tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52048068258320117192024-03-14T05:25:06.168-04:00Vermont Straw Bale AdventuresA Vermont couple's adventure in building a super-efficient, near-zero energy straw bale home in a cold climate.
This house features a recycled 150-year-old timber frame, bale walls, a revolutionary new solar heat and hot water system, a grid-tied PV system with battery back-up, minimal use of concrete, using local and sustainable products whenever available.BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-46625820263268006612010-11-11T09:35:00.001-05:002010-12-13T19:33:01.904-05:00Getting Closer -- 11/11/10<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi All,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here in Vermont, winter approaches whether we're ready or not! We're getting much closer to a completed home, so I wanted to send out a quick update.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVadIFCDFWirgDN60vdx4_lZyR_cA29OExqUJbDgmlJ4d91FNebumKYD5MaY9mGIlbniSJfr9pcRWc_pvwFeJlQKNKaFJfGAp1qSqNONVA8wIKo5B5jUJJ4UuyMVDVQTsQ5yOrQQ0zyE/s1600/DSC01193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVadIFCDFWirgDN60vdx4_lZyR_cA29OExqUJbDgmlJ4d91FNebumKYD5MaY9mGIlbniSJfr9pcRWc_pvwFeJlQKNKaFJfGAp1qSqNONVA8wIKo5B5jUJJ4UuyMVDVQTsQ5yOrQQ0zyE/s320/DSC01193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A flurry of activity in late summer and early fall got the exterior plasters finished before the real cold weather arrives. Note the windows are all trimmed out, and the white corner boards, which are not-so-common in straw bale houses.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxWO6ULzcXlMJeRV_qbl9FCp_NYcFN7teS1ynry14opjUgWypg3ZxTaGkEbuR2hLmwXQ6OjUsW1C0GPXBS7ghSHVfbKXWPTLo8p8hFrJ5fT-Mvntr4GW4BTalMEkWD3EwrNX7s2s8tOw/s1600/DSC01255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxWO6ULzcXlMJeRV_qbl9FCp_NYcFN7teS1ynry14opjUgWypg3ZxTaGkEbuR2hLmwXQ6OjUsW1C0GPXBS7ghSHVfbKXWPTLo8p8hFrJ5fT-Mvntr4GW4BTalMEkWD3EwrNX7s2s8tOw/s320/DSC01255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Here's the house after the finish plaster on the outside.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtkVRAYm9k-hC603upYQ7kNe5vJABH6wu1lUqOZ7wl1gM9Vsf5YVNFX9bPMZ1a_U2rUR4PMLMrxj2jGRLEfIY89cLaPIIyFq9y6iCpk231pOkspe9HWAonUg16XKJqZLA5n6eg-w4vPU/s1600/DSC01258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtkVRAYm9k-hC603upYQ7kNe5vJABH6wu1lUqOZ7wl1gM9Vsf5YVNFX9bPMZ1a_U2rUR4PMLMrxj2jGRLEfIY89cLaPIIyFq9y6iCpk231pOkspe9HWAonUg16XKJqZLA5n6eg-w4vPU/s320/DSC01258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">White lime paint and two color samples at left. The exterior plasters and the first 2 lime washes are complete -- we'll add a pigmented lime paint in the spring.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNkqMg4tn8Ri6tPRv0RWTrOAw2JmSFEGNk4G8c0gkvced0_cABkqPDhteGFa3qyxgOLbsCwxvx-r1HbZPF1DEt1pFVxQ-7aHW-8EEixZR2W1pnZDYT_I0p33LGIWXfTuIgQ-7zX9D7cc/s1600/DSC01286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNkqMg4tn8Ri6tPRv0RWTrOAw2JmSFEGNk4G8c0gkvced0_cABkqPDhteGFa3qyxgOLbsCwxvx-r1HbZPF1DEt1pFVxQ-7aHW-8EEixZR2W1pnZDYT_I0p33LGIWXfTuIgQ-7zX9D7cc/s320/DSC01286.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Next, we hired Julie and Ralph to come back and put on a lime paint to protect the finished surface.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6f6h1kzs-xlt8_xGRAVD-lEtcyiLRWhet6bOtBy0Qi3dOsLfEIzmjGWTvED88hyphenhyphenMFabITeEYijEqunUskIFYxvJBschKeloNzdkDHUMbKHG4JUIIVmdq1XWHyRGeRtQeNUmom4STOo4/s1600/DSC01289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6f6h1kzs-xlt8_xGRAVD-lEtcyiLRWhet6bOtBy0Qi3dOsLfEIzmjGWTvED88hyphenhyphenMFabITeEYijEqunUskIFYxvJBschKeloNzdkDHUMbKHG4JUIIVmdq1XWHyRGeRtQeNUmom4STOo4/s320/DSC01289.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">OOPS -- sideways... Anyway, here's the surface texture after the first lime wash is scrubbed into the surface with a sponge, leaving swirled appearance -- cool!</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y5HWIfSqj4TFFOxp91b9CuQc0vOpjRjKKFHzJoCMa5QOTBd0kOdRMDxFGi19Xxx6NzRT0GGwUf52SWwYe0et2YKSr8TSbDLscYggCWelK-qqjsPVTFFcYvJnvZl2fPqtpuIFwNaeiMk/s1600/DSC01295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Y5HWIfSqj4TFFOxp91b9CuQc0vOpjRjKKFHzJoCMa5QOTBd0kOdRMDxFGi19Xxx6NzRT0GGwUf52SWwYe0et2YKSr8TSbDLscYggCWelK-qqjsPVTFFcYvJnvZl2fPqtpuIFwNaeiMk/s320/DSC01295.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's Ralph, painting away to try to finish before it gets too dark to see. Linda and I helped paint the trim, and we just made it -- as you can see, it was already getting pretty dark.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95GhFyMK3ppMtjC02lbYNuoR5UfNiziR4pFSylaAZiNGNC3k1Hun-3VoqMkfiKQA_fof9VjT0T9kmFOsOXKZj3Ifr2Ny2p8qcO7JhdkD33yp8k2Vqhwyln9m3t2q8A5-bXWZIVdpOnJ8/s1600/DSC01292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95GhFyMK3ppMtjC02lbYNuoR5UfNiziR4pFSylaAZiNGNC3k1Hun-3VoqMkfiKQA_fof9VjT0T9kmFOsOXKZj3Ifr2Ny2p8qcO7JhdkD33yp8k2Vqhwyln9m3t2q8A5-bXWZIVdpOnJ8/s320/DSC01292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the white lime paint, the house has a white-on-white look. We'll probably revert to the coffee and white coloration. like the first photo in this post.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now the exterior is ready for winter with the exception of the cedar shingles to be applied to the entry porch roof, and if time allows, the dormers. All the rest of the work now goes inside</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> to complete wiring, plumbing, re-installing the wood stove, hanging the kitchen cabinets, and all the trim and painting.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We're aiming to move in around December first, but we've decided we will celebrate Christmas 2010 in this new house no matter what!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll post an update on the interior work soon</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">... Be well!</span></span></div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-60071231929111707612010-09-03T21:55:00.000-04:002010-09-03T21:55:35.124-04:00Pouring The Radiant Floor<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hi Folks,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'll try to post updates a little more quickly, now that I have a digital camera on loan from a friend and co-worker.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Roughly a month ago, in late July, we "poured" the concrete floor. Had we originally planned on a concrete floor some 2 years ago, "pouring" would have been a more apt description. Since we originally planned on a pounded earth floor, made from clay sand, straw and lime, we went ahead and built the frame, roof structure, and walls, with the idea that the site-built earthen floor would be built after most of the construction was completed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well, life -- and financial reality -- sometimes intervenes, and it turns out that an earthen floor would have taken longer and cost more than concrete, since we would have to hire out the work if we wanted to get into the house before this winter. We opted for a tinted concrete floor with radiant tubes for the eventual solar heating system.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> With all the walls in place, there was a lot of pouring going on, but it was pouring out wheelbarrow loads that then had to be shoveled, raked, and worked by hand quite a bit -- hot, heavy, and very humid work!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are a few photos of the process, which may not be in exact chronological order...</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlQ0jBs0bROCe4IGj2MaaFbSkykcpcqGxZO5Q_ekkNLHmUUB-9_gzJeXvMJRJSAZNbCbSwMfQn-b_ngsHHK8NYNKX8RS7f1cCA1b6ttDNGxYzQkxUqAFH0gu9wqvrHurD9T-dTRtkBAA/s1600/Radiant+Floor+SE+Corner+-+sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlQ0jBs0bROCe4IGj2MaaFbSkykcpcqGxZO5Q_ekkNLHmUUB-9_gzJeXvMJRJSAZNbCbSwMfQn-b_ngsHHK8NYNKX8RS7f1cCA1b6ttDNGxYzQkxUqAFH0gu9wqvrHurD9T-dTRtkBAA/s320/Radiant+Floor+SE+Corner+-+sm.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radiant Tube Layout -- SE Corner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First comes careful planning and preparation. The gravel and sand under the floor is smoothed and leveled. The vapor barrier goes down (polyethylene sheeting), and the insulation is carefully fitted and sealed on all sides. We used 3" of foam board in two layers of 1.5" cross-stacked. The radiant tube layout reflects the thermal losses expected in a given room, the potential for solar gain from south-facing windows, and the way the room will be used. The tubes are laid out in several loops of between 200 and 250' length. In our case, we put out 4 x 225' loops, and one shorter loop of about 180', which will get throttled back with a balancing valve.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Buildings lose heat to the outside walls, so the first part of each loop goes right to the outer wall, and the tubing is closer together there. More heat is applied where more heat will be lost. The spacing of the tubes is usually lower toward the center of the building, where the heat loss to the environment is much smaller. In the above photo, huge south-facing windows are just off-screen to the right, so the tubing is closer together on the south side of the building to re-distribute any heat gained when sunlight strikes the floor. Toward the left, and in the foreground, the spacing is further apart.