wattle and daub question

To all:
I have a customer who wants to do wattle and daub infill on his 16x20' cabin.
I told him he was crazy due to the timbers being exposed to the weather.

Does anyone have any information on the weight of wattle and daub per sqft or however it is measured.

Hi Jim,

I spend a good part of my life examining timber-framed buildings where the panels (internal and external) are filled with wattle & daub. Most of these (read all) have a single skin that is about the thickness of a single brick i.e. 4.5" and certainly not 12" as suggested by others. These are not warm buildings in winter. Density would be about 80% of brick.

Cobb walls are thick however these do not contain timber-frames and are laid using shuttering and raised in lifts as the preceeding layer sets and hardens. These buildings are significantly warmer in winter.

Wattle & daub is certainly useable on external walls provided this is lime washed (multi coat) to help prevent migration of rain / damp. Originally timber-framed / wattle & daub buildings were coated in limewash (frame & infill panels). This was used to help seal up shrinkage gaps that opened up after drying in situ.

Ken

thanks for your comments

Jim Rogers