Relative acoustic insulation qualities of strawbale v cob

[jess marley]

We are inching toward getting our applications submitted for the work needed to the front elevation here, having (nearly) finished re-hanging the slates on the side.
So, we are considering dubbing out the first floor walls fronting the road with a second wall consisting of strawbale or cob blocks as the walls are 3' and stone downstairs, but only an inch of plaster and some slates separate us from the road upstairs.
It can be a little noisy. And rather cold.
Any ideas?

 

[Ian Bond]

Mike Wye, and others sell this stuff

http://www.mikewye.co.uk/naturalproducts.htm#pavathermboard

I've not used this product myself yet, so cannot tell you how good it is. I spotted the stuff being sold by some of the 'Green' builders' merchants that I use, and thought it looked interesting.

I'm considering trying this out for a ceiling, and an internal wall, instead of using Plasterboard, laths, reed board, clayboard etc. You can lime render it, according to the brochure I've got.

 

[Ian Bond]

And Womersley's are selling this:

http://www.natural-building.co.uk/pdfs/Diffutherm_Full.pdf

It claims a lot of benefits, and sounds good. But I'd want to find someone who's actually installed it and go and see how it has performed in practice before using it for something so important.

 

[Ian Bond]

Pity they make 'em in Switzerland, and not in the UK.

Not sure how 'green' that is, unless they are used as ballast on the Toblerone ships :roll:

 

[Penners]

I reckon Toblerone will be considerably denser than Diffutherm.

So maybe Toberlone is used as ballast on Diffutherm ships.