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAS0r_uBSOu2kS-MlvQSVbyh9x2h7M19mJ-2LKLo2_XRONXyXQ2xnplbsyarvSu33iq_MCG5YUftu9PtXGa_QOO7kikRoZAcsG7FDN4PP2ET6WnK-1CjONGuPF0sm4-ctFXaWNZCXK7Xk/s1600/Cement+Truck-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAS0r_uBSOu2kS-MlvQSVbyh9x2h7M19mJ-2LKLo2_XRONXyXQ2xnplbsyarvSu33iq_MCG5YUftu9PtXGa_QOO7kikRoZAcsG7FDN4PP2ET6WnK-1CjONGuPF0sm4-ctFXaWNZCXK7Xk/s320/Cement+Truck-sm.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cement Truck and Front Door</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's the outside view -- the cement truck pours the concrete mix through the front door...</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_JcEHPbiSKvHHidirg0Bb-7zblpdW_jhcS33QCQtQ4Hl-7ky5uEhohpPmFnIvvR3BK8L2gKr77xAGI7dLAIVeLrhYBzcmWrOOH4ybJqUmZxlP-M9AxpnmnU-lGujyew8WNZMS71lRg4/s1600/Filling+Wheelbarrow+-+sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_JcEHPbiSKvHHidirg0Bb-7zblpdW_jhcS33QCQtQ4Hl-7ky5uEhohpPmFnIvvR3BK8L2gKr77xAGI7dLAIVeLrhYBzcmWrOOH4ybJqUmZxlP-M9AxpnmnU-lGujyew8WNZMS71lRg4/s320/Filling+Wheelbarrow+-+sm.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling The Wheelbarrow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...to the waiting wheelbarrow. These are maneuvered into place, where they are carefully dumped, taking great care not to damage the radiant PEX tubing.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfq8ZKD9RNv2N5nDFIWq5PX96m9MdFoYyt9ZTHL1N47ERwkwXGGbhbdPuYR6Yx8dyn96tHkWG5LgnfnWFB7CFquSarTsD5q9oFS0qBDjN05Wq-IHUWAlgG62Wt4QQPbFfCpZgihhGxRs/s1600/Dumping+a+load-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfq8ZKD9RNv2N5nDFIWq5PX96m9MdFoYyt9ZTHL1N47ERwkwXGGbhbdPuYR6Yx8dyn96tHkWG5LgnfnWFB7CFquSarTsD5q9oFS0qBDjN05Wq-IHUWAlgG62Wt4QQPbFfCpZgihhGxRs/s320/Dumping+a+load-sm.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring the Concrete</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A small piece of plywood is placed where the frame of the wheelbarrow would damage the tubes, and the load is carefully deposited where the spreaders need it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsH7OAdqeCe4zrF84V9fl1t9f81qPx2BQ6Sbw4MtRsUF6PBySvgawVRMfbTsj-JP1mAjzNySgSTsjpEwdYtpNasK7Tyko89n5BxXSBXlgUiEE_t9WbcaO6tZ8s6xWrYCIX3YxnBHBTQM/s1600/Brad+Dumping+Wheelbarrow-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsH7OAdqeCe4zrF84V9fl1t9f81qPx2BQ6Sbw4MtRsUF6PBySvgawVRMfbTsj-JP1mAjzNySgSTsjpEwdYtpNasK7Tyko89n5BxXSBXlgUiEE_t9WbcaO6tZ8s6xWrYCIX3YxnBHBTQM/s320/Brad+Dumping+Wheelbarrow-sm.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Dumps a Load</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even the lowly homeowner can help with this part -- no brains, just brawn needed for the wheelbarrow part!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQZrFI8Tt5U9Ly090TefJNcas9qCf5USThQqGjgnb4p4cgcn5vsfrSUofZYZ1ewECPCkt4n2k54CT1CPxngIEmin6Vl5wOZy8zKqpnyT6LwWFWpEnFLDe9h0ke98lY2hkED1ay29rG2w/s1600/Greg+Spreading+Concrete-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQZrFI8Tt5U9Ly090TefJNcas9qCf5USThQqGjgnb4p4cgcn5vsfrSUofZYZ1ewECPCkt4n2k54CT1CPxngIEmin6Vl5wOZy8zKqpnyT6LwWFWpEnFLDe9h0ke98lY2hkED1ay29rG2w/s320/Greg+Spreading+Concrete-sm.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raking the Concrete</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since the wheelbarrow creates sloppy plops of concrete, a lot of hard hand work is needed to rake and spread and shovel the heavy mixture into place for an even, level floor.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5-2Y9QffApNWHzEnxnd49sgFZ6BT0Kc2DTHMdBOzI9_jWFSLjfTs_aubINstpkJqTKkbXHi38hXNrm_h11NFYHDYpBL0HHj4JBvXGRCIhS8OpRe3CFz-uI0graWW3n_CqnKLxvxna84/s1600/Greg+Rakes+Concrete-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5-2Y9QffApNWHzEnxnd49sgFZ6BT0Kc2DTHMdBOzI9_jWFSLjfTs_aubINstpkJqTKkbXHi38hXNrm_h11NFYHDYpBL0HHj4JBvXGRCIhS8OpRe3CFz-uI0graWW3n_CqnKLxvxna84/s320/Greg+Rakes+Concrete-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg Spreads Concrete</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is Greg, the boss of the concrete crew. He directed the layout of nails and strings to guide the pour and get the floor leveled and built up to the right height.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xAoFc27mviQnLkZGOU4Q0Us9KkOern-lIH_ElxrO_IuQYPTm9_B1m7rVoTLvR8aoPl2-6eUCAd0inJilmwkjdNO5eesNP1Vwg5tBKJcmPqY5Wa-4MI98sd0zBNnobERASMy8kXXbqUs/s1600/Ben+Shovels+Concrete-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xAoFc27mviQnLkZGOU4Q0Us9KkOern-lIH_ElxrO_IuQYPTm9_B1m7rVoTLvR8aoPl2-6eUCAd0inJilmwkjdNO5eesNP1Vwg5tBKJcmPqY5Wa-4MI98sd0zBNnobERASMy8kXXbqUs/s320/Ben+Shovels+Concrete-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Shovels Concrete</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ben Graham, as the general contractor on the job for the bale walls and floor system, helps shovel the concrete onto the bubble wrap insulation to create a thermal break between the floor slab and the ICF concrete grade beam that supports the walls.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuXNf-_XV7DLaQuxIR5WjwoCsGyRc_7yvnmEb-t2DgYLieKHoWpVmhcrdcvg5Xxr4OCzM1EjNNjlg64GO-Oy2FMBg0PRZlVDxHwiidqCRcdsOLFaFFzlH-GogFyeissts3Jkr2R3bn30/s1600/Ben+-+hand+work-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuXNf-_XV7DLaQuxIR5WjwoCsGyRc_7yvnmEb-t2DgYLieKHoWpVmhcrdcvg5Xxr4OCzM1EjNNjlg64GO-Oy2FMBg0PRZlVDxHwiidqCRcdsOLFaFFzlH-GogFyeissts3Jkr2R3bn30/s320/Ben+-+hand+work-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Hand Work</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The concrete has to be leveled and smoothed out fairly soon after it is placed, partly for access to the area without damaging work already completed, and also to work the substance before it begins to set and stiffen up.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqokMDlZknI0i5fFY8kiBO2XQQunlofWeJ-WBehQwQhIEGf8ziIakA36dK9LKaa10COO7MmEEJT0L25ZiguhyAC-GoD3LaDAcJAwxnbcdVG8x8upTzVns8ckRtyenIDyppMi5tpBUveoE/s1600/Spreading+Concrete+in+Kitchen-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqokMDlZknI0i5fFY8kiBO2XQQunlofWeJ-WBehQwQhIEGf8ziIakA36dK9LKaa10COO7MmEEJT0L25ZiguhyAC-GoD3LaDAcJAwxnbcdVG8x8upTzVns8ckRtyenIDyppMi5tpBUveoE/s320/Spreading+Concrete+in+Kitchen-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toward SW Corner and Kitchen</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q3VM-XriwD8or1CIZoWumbfCjCAWK-vRyUrTyWuVCpQB1SrVXsYmepUizmPxqv6IG1Ej36aeeVE2l8kEbsd3MhnYQ9fALNOoma3ETDZw67tD-td0onVKoS5J-LTD6oFkniUiVBJtsJY/s1600/Working+around+plumbing-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q3VM-XriwD8or1CIZoWumbfCjCAWK-vRyUrTyWuVCpQB1SrVXsYmepUizmPxqv6IG1Ej36aeeVE2l8kEbsd3MhnYQ9fALNOoma3ETDZw67tD-td0onVKoS5J-LTD6oFkniUiVBJtsJY/s320/Working+around+plumbing-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plumbing and drains are boxed in and protected</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwiVBXwmS8WFw2SRfjLL-zCmVLz3gVEOxxsZvXu5HFccllHqsIuQ_ruXNNpzBBynRy1s-zeUhJnMQNjeptLvvtfs-F5w9-9c4SkuZiijdIulnB-XqHZQGyjeVp-ikElOmmmXX3uJR8Bc/s1600/Scree+Board-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwiVBXwmS8WFw2SRfjLL-zCmVLz3gVEOxxsZvXu5HFccllHqsIuQ_ruXNNpzBBynRy1s-zeUhJnMQNjeptLvvtfs-F5w9-9c4SkuZiijdIulnB-XqHZQGyjeVp-ikElOmmmXX3uJR8Bc/s320/Scree+Board-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoothing and Leveling With a Scree Board</td></tr>
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The surface is created with a LOT of heavy hand work, pushing, pulling, and spreading the stuff around to create a flat and level floor.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe88_2BldQedlZTF2DnhwEGhioEude9u9LdFOiglbmjXH_3cMba4bl1dUDrRCxzpLQBpaes6-AM9z797y2oQJ4hvgQ-6T_JxB7tuqzHIlLpbRrfTB0YWu0wWaDTa3-pgAJJU4lBiR588/s1600/Working+toward+the+door-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe88_2BldQedlZTF2DnhwEGhioEude9u9LdFOiglbmjXH_3cMba4bl1dUDrRCxzpLQBpaes6-AM9z797y2oQJ4hvgQ-6T_JxB7tuqzHIlLpbRrfTB0YWu0wWaDTa3-pgAJJU4lBiR588/s320/Working+toward+the+door-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work Your Way Toward The Door</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Concrete work starts at the furthest corners, and work progresses toward the door, where the cement truck is filling wheelbarrows.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39zETBIZ-bonLKR40Rsy9wGgNpf4p_1rz2ge_tbzBLDiEwwfUxeTLfR-OKcRIJgWlW1BFbe7OK07FgntKij-X_r02zstrhFEpl2ynWjNz6w7nKi8xQHLFJQEqVdvFWUnEBASGEyJ8FG0/s1600/Messy+Hard+Work-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39zETBIZ-bonLKR40Rsy9wGgNpf4p_1rz2ge_tbzBLDiEwwfUxeTLfR-OKcRIJgWlW1BFbe7OK07FgntKij-X_r02zstrhFEpl2ynWjNz6w7nKi8xQHLFJQEqVdvFWUnEBASGEyJ8FG0/s320/Messy+Hard+Work-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot, Heavy Work</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As work progresses toward the door, it gets hotter and hotter. The temperature outside is rising up through the 80's, but the concrete is now starting to warm up as it cures and hardens, so the inside temperature really takes off after a few hours.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rkY4WBQALkSDH2ZrYsruDvYLqlta9E9hMj3aazuTYXaP5NOHSJkDS9gXLYSfFS7fJhtpIbulAR4H7RXX2JpIi7Oz86Yrd-zcmVYGwD2M9WbP1wVDegikz2Ue9FGppWQVNhjd0CgXKY8/s1600/Greg+Power+Troweling.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rkY4WBQALkSDH2ZrYsruDvYLqlta9E9hMj3aazuTYXaP5NOHSJkDS9gXLYSfFS7fJhtpIbulAR4H7RXX2JpIi7Oz86Yrd-zcmVYGwD2M9WbP1wVDegikz2Ue9FGppWQVNhjd0CgXKY8/s320/Greg+Power+Troweling.sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg Power Troweling</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once the floor sets up enough to bear a little weight, the power troweler smooths the surface, and tends to bring up water from the mixture. Experience is needed to get the floor flat and smooth, without pulling up too much water, which can change the color, texture, and durability of the final floor.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP1onA_R6itWygq2BzjBqaRNeGNvUQjpYYCKjIWP-a8hjfdtrWcrBuyffb4Zd1bX1dKTXjmk8Z8o2R6Y1QVmiHR9r2qUnbPi2iKyczmlAYHuL5QJ4F_HjWDiNICGYQ60sRTvhvYCva_Y/s1600/Finished+floor-SE+Corner-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP1onA_R6itWygq2BzjBqaRNeGNvUQjpYYCKjIWP-a8hjfdtrWcrBuyffb4Zd1bX1dKTXjmk8Z8o2R6Y1QVmiHR9r2qUnbPi2iKyczmlAYHuL5QJ4F_HjWDiNICGYQ60sRTvhvYCva_Y/s320/Finished+floor-SE+Corner-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Floor Toward SE Corner</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The concrete is tinted to a dark charcoal gray, mostly for passive solar gain. It will lighten as it dries, then when the painting and finish work is complete, the surface will be polished and sealed, which will bring it back to a darker color. By 6 PM it was about 120 degrees and very nearly 100% humidity in the house, even with windows and doors open!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj551mONYxcOeGqLwyKSTbiF1CNsQYu4ra_JHvZcS1zL3OUphQM2PHxrhKUczpzeODkfQm57AuPgHPNOeqlv_-qqQuONIImFbpAmJ9q-pgwNO9hNUQm3K6LgsVmbKErh1ROhfhDru7Xz-A/s1600/Finished+Floor+in+SW+Corner-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj551mONYxcOeGqLwyKSTbiF1CNsQYu4ra_JHvZcS1zL3OUphQM2PHxrhKUczpzeODkfQm57AuPgHPNOeqlv_-qqQuONIImFbpAmJ9q-pgwNO9hNUQm3K6LgsVmbKErh1ROhfhDru7Xz-A/s320/Finished+Floor+in+SW+Corner-sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Floor in SW Corner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Walls still need lime-milk paint, and the exposed beams will get sanded and oiled, but we're getting there by great leaps and bounds. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next up -- finish plaster on exterior, and kitchen cabinets -- can't wait!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Till next time,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Brad</span></span>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-75870951792459979122010-08-30T22:53:00.001-04:002010-08-30T22:54:52.080-04:00Recent Progress -- July, 2010<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hi Folks,</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's been a long time since I was able to send an update since I lost my digital camera.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few photos and captions of recent work (from June & July) </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh554dImSFf4IYTn85Xu-LCCuFzCIDVm5gKEWw0w6JcA8n32GNOI2b3B4Q6X_XlEFfw-OOO8ynbjSZmN3SJCGjvz_NamGkx8crVEDHpQzlYsION963_540Lh5h39GY5VGl53XT2jbVav8M/s1600/SE+Corner+-+sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh554dImSFf4IYTn85Xu-LCCuFzCIDVm5gKEWw0w6JcA8n32GNOI2b3B4Q6X_XlEFfw-OOO8ynbjSZmN3SJCGjvz_NamGkx8crVEDHpQzlYsION963_540Lh5h39GY5VGl53XT2jbVav8M/s320/SE+Corner+-+sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SE Corner Before Radiant Tubing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been using photos of this corner to show progress in stages on the project. Here's a photo with foam insulation, but before the radiant tubing went in.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom Windows & Radiant Floor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the vapor barrier and 3" of foam board insulation were installed, the PEX tubing for radiant floor heating was installed. Closely spaced near the edges, where the heat loss is highest, but a low density overall, since we want the bedroom a little cooler than the rest of the house. PEX tubing is stapled directly to the foam; concrete slab will be poured atop this.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5VaPoVEVc56iB4V-1FZeDeGv9Vy5WSH9-jKSVSUlCzEXISkMont073qeZiSPtXFo5Aokzcj_J4Yu86FyxoVb4_LP-AshHChy5gPpAz2gS0ZuLIUU5HAKF2HeDW-0lF_RHqHM3GB-bhk/s1600/Linda+and+Sam+--+sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5VaPoVEVc56iB4V-1FZeDeGv9Vy5WSH9-jKSVSUlCzEXISkMont073qeZiSPtXFo5Aokzcj_J4Yu86FyxoVb4_LP-AshHChy5gPpAz2gS0ZuLIUU5HAKF2HeDW-0lF_RHqHM3GB-bhk/s320/Linda+and+Sam+--+sm.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda Meets With Sam Clark</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Linda meets with Sam Clark, who runs Sam Clark Design, a cabinet shop in Barre, VT. Sam is the author of a few great books on designing and building small houses, and specializes in compact kitchen designs.</span></span><a href="http://www.samclarkdesign.com/"> Sam Clark Design</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The kitchen will be very simple, but carefully designed to get maximum utility out of a small space. The cabinets will be fabricated in Sam's shop in Barre (about 30 miles away), and delivered in a few weeks for installation. In the meanwhile, we need to get the plumbing roughed in, and figure out all the wiring, and pour the concrete floor...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lots to do; and now, more and more, the decisions need to be final (gulp!).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cheerio,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brad </span></span>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-89190856406756429592010-06-21T13:59:00.001-04:002010-11-12T09:15:49.120-05:00Recent Progress -- No Photos (!)Hi Folks,<br />
<br />
Long time -- no post. We're back in action with a lot happening, which is a bad time to have lost -- maybe forever -- the digital camera! Seems I went to a site visit 2 weeks ago, and I have not seen it since. I may have driven off with the thing on top of the car...<br />
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SO, a progress report w/out photos today, with more photos coming soon.<br />
<br />
Here's what's been happening:<br />
<ul><li>Roof Insulation: Dense pack cellulose at roughly R-62 in ceiling (16.5" at high density), plus other materials = ~ R-66 total.</li>
<li>Insulated stem wall and wiring chases.</li>
<li>Insulated north wall of utility room with 5.5" of damp-spray cellulose in 2x6 stud wall inside the bale wall (probably a total of about R-53). This was a blast to install, and made a huge mess. Really something to see or experience! After the over-spray is trimmed off, it looks so neat and tidy!</li>
<li><b style="color: red;">Don't Step On The Blocking!</b> Brad steps on fire blocking while attempting to screw plywood to ceiling and falls through one the the 2x4 interior walls, proving that 16-penny nails are no match for the finely-tuned shins, chest and back of the modern-day homo sapiens, that gravity still does work, and that tetanus shots still hurt!</li>
<li>Plastering upstairs (Steen Coat and Scratch coats)</li>
<li>Wood trim around window boxes. </li>
<li>Finish plaster work commences downstairs. Smooth surface with gently rounded contours. Ready for clay paint. Lookin' good.</li>
<li>Cardboard removed where finish coat has been applied, revealing a real hint of the finished look with exposed beams -- looks FAN-TASTIC! Wish I had the #$@*+ camera -- <i>DOH!</i></li>
<li>Under-floor plumbing and drain pipes.</li>
<li>Venting for plumbing drains installed in ceiling.</li>
<li>Greywater and blackwater drains installed in preparation for pouring the concrete floor.</li>
<li>Under-floor wiring runs completed for the concrete pour.</li>
<li>Worked on kitchen and bath designs, and looked at entry doors. </li>
</ul>Coming soon:<br />
<ul><li>Completion of insulation</li>
<li> Blower door test #1</li>
<li>Completion of finish plasters</li>
<li>Exterior plasters completed</li>
<li>Wiring completed</li>
<li>Concrete floor poured</li>
<li>Electrical service hook-up</li>
</ul>Stay tuned for more...<br />
<br />
Brad Vietje,<br />
Newbury, VTBPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-77512643230395925292010-02-09T13:38:00.002-05:002010-02-09T19:22:47.642-05:00Earthen Plasters - 2<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi Folks,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Here's a little more about the natural earthen plasters used on our straw bale home project. Quite a bit of the plaster work has been done by David Ludt and Nick Jackson, and for the past few weeks we've been slowly drying out the walls with the constant application of heat from the Elm wood stove.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">We started with an adhesion or base coat that's rough and textured with quite a bit of chopped straw. This plaster is based on the pioneering work of Athena & Bill Steen, so it is sometimes called the "Steen" coat:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUqMJSPl0fzLvKnuYN3Qz8G9s1cEWpZh6pMLhGuZZFiL9J5GJixOFMqbR1DGJDmaJJlrdtaslrYa8DSW4iK9N-HBq_FHes-HuikNZvkiSRZeiwbpDrCg0ftCyx-6N1Am_1u9oeuYviVU/s1600-h/P2011600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUqMJSPl0fzLvKnuYN3Qz8G9s1cEWpZh6pMLhGuZZFiL9J5GJixOFMqbR1DGJDmaJJlrdtaslrYa8DSW4iK9N-HBq_FHes-HuikNZvkiSRZeiwbpDrCg0ftCyx-6N1Am_1u9oeuYviVU/s320/P2011600.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Rough-Textured Adhesion Coat</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The adhesion coat is allowed to dry until it begins to shrink, crack, and separate from other surfaces at the edges. These cracks will be filled with subsequent plaster applications for a solid wall structure, and for good air sealing.<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The timber frame is protected with cardboard throughout the plastering process. The beveled window openings are still rather "hard-edged", and strips of drywall have been attached to the window framing to bind to future coats of plaster. Additional drywall strips are then used to box in the top of the window structure, for good adhesion, as well as good air sealing with clear caulking.