Winter Cob

Mike and I spent the previous afternoon mixing up cob, so that we would have it ready for the following morning. Because we've been working in semi-cold temperatures (50 at day, freezing at night), we've gotten ourselves into the most pleasant schedule possible for our feet. Using bare feet to mix a wet material in the cold morning is extremely unappealing. But mixing in the late afternoon (especially if the sun pops out) is only slightly numbing. Here's our big pile of cob balls waiting for us in the morning:

Mike is using a "cobber's thumb" (a stick) to poke the necessary holes in the wall that allow for faster drying and easier plaster application.

I wired up the house a couple days ago so that it has one light and a couple outlets. We also found an old cast iron sink at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore that will be cobbed into the wall, and will have a water dispenser above it. The drain pipe extends down into the rubble trench below the stemwall, to carry the greywater away.

I put in a triple layer of 3/4" rigid foam insulation (the pink stuff) in the small triangular wall that separates the two roof lines. We will put lath over this, and eventually an earthen plaster.

The client want a butterfly-shaped window (as well as a caterpillar window, a caterpillar egg window, and a chrysalis window). Here's the start to the butterfly:

The entrance is looking more and more inviting as we build up the walls and remove ugly support braces:

A stone in the wall: