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This is a traditional and very successful building method. A quarter of the worlds buildings are reportedly still made of cob or earth. In the South-West of England there are still many examples of cob buildings which function very well if properly maintained.
Over long periods of time without maintenance, there is a tendency for cracks, erosion and holes made by vermin to develop. Corbel can repair these issue properly using a combination of methods. The traditional technique of mass cob building involves mixing up a batch of cob and forming the walls within shuttering, allowing the structure to dry and shrink and managing that process.
An alternative we can also use is to repair or build new sections using pre-formed and pre-shrunk cob-blocks and an appropriate mud mortar.
Cob walls are usually (but not always) plastered and rendered in lime for weather protection and to ensure the moisture levels are maintained at a suitable level.
Cracks can be in-filled, but may occasionally need stitching using methods detailed in our structural masonry repairs section.
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