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">When the adhesion coat has dried sufficiently, the second, or "Scratch" coat is then applied. This varies in thickness to smooth out the contours of the walls, and the window openings are sculpted somewhat, and rounded over.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJr1VqvLDYFhtmDgjssPryHVR3PuAI58gBdmUI0JvqeYGYWLiUbBj0A9t4jAWMV68gFnwKHhhHXu4_fzk7ZlMAUIhcZnkNflsta9kJUx9QuB36WDeoBz9K3DJI6b7TPaO-F9Wp77pDezo/s1600-h/P2011597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJr1VqvLDYFhtmDgjssPryHVR3PuAI58gBdmUI0JvqeYGYWLiUbBj0A9t4jAWMV68gFnwKHhhHXu4_fzk7ZlMAUIhcZnkNflsta9kJUx9QuB36WDeoBz9K3DJI6b7TPaO-F9Wp77pDezo/s320/P2011597.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Air sealing is enhanced by sealing around the windows with expanding closed cell foam caulking, the application of beveled wooden strips around all the openings, as well as wallboard (sheet rock) strips, which are sealed with clear caulking. The drywall is then covered with the scratch coat and finish coats.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxMUL-mLaYa9rDsHvhFDGi3_zDEhIY13s93wzSVm2gI2oZxjxAdrubMamqQEn8LjtCIIe-eJ83nET1gce5b4wSC2YJ8tTWdjwQj6_g-TxlUW6HvGVlTREBSOzdxsirE_-vbbl5rF0BAw/s1600-h/P2011593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxMUL-mLaYa9rDsHvhFDGi3_zDEhIY13s93wzSVm2gI2oZxjxAdrubMamqQEn8LjtCIIe-eJ83nET1gce5b4wSC2YJ8tTWdjwQj6_g-TxlUW6HvGVlTREBSOzdxsirE_-vbbl5rF0BAw/s320/P2011593.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Window recesses and scratch coat -- another view. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Note the caulking between layers of dissimilar materials.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The scratch coat then dries over a few weeks time - depends on the temperature and humidity. We've kept the temperature between 32 degrees and about 55 degrees, and the relative humidity has been quite high (75% - 80%), due to all the moisture evaporating from the plaster. This high humidity causes condensation on the cold surfaces of windows and the un-insulated roof upstairs, which will be remedied when the roof is ready for cellulose insulation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">As the scratch coat dries, it cracks and separates from other materials. These cracks will be filled with the finish coat, and then sealed with the layers of clay paint on the inside. On the outside of the house, the finish coat will be a lime plaster, and numerous pigmented lime washes will seal any cracks that develop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuHhLLRO84Qb-Il7GKjk71O5Zd7R_QLJRWlccTxC28uGc1iS_6x5ub16qoFwlSi8-eNk-zeFE1D3r77L_oKzhPwyqHIsICYYzX0O9U1-BJt3hgNzuSoXfTPVcLddeMuHt0BqFYNPOu5Q/s1600-h/P2011590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuHhLLRO84Qb-Il7GKjk71O5Zd7R_QLJRWlccTxC28uGc1iS_6x5ub16qoFwlSi8-eNk-zeFE1D3r77L_oKzhPwyqHIsICYYzX0O9U1-BJt3hgNzuSoXfTPVcLddeMuHt0BqFYNPOu5Q/s320/P2011590.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here you can see large areas drying, and darker areas still moist. Areas with stuffing between the bales hold more moisture, and take longer to dry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K-aTpZJpNeCrM9Ab6D40HAO9zcxZkZ-c3neXh6oIj0WwB4djNidRer7Ht471x0ZbY9_cJY0m1OygQYrYLE5zXLTy4A_2fKuQhVrgIw4zO1LGGq4baKftt3MBRKHGZXCOWv8uGDzsjr8/s1600-h/P2011592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K-aTpZJpNeCrM9Ab6D40HAO9zcxZkZ-c3neXh6oIj0WwB4djNidRer7Ht471x0ZbY9_cJY0m1OygQYrYLE5zXLTy4A_2fKuQhVrgIw4zO1LGGq4baKftt3MBRKHGZXCOWv8uGDzsjr8/s320/P2011592.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Cracks form as the plaster dries. Cracks tend to form around inflexible structures, such as the saplings used to bind wall sections together or the rough 2 x 4 framing supporting the window boxes, as seen here. Stem wall and wall outlet rough-in wiring can be seen at the bottom. The stem wall will eventually be covered with drywall and plastered -- the space behind the drywall will be filled with dense packed cellulose insulation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">As the moisture is driven out of the plaster, it takes less heat to maintain the temperature, but we're still burning quite a bit of wood.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">OK -- Time's up! I've got to build up the fire and do some more wiring!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-70694510473586580482010-02-01T12:11:00.005-05:002010-02-08T09:17:19.829-05:00Earthen Plasters -1<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi Folks.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I want to share a bit about earthen plasters. I'm still learning, so I'll do my best to get the details right.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When most Americans think about "Plaster" they envision powdery white, chalky stuff, like Plaster of Paris, or the insides of Drywall sheets. Plasters come in many varieties, and many are not white or chalky.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A broader definition of plaster would include any mineral based coating that can be applied wet, and that cures or dries to a harder, more durable surface. Thus cement stucco could be described as one kind of plaster, and drywall compound or Spackle two other sorts.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The term "Earthen Plaster" usually describes a plaster made from earth-based materials, like clay, sand, and lime, usually mixed with some sort of fibrous matter for added strength. These materials can be purchased in relatively pure mixes, or made up from local materials found on-site. In locations with good deposits of clay, its common for the clay to be dug up and slaked in water and then mixed into the plaster.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We're using clay plasters for both inside and out, with overcoats of Lime Plaster on the outside for durability, and clay plasters and clay paint on the inside for a better vapor barrier. We don't have good clay deposits on the property, so we're bringing in bagged clay, and mixing it with local sand, chopped straw, and fresh manure.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's a tub of the "scratch", or second coating in a big tub:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH5yYJj68pVCYvL-SqWeGheBVUgbWsYay7yqqrZFD8yibwRyLGuWOR5pHBj0NOcu-pwl4clSaAsnEYqIhJG03YnbOwb083_WkR_egUqwc5K6C2GlS_1ClRqPIfVqHTeQcnUNy16rJjeY/s1600-h/Earthen+Plaster+Tubs+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH5yYJj68pVCYvL-SqWeGheBVUgbWsYay7yqqrZFD8yibwRyLGuWOR5pHBj0NOcu-pwl4clSaAsnEYqIhJG03YnbOwb083_WkR_egUqwc5K6C2GlS_1ClRqPIfVqHTeQcnUNy16rJjeY/s320/Earthen+Plaster+Tubs+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Earthen Plaster in Tubs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">This is a mix of clay, sand, chopped straw, and fresh horse manure. These two tubs, about 900 pounds each when full, then age until we're ready to use them. This will be the scratch coat -- on top of the adhesion coat, and eventually under the finish or top coat. The adhesion coat was mixed with fresh cow manure, and bringing in steaming, fresh bins of sloppy cow manure did make the place smell like a dairy barn for a few weeks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDFeqZDZNj0LqMKCh7NniSzAYa24WHdQeXguBdka1AW26pKjCW4gr6r0ac-V1oGt1TXTxM52w7gdqOu94aIdOGgM9tV6vzsat0Y3uWuBC2c0Rb3SkTzLmAP9KWYbCRs_HxiYB1YhG-lA/s1600-h/Finish+Coat+In+Tub+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDFeqZDZNj0LqMKCh7NniSzAYa24WHdQeXguBdka1AW26pKjCW4gr6r0ac-V1oGt1TXTxM52w7gdqOu94aIdOGgM9tV6vzsat0Y3uWuBC2c0Rb3SkTzLmAP9KWYbCRs_HxiYB1YhG-lA/s320/Finish+Coat+In+Tub+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Finish Coat Aging Behind the Wood Stove</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">This tub is going to be the finish coat, and differs from the scratch coat in being less fibrous (less straw), and its made with fresh cow manure. It's soft and gushy -- about like thick peanut butter. Once mixed in with the clay, sand and straw, the manure smell goes away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx2AGtrzOIQLgwp4rkCNFWtvYzC5jww8CQMl1ic0whzrBtLRMezpbE43n8kAmHgndyszTgTPE-e7VWWJjysGL9_oKl6rXc4OdIoZlVp_ZkLHlVJXr18Ix-ku6ahMaOFU4lqoTF_zqYWQ/s1600-h/Adhesion+Coat+Going+On+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx2AGtrzOIQLgwp4rkCNFWtvYzC5jww8CQMl1ic0whzrBtLRMezpbE43n8kAmHgndyszTgTPE-e7VWWJjysGL9_oKl6rXc4OdIoZlVp_ZkLHlVJXr18Ix-ku6ahMaOFU4lqoTF_zqYWQ/s320/Adhesion+Coat+Going+On+%28450+x+600%29.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Adhesion Coat is Applied</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here the first, or "Adhesion" coat is applied to the walls in lower half of photo. It is squished in pretty hard, and smooshed into all the crooks, crannies and voids in the bale wall. You can also see one of the saplings used to stiffen the wall structure, the stuffing of clay and straw packed in-between the bales, and the cardboard that is stapled to the timber frame to prevent too much mess and staining of the wood.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_4yj65xVJaKh59X5A0o6UJP0P-r0J3bDYtnxxrRFzQ-LCR6sQ-x_JSCtuuGs4EdAB9Da1QJeuCaCNZZhKLbbx8Sfqse9H_GBJ0tcWSS7_Z_mdOteVszy98JIIEp_bYm1oA-4NuqD8h4/s1600-h/Applying+the+Adhesion+Coat+%28600+x+450%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_4yj65xVJaKh59X5A0o6UJP0P-r0J3bDYtnxxrRFzQ-LCR6sQ-x_JSCtuuGs4EdAB9Da1QJeuCaCNZZhKLbbx8Sfqse9H_GBJ0tcWSS7_Z_mdOteVszy98JIIEp_bYm1oA-4NuqD8h4/s320/Applying+the+Adhesion+Coat+%28600+x+450%29.