Part 4 (1/2)

[Illustration: COB PICK (Measured fro a man stands on the low base-wall, and lays theit into position

Thorough treading is important, and the heels should be well used The material is allowed to project each side an inch or so beyond the stone base to allow for paring down afterwards The courses are usually about 2 ft high The cob should be laid and trodden in diagonal layers, as shown in the diagra It takes fro to the weather, and five or six e This would not keep them continuously employed, however, and they would require to have several buildings in hand at the same time, so as to be able to turn fro

[Illustration: COB COURSE, OR SCAR, SHOWING DIAGONAL LAYERS]

At the completion of a course the corners are pluh and the wall is then pared down ”plu on the wall

So down is left until the wall is finished and dry Four men will do about four perches per day of a wall 2 ft

thick, preparing and laying material

Theas in Pise work, as the retaining boards tend seriously to retard the drying out

[Illustration: PARING IRON (Measured fro_--If a course takes fro tie to completely dry out

The walls can be built fro, etc, can be done in the winter, but the external rendering must not be done for at least a year, perhaps two years, to allow the walls to become perfectly dry

As unprotected cob is sensitive to frost, especially if not thoroughly dried out, it should be given a good external rendering as soon as it is really dry, and should in the , straw- or what not Also all cob-workand when built

No artificial ood fires inside during the winter, though, as under such conditions a cob cottage is not usually considered fit to live in for several ht be worth considering

_Foundations and Base_--The depth of the excavations required for the foundations naturally depends upon the character of the site and soil, as also does the spread of the footings, if any

The base-course wall of brick, stone, or concrete should be carried up so was not infrequently built ”dry”--but good lias lime or cement should be used in all neork

The daone builders, and the introduction of this one ie a very different dwelling from the old

The usual forh slates laid butt and broken joint in cement are probably the best

[Headnote: Walls and Roofs]

_Thickness of Walls_--The thickness of wallsyou please from 18 in upwards There are old examples a full 3 ft across, but for an ordinary two-storied cottage a thickness of about 2 ft is general

Eighteen inches is certainly the minimum thickness, and would not ordinarily be adopted for any but one-storied buildings

The first-floor walls are made the same thickness as those below, for if they were reduced in width, as is usual in a stone building, the extra weight thus thrown on to one side of the ground floor walls would tend to hly set

There are old cob walls in existence fully 30 ft in height, and there is no apparent lih

The upper layers compress the lower ones, and automatically render them more dense and stone-like and fit to bear the load ieneral rule, however, it is found expedient to hip back the roof rather than carry it up in a tall gable, partly because cob-building at a great height above the ground in short and di layers is a soood eaves is very welco

_Masonry and Carpentry_--The bonding of cob to stone and brick is someti when the cob dries and shrinks Many of the chimneys in old cob houses are of brick or stone, and brick and stone jambs are sometimes to be seen in cob walls, but they are probably by way of repairs to daed corners

It is considered better to have cob all round, so ensuring the unifor

The timber built into old cob does not seem to decay The walls are usually so dry, especially when plastered, that the wood is well preserved The straw in the interior of old cob walls is often as bright as when put in The straw in cob performs a similar function to hair in plaster Heather has soood results

[Illustration: WALL COPINGS]