Hello and what's best winter protection for cob

[jshankar007]

Hi all,
Managed through the early part of 1st lockdown to get the cob oven built....
Now it's just covered in tarp. So what's best for winter/frost protection.
I "intend" to build a shelter and plaster the concrete block plinth...
Apart from that I also got a bag of vermiculite to add insulation layer to the straw/cob layer.
Meanwhile this winter what is recommended? Does cob survive winter under a tarp? Can I use it during the winter? Anything to do in spring?

[oblertone]

Having recently moved from a cob based house I can say with some certainty that the only durable protection is shelter. All cob houses are built with large overhangs to prevent direct water impingement, at the lower levels this is supplanted by stone facings to prevent bounce-back wetting the cob. Of course a protective render will help, but shelter is key. A tarp may work in the interim but it doesn’t allow the material to breathe, which is important.