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Adhesion Coat -- West Wall</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the West (kitchen) wall with the first coat of plaster in process. Wooden framing supporting the window box is still evident, and the beveled window openings can be seen here, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">I'll send in more updates about the plastering and how it dries in later posts, but wanted to show how the process looks in each stage. Come back in a few days for another update.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Clear skies,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Brad</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-50247155467994415642010-01-28T22:26:00.001-05:002010-01-28T22:32:27.813-05:00Wood Heat -- Napoleon To The Rescue!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hi Folks,</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's been a long time since I posted -- just too busy at work lately!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In order to apply the interior plasters, we need to keep the building above freezing at all times, preferably above 50 degrees (F). I ordered a really nice little stove from Napoleon -- the 1100-PL, with cast iron legs. After much design and re-design we figured out what we'd need for Metalbestos chimney pipe, or smoke pipe, and installed it over 2 pretty darn cold days in December.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then we hoked up the little Napoleon stove,and started heating the building... Ahhh, wood HEAT!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's the cute little Napoleon stove, after installation:</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji86QK56ojuaongQ-STWfpe7ayxHQqGHoY_QLzJpjE26t6fHzupghSETRsZJC9iQBpccB6FThyH1tYsuBWrF5M8XQ3lHVyamVa05uxierb1QSwjNs-VZJA1EeM27GJQd4L-6sOHhAsck/s1600-h/Napoleon-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji86QK56ojuaongQ-STWfpe7ayxHQqGHoY_QLzJpjE26t6fHzupghSETRsZJC9iQBpccB6FThyH1tYsuBWrF5M8XQ3lHVyamVa05uxierb1QSwjNs-VZJA1EeM27GJQd4L-6sOHhAsck/s320/Napoleon-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Napoleon 1100PL Wood Stove</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">This stove has a pretty small firebox, but should be plenty to serve as back-up heat when the house is finished out. For now, it should be large enough to keep the plaster from freezing. This installation will be neatened up when the drywall and plaster are complete, but it should do for now.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">BUT... Important Science Lesson:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Napoleon stove spent the first 10 days or so just thawing out the walls and the building materials. With huge tubs (~ 1800 pounds) of natural plaster frozen solid (we had low temp's around -12 F earlier), it took quite a few days to bring the place up to around 50 degrees.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Then the plaster was applied to the walls...</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Turns out, when you spread the plaster, and increase its surface area by about 20-fold, it begins to cure, and lose moisture to the air through evaporation. The evaporation process requires an energy input -- the heat of evaporation. In this case, the energy source is heat from the stove. As the clay dries, it begins to cool, and to keep the building around 50 degrees suddenly takes a LOT more heat!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Thus, we needed to bring in a larger wood stove for a month or so, in order to dry the plaster on the walls. The Napoleon stove was sized for the eventual heat load, but the construction process simply takes more heat, until we get the plaster dried out!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the Elm Wood Stove we borrowed for the duration of the plaster work, sitting right in front of the Napoleon:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIBSpd7WuLAq_kWpuR4zzKobpQu8ymoQTE-E8b7A-o2eC6rC8mCHe_Z9nS-_BtRv6UUJgcRo5fX1t1xX1nC7ygXjv5TRDpweLg_enIANT81iUIrePtVzskNOoMw-FNLgHlL_bUAYvsg4/s1600-h/Elm+Stove-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIBSpd7WuLAq_kWpuR4zzKobpQu8ymoQTE-E8b7A-o2eC6rC8mCHe_Z9nS-_BtRv6UUJgcRo5fX1t1xX1nC7ygXjv5TRDpweLg_enIANT81iUIrePtVzskNOoMw-FNLgHlL_bUAYvsg4/s320/Elm+Stove-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Elm Wood Stove c. 1989</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The Elm stoves were made in Waterbury, VT, about an hour drive away, and are no longer made. They are quite pretty things, with a barrel shape, and artistic castings and a "pie plate" front. This one needs a good cleaning and some stove blacking, but it does work just fine. We have it sitting on some old cast iron legs I found in the woods from the Fox Farm days.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Now we're heating TWO buildings with wood stoves, so we spend a lot of time building fires! Tonight is very windy & snowy, and well below zero, so I have to go tend the fire in the Elm stove up in the bale house...</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">More later,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brad</span></div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-15028004143861025622010-01-03T17:51:00.009-05:002010-03-16T22:35:56.014-04:00Zero Energy Buildings<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Getting to ZERO</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So, What is a <span style="color: lime;">Zero Energy Building</span> ???</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The goal of the project is a zero energy building, or "ZEB". That is a building that produces all the energy it needs -- both thermal as well as electrical. In this climate, thermal loads for a small super-insulated building are all on the heating side, as no active cooling should be needed.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A zero energy building starts with what we term "<b>Near-ZEB Construction</b>". Essentially, that means a conscious effort at every phase of design and construction (or renovation) to lower the thermal and electrical loads of the structure, and all of the loads used inside that structure. Once those loads are as low as possible, making the heat or electricity required becomes a more manageable task.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The basic question to consider when building a new structure or home, is "How much energy (fuel) do you want to buy?" Since fuels to heat (and cool) homes are expensive, and certain to get a LOT worse in the near future, one option is to buy none, or <i><b>ZERO</b></i>. Thus, the term <i><b>Zero Energy Building</b></i>...So, how is this possible? Well, for the most part, our buildings and our building codes set a very low standard for thermal energy performance. If we take the time and care to look at all the details, and carefully engineer a building to require dramatically less energy to meet its design heat load, we're a long way toward that goal of zero energy.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Near-ZEB construction is the starting point, so I'll attempt to explain what that means:</b></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>First, consider a new building built to current building codes. That hypothetical building we'll call <b style="color: lime;">code-built construction</b>. The heat load for such a structure is, by definition, 100% of the thermal load for a building of the same design and floor plan.</li>
<li>Next, consider a building that is uses 20% less energy, or 80% of the energy consumed by the code-built home. In this climate, that 20% threshold is required for Energy Star designation. Thus, we'll define <b style="color: lime;">Energy Star Construction</b> as a building that uses 80% of the fuel required by a Code-Built building.</li>
<li><b style="color: lime;">Near-ZEB Construction</b> is a building that uses 70% less than the code-built home, so it <b>requires only 30% of the energy of the typical code-built home</b>.</li>
<li> <b style="color: lime;">ZERO Energy Buildings</b>, or ZEB's, make all of the energy required for the building load. Without Near-ZEB engineering, planing, and design, getting to ZERO will be very difficult, or very expensive.</li>
</ul><blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Q:</span> But isn't Near-ZEB performance expensive?</b></i></div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="color: red;">A:</span> NO! Not for new construction.<br />
</b></i></div></blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Here's a very important fact to consider: <i style="color: red;"><b>For new construction, spending about 10-12% more on the project (and putting that into the thermal envelope of the building) can save you 70% on heating and cooling costs -- FOREVER!</b></i> <br />
<br />
<div style="color: yellow;"><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Really </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-- as in, no kidding. In other words, a code-built $200,000 house in this climate will need about 1,000 gallons of oil for heating. Spending an extra $20,000 now will bring that down to 300 gallons -- a 70% savings. As the price of oil (or whatever fuel) rises, the "payback" on this investment gets smaller and smaller. Over time, it can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can make all the difference in surviving oil shocks and rough economic times to come. Thus, the thermal performance driven by our </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">current building code is very VERY low indeed, and Energy Star is only a small step in the right direction!</span><br />
