cob, tarp, progress

Flying Rafter

I cut and notched these custom 2X4 pieces to be used for attaching the "flying rafter" (the rafter that hangs past the edge of the stud wall to create the roof overhang).

Mike notched the existing rafters...

And then we put all the pieces together...

And the finished product!

Roof System

Mixing up the first batch of cob! We have been blessed with very cob-appropriate soil. We are not adding any sand at all (because the soil already has enough), which means we can just mix straw into the excavated soil and throw it on the wall. It is the easiest cob I have ever made. Mixing batches takes less than half the time than it has at other sites.

"No more photos, mother!"

The whole reason that I integrated a north and south stud-wall into the design is to be able to get the roof up at the beginning. This way, we can have a building that is protected from rain as it is built up. It is already coming in handy; tonight the forecast is rain, and we were able to store a whole bunch of lumber and tools under the tarped rafters, safe from raindrops.

Progress at Anatoly's Cottage

The urbanite/stone foundation is complete!

The concrete pads below were poured to create a level surface on top of which to set the stud walls (the north and south walls have been designed as stud walls to allow for a roof structure to go up quickly).

The sill plate was notched to fit around the stones, and then secured into the concrete via the J-bolts that were set during the concrete pour.

The walls go up!

One man's trash...

Here's the hill from which we rescued all of our masonry materials for our foundation stem-wall (ironically located right across from Home Depot):

Just recently (a couple months ago), a building burned down here. The clean-up crew just left all the rubble and trash in big piles on the hill. Eventually, it might be taken to the landfill, or just overgrown. But we carefully picked through it and got 15 truckloads of rock/concrete/brick. There is plenty more, but we think we have enough for the project.

Lots of material!

You can see in the photo below how most of the materials looks like stone, even though almost all of it is concrete. Anatoly, our client, often comes out to check our work and ask questions:

Leo studying masonry techniques:

And doing yoga:

 

Another day of work, and the stem-wall will be complete!

New Project in Chapel Hill

Mike and I just started a cob sleeping cottage for a family in Chapel Hill. Here is Day 1:

Just Shots

Trying to play catch up, allowing the camera to speak for me...

(My parents are now living in the completed Part 1 of the house. I need to take some new photos of the finished product.... The final design for Part 2 is in the works, and almost ready to hand over to the city in an attempt to secure a permit.)

more to come...