a straw salad thing, by fluffing up a bunch of straw, and putting runny clay on on it like salad dressing.

Then you stuff it tightly between the plywood, and let it dry a bit, then unscrew the plywood, and do it all over again. Has anyone else used this method, and are there any problems with it? (I know I did a bad job of explaining...) Even if you hhavn't used this method, can you think of anything wrong with it?
Thanks!

 

[mgw]

Is it called adobe . You use a form made of wood to make adobe building blocks. It would stay cooler in summer &warmer in the winter. interesting idea!!!!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

You're either talking about Adobe or Cobb

 

[Moabite]

It would work great. But you have to build a foundation. Moisture will ruin straw clay, adobe, straw bale, cob, or for that matter, wood. Rodents could also be a problem but there are solutions.

Check out this site. I'll bet you like it. http://www.okokok.org/

 

[geebs]

Yes I can... It is hard to get the building codes to match up with this style of construction...It is very expensive to build this way as the wall are designed to"breathe" It has to be perfect weather and youhave to take into consideration the climate and time of year for building. There is a great book called "Econest" I can't remember who the author is but my husband wires these... It take special artisans to make these kind of earth friendly homes... The fen sui is awesome and the health benefits cannot be measured. i suggest if you are interested in building this style of custom home you tour an existing one and talk to the ppl who own them.... Get a copy of the book I mentioned. I believe it list the builders... You kinda have to get them to come from all over the country since there are so few really skilled at this... I have a friend here who is an expert builder that if you want to learn more I can give you his info..I am in Oregon...A really hard place to build due to rainy climate.

 

[patandchickens]

If you try it, make sure you have a good foundation (to keep it up off the ground so moisture doesn't wick up and ruin the material) and it needs to be a truly FROSTPROOF foundation i.e. will not heave unevenly and crack yer wall.

Personally, if I were experimenting with it for a chicken coop, I would put hardwarecloth or 1x1 mesh on the inside, before packing the cob material into the forms, to give extra insurance against predators in the event of Unexpected Occurrances.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[eenie114]

Quote:
Well, I meant a coop....

Do you need building code things for those too? Veeeery new to this...