<br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Achieving Near-ZEB performance in retrofit situations is far more difficult, and will be more expensive. For down-to-the frame gut/rehab jobs, its very cost effective to thicken the walls and get as much insulation and air sealing in there as possible.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
What does Near-ZEB construction look like? Usually, near-ZEB performance means thicker walls and higher performing windows and doors with lower U-values (higher R-value). It also means careful attention to all the little details of air movement, and air barrier integrity to achieve low infiltration values. How thick the walls need to be depends on the type of insulation being used, and the <b style="color: lime;">design heat load</b> of the building.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The <b style="color: lime;"><i>design heat load</i></b> is the # of Btu's required, per hour, to maintain a constant desired interior temperature, under the coldest conditions usually faced in the building's location. That's not the record cold temperature, but the lowest temp's seen 98% of the time. The assumption is that designing for the record low would be overkill for most of the time.</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="color: red;">Thermal Performance for near-ZEB Buildings in Northern New England:</b> John Unger Murphy, of Murphy's CELL-TECH uses the following numbers to describe ideal near-ZEB specifications:</div><blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"5-10-20-40-80" (note that each number is twice the preceding number).</div></blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Meaning:</div><ul><li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 = 0.05 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (VERY tight)<br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10 = R-10 Windows & Doors. (That's a U-value of 0.10, so pretty high performance!)</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">20 = R-20 on all below grade surfaces, including basement floors</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">40 = R-40 above grade (pretty high -- 2 x 6 and R-19 fiberglass actually performs at roughly R-11)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">80 = R-80 in the attic & roof.</span></li>
</ul><div style="color: lime;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Meaning: If you do this, or get as close as possible, you can create a NEAR-ZEB building!</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Wall Thickness</b> -- (Remember the wall thickness question?...) The wall thickness to achieve roughly R-40 is about 11" for dense-packed cellulose (R 3.8/inch), and about 6" for high-R spray foam (~R-6.8/inch, initially). While most people haven't designed a home with 11" thick walls (or thought about how that would look and feel), getting to R-40 will cost about 3 TIMES as much with spray foam as compared to cellulose, which does level the playing field a bit. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So -- how will this bale house perform? </b> Well, time will reveal all. We won't make the above goals, but we will be testing the air infiltration and seeing how close we can get to ideal Near-ZEB performance. That will be the topic of a future post.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For now, Happy New Year, and Stay Warm!</span></b>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-77758059618427661232009-12-16T17:53:00.005-05:002010-03-16T22:40:58.836-04:00December 16 Update<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi Folks,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Its been a while since I sent out an update, so I thought I should. Since the last post, we've ordered and received a nice Napoleon wood stove for heating the insides during construction, and we're set to install it TOMORROW!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's very exciting, since we can start working on the insides once we have a source of heat. Eventually, we'll be installing a very <strike>cool </strike>(<i><b><span style="color: #e69138;">warm</span></b></i>) solar heating system with dynamic high-mass thermal storage (see <a href="http://www.thermalstoragesolutions.com/">www.thermalstoragesolutions.com</a>), which will allow us to get a high percentage of our heat and hot water without combustion, which is pretty darned incredible -- stay tuned for more about that. For now, we need to burn some cordwood to heat the place so we can plaster the insides, run wires and pipes all over and get the interior finished.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few photos of recent progress:</span></span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbw3UCg1l31Ha7a66rYHh9r2ThDz0P3kyG5_Z9wN2FiHLQnEw6XywCRjazNP1OAUsGhxSUL7osE9SmtlX9KMBnXfbdnjz5HqKmrIxorqhbBnO6cttotyJZYtUu5rFOD-qQL8BeDW81Mc/s1600-h/View+of+South+Side-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbw3UCg1l31Ha7a66rYHh9r2ThDz0P3kyG5_Z9wN2FiHLQnEw6XywCRjazNP1OAUsGhxSUL7osE9SmtlX9KMBnXfbdnjz5HqKmrIxorqhbBnO6cttotyJZYtUu5rFOD-qQL8BeDW81Mc/s320/View+of+South+Side-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">View From South</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the current view from the south (minus the snow). We have windows in and temporary doors installed for the construction period, so we don't bang up the permanent ones. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The south facing roof has been kept open for mounting the solar thermal collectors, but we're re-thinking that placement, and will probably mount the evacuated tube collectors on a ground mount to the Northwest side of the house, just south of the barn (behind the house in the view above). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4DBCgEFiBdXV7HkdjnIQFlNelAdFz8iX6OzKpNdWmaxK4j0L715W0G-CPHjoW4UJGwdBOvMWs54QZEOiWM0oBqjNgkm_GUKR-QWFROcZtTtZIeDSRLsoKwOeHs2QbC_Vdw0CnJaRd-E/s1600-h/Partial+Lime+Wash-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4DBCgEFiBdXV7HkdjnIQFlNelAdFz8iX6OzKpNdWmaxK4j0L715W0G-CPHjoW4UJGwdBOvMWs54QZEOiWM0oBqjNgkm_GUKR-QWFROcZtTtZIeDSRLsoKwOeHs2QbC_Vdw0CnJaRd-E/s320/Partial+Lime+Wash-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>Lime Wash</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cracks in the clay plaster were sealed up for winter, and a partial lime wash was added to add weather resistance against driving rain and snow. This will be covered in more than an inch of additional plaster in the spring, but helps keep the weather out for now.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtl8kBGfH4ritlOPoezzqyaV58CQHWBXj7KzsVyavqG6-LVPifbHyqjACQ5okRorAq3EtnmAxWGNmDO62trygFGa5FB5Kzif1B0RRuMRJJ7hHWO0HDodf__pZSUSu1J4iNpPa_PUzhTw/s1600-h/West+Entrance+Porch+Frame+1-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtl8kBGfH4ritlOPoezzqyaV58CQHWBXj7KzsVyavqG6-LVPifbHyqjACQ5okRorAq3EtnmAxWGNmDO62trygFGa5FB5Kzif1B0RRuMRJJ7hHWO0HDodf__pZSUSu1J4iNpPa_PUzhTw/s320/West+Entrance+Porch+Frame+1-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">West Entry Porch</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nick Jackson (with lots of help from Siera the wonderdog) has been framing up a little entry porch from left-over timbers. </span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8CVPLMjsQWMBdCoJrI7dEDb0etzzyj-uWQnUgolcTJrkay-ohox69ApIVUmWkN-KW0Gbdmo_2NCa6C3mPmpriS8yfCdSz-qxLhbpR2vHNDIu0BZ1PfBUGZudjRVKxYP6m3qQZIUIj88/s1600-h/Porch+Frame+-small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8CVPLMjsQWMBdCoJrI7dEDb0etzzyj-uWQnUgolcTJrkay-ohox69ApIVUmWkN-KW0Gbdmo_2NCa6C3mPmpriS8yfCdSz-qxLhbpR2vHNDIu0BZ1PfBUGZudjRVKxYP6m3qQZIUIj88/s320/Porch+Frame+-small.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'Nuther View</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nick did a great job creating this from 150-year-old stock. This is now sheathed with White Cedar </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">roof decking, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (and 8" of white snow)</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, and pegged together with White Ash turned pegs. It will eventually have a waterproof roof surface.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWZQ7HMjSJuFxX0TIL4zvr1sSbOPaXp3ifz6Fjlj_r4jeg1ESwX0NefXOkT22lXczJbCSpxK9W1IkfV7HGox_juiHUVzLEUJPRgcYg30NfWwyKMrxsze7ILfVfa-eAIG52ISpODx-oqM/s1600-h/Ben+Bevels+Window+Openings-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWZQ7HMjSJuFxX0TIL4zvr1sSbOPaXp3ifz6Fjlj_r4jeg1ESwX0NefXOkT22lXczJbCSpxK9W1IkfV7HGox_juiHUVzLEUJPRgcYg30NfWwyKMrxsze7ILfVfa-eAIG52ISpODx-oqM/s320/Ben+Bevels+Window+Openings-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>Ben Bevels Bales</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here Ben Graham is using a Lancelot chain saw wheel on an angle grinder to bevel the window openings at 45 degrees. This helps them let in more light, and to spread that light out over a wider aperture when seen from inside.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> OSHA regulations require me to inform you that I had to plead with Ben to remove the full-coverage face mask for the photo-op.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AzqWJI0Wv-Fp9sxB8YWiDtBpkN7yo8tzX4-X11wktnWXkA8E3rTNH_37LxoMj0C0l-yYe4MZuqMCFZA8wZxZjezPzadnczkILnHiIijmtxxNhnazQtQhNs2ubiYKy10gJQI9PDOCUo/s1600-h/Insulated+Tater+boxes-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3AzqWJI0Wv-Fp9sxB8YWiDtBpkN7yo8tzX4-X11wktnWXkA8E3rTNH_37LxoMj0C0l-yYe4MZuqMCFZA8wZxZjezPzadnczkILnHiIijmtxxNhnazQtQhNs2ubiYKy10gJQI9PDOCUo/s320/Insulated+Tater+boxes-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>Insulated Tater Boxes </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remember all that excess loose straw? Ben took some home to mulch his garden, and we've been covering up the raised beds to put them to bed for winter. We leave our potatoes, carrots and parsnips in the ground, and cover with about 12" of straw. When we need some, we go dig 'em up. When the house is complete, we'll have a root cellar, but until then, this is a pretty darned handy way to store root crops -- hey, I'm getting hungry!