Monthly Archives

September 2012

Sep 28
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The Great Living Roof Prospect: Building Our Green Roof Begins!

By Living Sod Roof, Strawtron
Living Green Roof Party

Our group of volunteers help load soil to make our living roof

Yesterday was our very first day loading soil onto our rooftop, the official start of building our living roof! We used a pulley system to raise 5 gal. buckets up to the roof, where a line of people passed buckets to be dumped. It was a whole lot of fun, and it’s great to see our green roof coming to fruition, after weeks of scheming. Here’s a little bit more about our process.

Just like building our cob house, the living roof of our new straw bale house has had me thinking for hours, and quite honestly, it’s been the source of a lot of anxiety throughout the entire construction process. Gobcobatron was a breeze in comparison — single story, low to the ground, not a huge roof area.

But how would we get soil 25 feet up into the air, at the highest point on our new building? What type of soil, and how would it stay in place? Would people feel safe scampering all over the roof if we did the work by hand? Just how many hours of work is this going to take, anyway?

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Sep 20
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Design Your Deck With Rot Resistant Wood

By Strawtron, Carpentry, Timber Framing
White Oak Deck Wood

Our white oak balcony deck floor

It is a wise idea to incorporate rot resistant wood into your outdoor deck, balcony, or porch designs, to ensure a long-lasting, safe floor for years to come.

I’m happy to be finally decking our west balcony so that we can stand out there and enjoy the view, without worry of falling through or tipping the temporary piece of plywood we’d been using. We obtained some nice white oak boards for the occasion, as the balcony is exposed to the weather. The balcony is actually under a substantial roof, but nevertheless, with our occasional big storms, moisture and rot is a concern. We chose thick 1.5″ white oak wood for its excellent rot resistance and strength.

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Sep 13
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*Hiccup*

By Uncategorized

flatbread

Wow, the last week has been a stream of constant web hiccups … but I think it may finally be over. I hope. Fingers crossed. Prayers prayed. If you are reading these words, then everything may very well be okay. Let me know if you’ve had or are having any problems reading The Year of Mud. Updates may now commence on their previously programmed schedule. Goodbye 404s and 500s.

By the way, check out that flatbread… oh boy, I love cooking a good flatbread on our rocket stove. These were actually supposed to be wheat tortillas, but this one got carried away and had an identity crisis, becoming more like a pita than anything else. It’s amazing what you can do with a little flour, water, and yeast or baking powder. Dry or with butter/oil, and there are about 50 variations in there depending on heat, dough consistency, temperature, etc. Mm.

 

Sep 06
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2013 Natural Building Workshops Planning

By Natural Building Workshops

Straw Bale Workshops at The Year of MudAfter such a successful 2012 Natural Building Workshop season, we are already planning for next year’s courses and classes in 2013. Planning is an on-going  process, and especially for events like these, we need to organize very far in advance to be able to structure our time and energy for the year. We hosted one Straw Bale Workshop and a Timber Framing Workshop this year, after months and months of planning, but next year may see the introduction of newer courses in the offering. I’m excited about the possibilities, and I hope you will be, too.

Things should be ironed out over the course of the fall season (the best time to do anything, really). Keep an eye peeled. Sign up for our email list to be the first to know.

 

 

Sep 03
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On The Issue of Maintenance, Building Or Otherwise

By Uncategorized

Cob House Lime PlasterI gotta say, it is somewhat bothersome when people have skewed perceptions & expectations of maintenance. Some people love the idea of “maintenance-free” homes, or gardens.  However, I think that life is nothing but maintenance — literally everything, from your own body, your mind, to the environment in which you live (your house, your property, your vegetable gardens, etc.). Everything demands upkeep, demands sustenance and nourishment, demands a level of working functionality (ideally). Some lifestyles, of course, have a much higher percentage of “maintenance work” than others — farming, for one.

But since this is a blog about building (and building naturally), let me say a few things about the issue of building maintenance.

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