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| foundation |
It's finally time, what probably none of you have been waiting for! A review of our cob workshop! I'm going to divide the workshop into several posts, from the ground up. I am going to provide all the notes I took from the workshop lectures first, then a summary from our trip and any notes I have to add. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask! First up- foundation!
Think about piping first!
-a perforated pipe drained to fresh air
-water lines
-drainage below foundation
Recipe for Lime Putty
-2-3 inches of water in five gallon bucket first
-add hydrated lime gradually until greek yogurt
consistency
-use builders lime - NOT garden lime
-mix with a paint mixer on low speed to blend
Recipe for Lime Mortar
-1 part lime putty
-1 part coarse sand
-1/3 part grog
-grog is a powdered fired clay used as a
hardening agent to set foundation up well
-can be found at most builders supply stores or
pottery supply
-the grog can be used in the putty as well, for a
harder finish
-lime putty can be stored and remixed
indefinitely!
-lime is caustic, so remember to wear gloves,
mask, goggles, etc
Rubble Trench Foundation
-dig trench two feet wide by two feet deep or
deeper, to the frost line
-lay two inches of gravel below a four inch
perforated pipe in a U shape
-fill with gravel and tamp every six inches to set
in gravel
-the pipe and drainage allows water to drain from
the cob
Rock Stem Wall
-use clean rocks to help sick
-use largest rocks first
-set bottom stones 3-4 inches below grade to give
it a little seat
-set the first layer 24 inches wide
-narrow to 18 inches for the next layers
-two stones filled with gravel is okay
Laying Rock
-two stones over one
-avoid vertical seams
-blocks can be set sideways or flat
Pointing Mortar
-used to fill in gaps between outside foundation stones
-same lime mortar and gravel to fill holes
-use a spray bottle to keep all surfaces the same moisture level when applying
-for bigger gaps it helps to form a ball of mortar and gravel in your hands, then fill the hole
Geothermal Air Conditioning
-4 inch fan inside of non insulated pipe run for
at least
200 feet
underground from outside to in the house
-the fan can easily be run on solar power
-in case you don't understand, this means practically free air conditioning!
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| two layers of stone and gravel |
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| chipping away a piece of rock |
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| two of our instructors (in the orange and stripes) and Josh from New York |
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| one wall of foundation we built |
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| the old wall in the background, and two foundation walls we built |
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| making a strong corner |
In all the reading and planning I had done before the workshop, the
foundation always confused me the most. I felt clueless. When we had the
lecture and starting putting the rocks together, I was blown away by how simple
it was. It's just a gigsaw puzzle with gravel in the cracks! We were working on
the foundation for a shop building at the front of the property. There was an
existing section of wall and foundation (with cinder-blocks) that was completed
in the fall of last year. We continued with two sides of the building, setting
the foundation, applying mortar, and then made a wall (that's to come later,
I'm getting ahead of myself!)
That's step one of our building adventure!
Check back for more fun- you haven't even seen the mud yet! :)
Until next time,
Angela Kelly
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