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm_kJelkscb5NTA10Au0Gbii5tPxZVeP8kryMGbe5EvB2sE9mWods5uj0OO4KogsdutGK0UktCb2JPacF-q5yjSv9eAk8-FnhnyLvzBU-I-zdQW8MRZaVEtFH8fzt4Xng15R5ULvTRDE/s1600-h/Taters!-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm_kJelkscb5NTA10Au0Gbii5tPxZVeP8kryMGbe5EvB2sE9mWods5uj0OO4KogsdutGK0UktCb2JPacF-q5yjSv9eAk8-FnhnyLvzBU-I-zdQW8MRZaVEtFH8fzt4Xng15R5ULvTRDE/s320/Taters!-sm.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b> Taters! <br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">While I was covering up the potato beds, I couldn't resist the temptation to dig up one mound with my hands to show what's down in the earth -- beautiful potatoes! These are pretty typical of the results we had this year, and we were <i><b>really</b></i> lucky -- many people lost most of their potatoes to the Late Blight, or "Irish Potato Famine Blight" -- which is what happens when we start shipping infected plants all over the country and planet through greedy agribusinesses. Local food doesn't need to be shipped up from far, far away. These are Kenebec Potatoes, part of a group order of seed potatoes from the local Groton Growers Market, and supplied by a local organic source. Some of these are 6" long, and most are still healthy -- whew!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">I'll try to update things a little more often over the next few months. A lot will be happening as soon as we get some heat hooked up -- its now down around zero degrees (F) at night, so not much work gets done in that sort of cold.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b>Coming soon:</b></div><ol style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>Woodstove!</li>
<li>Electrical Work!</li>
<li>Internal Plaster!</li>
<li>Plumbing!</li>
<li>Floors!</li>
<li>Roof insulation!</li>
<li>Let's get going!</li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clear skies,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brad</span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-17827432745950250492009-11-04T12:57:00.001-05:002009-11-04T21:02:06.914-05:00Walls and Windows -- Looks Like a House!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi All</span>,<br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The house has been draped in tarps for the past 2 weeks, and looking a bit like a big funeral was going on, but the tarps were protecting the base coat of exterior plaster...<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Now that the clay plaster has cured somewhat, the tarps are (mostly) off, and GOSH -- it looks like HOUSE under there!<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Here's a few photos of recent progress on the walls and windows.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lHd_oukIdWZ2sZjGeMepHN16VVwePa3xOf-kYQOgbun3NhXlF-4DIdy6gY6EL_TRNFJP9uxk4tGDaABB3y2W4a68AtcVUiEtgdMKNniT3Tb0iiXAaTJizRQZ-K29dniNF05ZsTqGCE/s1600-h/South+Side-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lHd_oukIdWZ2sZjGeMepHN16VVwePa3xOf-kYQOgbun3NhXlF-4DIdy6gY6EL_TRNFJP9uxk4tGDaABB3y2W4a68AtcVUiEtgdMKNniT3Tb0iiXAaTJizRQZ-K29dniNF05ZsTqGCE/s320/South+Side-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the south face with the west side still draped in tarps. With the windows in, it even looks a lot like a real house! <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkq4PM1a1IXnEfOkNP01a4ZULa5pUb8kU0A87V8EIYGJV3Fri1vglEg-hsKjoE7-F5DrQ77PhxrvNLJrRLkuXSvGhcbrTfYCtETgSB1O_obM4HObagLvX49tHmWz9z_yKtZ2bprDMmvU/s1600-h/View+From+SW-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkq4PM1a1IXnEfOkNP01a4ZULa5pUb8kU0A87V8EIYGJV3Fri1vglEg-hsKjoE7-F5DrQ77PhxrvNLJrRLkuXSvGhcbrTfYCtETgSB1O_obM4HObagLvX49tHmWz9z_yKtZ2bprDMmvU/s320/View+From+SW-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Covers OFF. Here's how it looked this morning (11-4-09)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlOtbi53mLJNnvunbkemOVFjlGXvQc-WSZ585Xk4iDwM43uXkhb6SoHsaRamO02Flcn59rUYRaLBrksWudQ2DxTWSk5I2dg29P0rBjLYGUCKigvDPBTbNir6K2KVbhsTf-U9E5IN_I0o/s1600-h/West+Wall-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlOtbi53mLJNnvunbkemOVFjlGXvQc-WSZ585Xk4iDwM43uXkhb6SoHsaRamO02Flcn59rUYRaLBrksWudQ2DxTWSk5I2dg29P0rBjLYGUCKigvDPBTbNir6K2KVbhsTf-U9E5IN_I0o/s320/West+Wall-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Plaster curing & Nick working on blocking.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Note that some of the bales and framing show through the first layer of plaster. The chinking between the bales is done with a mix of clay plaster and straw, so there's more moisture there, and it will take a little longer to dry out. We had rain and a little snow last night, which didn't really change a thing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Tl99IJV2K6iGGugezYAx-cTrONEcIFUG8iS0xHkANDFd09ZlDYrzCqPgNu_6eh3Hf7-atefKMB7dxMmBUrjM-NDJ6x9S3I-T-XyhJfD5SjHbzwD0vMID2MlQDHA1qYSE7Z8T7TBkpTo/s1600-h/Lumpy+Walls-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Tl99IJV2K6iGGugezYAx-cTrONEcIFUG8iS0xHkANDFd09ZlDYrzCqPgNu_6eh3Hf7-atefKMB7dxMmBUrjM-NDJ6x9S3I-T-XyhJfD5SjHbzwD0vMID2MlQDHA1qYSE7Z8T7TBkpTo/s320/Lumpy+Walls-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Lumpy Walls.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The walls are lumpier than they look in most of the photos. Most of this will be smoothed out next spring, when the other layers of plaster are applied, but there will still be an organic, not-quite-perfect look that we like. Any small cracks in the base coat, or separations from the wood framing will be sealed up with subsequent layers of plaster.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDJaw6cmY4SbR3Azzwq-BwVPgjdPHSU67qatFJTcserdd3YTNpJSWNE8V5kwy864mreDYmOagNHO6VGCo72hUz74S8b_JDAYzSnNz-5bKLOmbrFF71YpnBTANPTpN4bL2cJkfwbjWkgM/s1600-h/East+Window-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDJaw6cmY4SbR3Azzwq-BwVPgjdPHSU67qatFJTcserdd3YTNpJSWNE8V5kwy864mreDYmOagNHO6VGCo72hUz74S8b_JDAYzSnNz-5bKLOmbrFF71YpnBTANPTpN4bL2cJkfwbjWkgM/s320/East+Window-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Inside: East Window<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone should have a wheelbarrow in their living room! Here's the look with no plaster except a little bit of chinking and the window installed in the east wall. The bales are beveled at 45 degrees to open up the window and help reflect light into the room. Drywall "fins" can be seen around the frame -- this helps with air sealing, and will be invisible when the plaster is applied.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Southwest Corner From Inside<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is the interior with one of the big windows at left (south) and the old house is seen through the window. Note the saplings sewn into the walls for support when there's a large expanse with no framing. The plaster will completely cover these.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I'm told they won't sprout branches and leaves -- we'll see.</span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-67055001377026921652009-10-29T09:55:00.006-04:002009-10-29T10:01:30.539-04:00SO...why BALES?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As people learn about our project, they invariably ask "why BALES?" or say "I've never heard of a house built out of hay"... These are almost always followed by concerns about fire, water, or mice. These are perfectly reasonable things to ask, and since this method of house construction is pretty far from the mainstream, I've come to expect it.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why we're building a super-insulated zero- or near-zero-energy home is a whole different discussion, and will be the subject of a future post. For now, let's assume we want a super-efficient house we can heat with very little fuel or effort, and address the "why straw?" part. Since I like pictures, and this part is all text, I'll try to be brief. Instead of long and tortuous text, I'll create a numbered list of the top 10 reasons, which will be easier on all involved.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>1. Straw is warm. </b> Straw bale walls are highly insulative -- they have a high R-value when built with care, so less energy is required for heating and cooling. This is our most important design goal. Air sealing is also important -- sealing all the leaks and drafts we can find.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>2. Straw is cool.</b> Highly insulated buildings are not only warm in winter, but cool in summer. And, let's face it -- they are also pretty darned cool! Keep in mind that insulation and air sealing prevent the <b>movement</b> of heat, so it doesn't matter if you are trying to keep the heat in during a cold winter, or keep the heat out during the searing heat of summer. Insulation is good; more insulation is better; and much more insulation is "much more better!"