Monthly Archives

October 2012

Oct 28
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Wood Stove Installation: Our Unique Stove Install Job

By Living Sod Roof, Winter, Heating, Strawtron
Wood Stove Installation

Through the wall and up… avoiding our living roof!

Well, I ended up with another weird wood stove installation in the new straw bale house. Back in 2010, I described how I penetrated the living roof of my cob house to install our new small wood stove at the time. (It was equally weird, and awkward.)We did a somewhat successful job (although every now and then we get water dripping into the mudroom).

This time, I wanted to completely avoid penetrating the EPDM pond liner, so I opted for a through-the-wall stove installation. There were a few tricks along the way.

Here’s how it went.

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Oct 19
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Rainbow Over a Straw Bale Home

By Photos, Strawtron, Uncategorized
Rainbow over straw bale house

Nice way to end the day

Don’t you love it when that happens?

October feels like it is moving quicker than lightning. It is one of my favorite months, no doubt. A much-needed rainstorm ended with this visual feast just the other day.

The work season is rapidly coming to an end…

Oct 15
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Moving Into an Incomplete House (p.s. We’re in Strawtron!)

By Winter, Strawtron
Straw Bale House Interior

Pug waits for the base plaster to dry

It is with somewhat reluctant, but inevitable feelings that we have just recently moved into our new straw bale house. I say ‘reluctant’ because really, the house is not complete. However, it has always been our intention to move in for winter, before the house is finished. Generally speaking, however, I highly advise people against moving into incomplete shelter, if they can avoid it.

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Oct 12
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Upcoming Woodworking Tools Festival: Handworks

By Timber Framing, Hand Tools

handworks

Wow, this event looks really awesome, and best of all, it’s not that far away — and it’s free! Handworks is a (hand) woodworking tools event from May 24-25, 2013 in a beautiful restored timber frame dairy barn in Amana, Iowa. A bunch of hand tool companies will be there with their wares (and door prizes), and there will also be a presentation about that killer (and now famous) tool chest of H.O. Studley. Really cool. I definitely plan to attend.

Get the details here: http://handworks.co/

Oct 03
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Topsoil Quantity Calculator: How Much Soil For Your Green Roof?

By Resources, Living Sod Roof

Here’s a handy tool if you happen to be building a living roof, or doing berm or other earth construction work. This topsoil quantity calculator will give you an idea of how many cubic feet / yards / tons of soil you will need for your project.

A 30×35 roof at 4″ thickness will require 3.5 tons of soil, for example. Wow.

In building our own green roof, it has been fun to try to guess how many buckets full of dirt we will need to use… although it’s pretty hard to keep track.

Well, there ya go!