<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>3. Straw bales and Thermal Mass. </b>Straw bales are covered with plaster, and plaster is heavy stuff. The plaster adds thermal mass to the walls, which absorb heat whenever its available, and can radiate that heat back out into the room when the temperature drops a bit. In the summer, this helps keep the room from getting too hot, and overall helps to "keep an even keel" and moderate temperature swings in either direction. The plaster here is thick, too. We're not talking about a skim coat that 1/8" thick, or a 5/8" sheet of drywall, either. The plasters on the interior walls will end up being between 1.25" and 1.5" thick, which will add a few tons of thermal mass in a highly usable form -- thick enough to hold a lot of heat, thin enough to be heated through, and diffuse enough to have a large area for heat absorption and radiation later.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4. Straw is low-energy.</b> Low embodied energy means less energy goes into making it and getting it here. No mining and refining and casting and curing and all that -- just baling and trucking -- roughly 80 - 90 miles.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>5. Straw is a waste product.</b> We're making use of something that is a by-product of the grain industry. This straw comes from Wheat and Barley grown in Southern Quebec, about 80 miles north of here. Other uses are for animal bedding, mulching gardens and paths, and for adding fiber to plasters and cements. In some places like California, huge amounts of straw are burned just to get rid of it, which causes a LOT of air pollution.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>6. Straw is local.</b> Our bales come from less than 100 miles away. That lowers the amount of fuel needed to get the raw materials here. Most dimensional lumber from fir or spruce arrives here from far-away places like Idaho and British Columbia, so this demonstrates that a relatively local waste product can have new life as the walls of our house.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>7. Recycling.</b> In essence, using straw -- a by-product of growing Wheat and Barley (and in some areas Rice or other grains) -- is recycling something that might have otherwise gone to waste. We're also re-using a 150-year-old timber frame that was about to be demolished and burned. That frame already lived a life as living trees, another "life" holding up a home in Rumney, NH for150 years or so (and a barn in Peacham, VT for about 110 years), and now a new life holding up our house -- all within a radius of roughly 40 miles. The wood in our frame grew just a few miles from where originally sawn and constructed, about 15 and 40 miles from here.<br />
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<b>8. Fire Safety:</b> Straw bale walls are FAR more fire-safe than conventionally framed, "stick-built" walls. WHAT??? Yup. Tightly packed straw bales structures smolder and char, but resist burning. After the plasters are applied, there is very little oxygen available, so bale walls tend to smolder in place, buying precious time for firefighters to arrive and put the fire out. During construction, with straw chaff lying everywhere, fire safety is pretty darn low, so we're anxious to rake up all the trimmins' and get them out of the house!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>9. Mice and Varmints:</b> If straw is a warm & cozy place for us to live, how about those cute fuzzy little woodland creatures? "Won't animals eat your house?" "Won't mice move into your walls?" Well, reasonable questions. First, we're using straw, not hay. The seed heads have been removed, so there's no nutritional value to the straw, and no attraction to hungry critters. Mice <b><i>could</i></b> burrow into the walls and nest there, and if not properly built and sealed, they probably would. If the walls are raised up above the ground, and very tightly packed together, this threat is minimized. Once the plaster is on, they will be sealed out. Remember, the plasters are thick -- nearly 1.5" of pretty tough and hard stuff, so mice would have to<i><b> really </b></i>want to get in! Anywhere that cracks develop in the plaster, or cracks between the plaster and the wood frame, they will have to be sealed without delay to keep critters out. We also have a cat, Buster, who's a great mouse-hunter. If any little mousies do manage to get in, they had better not chew through the inner plaster, or they're toast!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>10. Straw helps spread the word.</b> Straw bale homes are still odd enough to draw attention to the project. People I don't even know -- or don't know very well -- feel free to ask about our unusual home, and in small-town Vermont, word travels pretty fast. That helps bring up all these questions, and provides an opportunity to raise awareness of energy issues, and how wasteful and un-sustainable conventional building practices are. If someone has a 2500 sq. ft. home that requires 1000 gallons of oil to heat, they are paying about $2,500 on oil. As oil prices rise, and its supply begins to tighten, and then dwindle, they will be paying $4,000, $6,000, $8,000 and so on... Building a home that requires much less fuel (oil, gas, propane, electricity, pellets or cord-wood), means you can continue to live there without having to rely on unstable fuels that come to us at very high cost, and you won't have to go broke trying to stay warm. We can also lessen the "need" to kill people in other countries to maintain our addiction to oil -- more about that later...<br />
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</div><b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">11. Straw bales are more fun.</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> There -- that's 10. Anyone who's read all 4 books in the </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy</b></i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> trilogy will see what I mean.</span>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-76833086322398759382009-10-21T22:40:00.004-04:002009-11-12T20:52:56.607-05:00Exterior Plaster<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi Folks,</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The exterior plaster has been going up quickly. We've had some freezing weather, so there's a kerosene heater hooked up to keep the plaster above freezing until it cures.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the little I know about the plastering process... Eventually there will be 3 main layers, then 3 lime washes on the top.<br />
</div><ol style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>One thick clay plaster layer with chopped straw for the base coat. This is for waterproofing and for adhesion to the straw bales.<br />
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<li>a middle, clay-lime plaster -- harder and more durable.</li>
<li>top layer of slaked lime plaster -- hard and white. more moisture permeable. If moisture gets into the wall, we want it to wick away and evaporate into the air.</li>
</ol><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lime washes on top can be pigmented, or left pure white.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For this fall, we'll only get on the first clay/straw plaster on the exterior. This results in a weather-resistant shell to get us through the winter, and keep out rain and snow. It is thinner than usual, due to the cold temp's, but the thickness will be made up by the clay-lime middle layer in the spring.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's how things look as of Wednesday, October 21, 2009...</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">View Of South Wall<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The first coat of plaster is up, and it's really starting to look like a house! View from SE.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Charlie and Ace clean up.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Nick smiles for the camera. There are lots of buckets and mixers that need to be cleaned and rinsed. Meanwhile Ben is chucking excess straw out the upper window.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">There's a lot of loose straw, which creates a big mound on the west side of the house.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Ben peeks out the 2nd floor window.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Meanwhile, Steven bevels the interior of the large south-facing windows at 45 degrees.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here you can see the beveled surface below, and the untrimmed square corners above.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">An angle grinder with a Lancelot wheel (like a circular chain saw) is used to trim bales and bevel corners.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG75x-oCBRw6qhzOQqI59M0EsVpcY7WjV-8yi5rQkNOFLyBbMHZO41klqlkFsmM356aqx4ij-EtztsYj5q6h1cQCFuWmYy-YI3j_6ZDqI7_AJs13VujP4u3D3Zwwfmc6AAtXiKFcDJeTY/s1600-h/Crew+Relaxes-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG75x-oCBRw6qhzOQqI59M0EsVpcY7WjV-8yi5rQkNOFLyBbMHZO41klqlkFsmM356aqx4ij-EtztsYj5q6h1cQCFuWmYy-YI3j_6ZDqI7_AJs13VujP4u3D3Zwwfmc6AAtXiKFcDJeTY/s320/Crew+Relaxes-1.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here the crew relaxes after finishing the first exterior plaster coat, and poses for a photo -- the only time these folks weren't working to beat the coming cold weather! Straw bits have stuck to the wall in an interesting pattern.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU44CAxqCfZgkBHIhE0As3gusCI0txYM06fODogbPx16Sj-aKNlTrsxNY4ekqlrpX_pWgqM1ERPS97Vs6md2ZaqHR0evQ3AE62wEQv4ISGQf7AJqvCOAvM9baAO0nhqsdAw3o5NV6EOw/s1600-h/Nick+Jumps.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU44CAxqCfZgkBHIhE0As3gusCI0txYM06fODogbPx16Sj-aKNlTrsxNY4ekqlrpX_pWgqM1ERPS97Vs6md2ZaqHR0evQ3AE62wEQv4ISGQf7AJqvCOAvM9baAO0nhqsdAw3o5NV6EOw/s320/Nick+Jumps.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Nick launches...<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2Kl0xhORPo5TUXGclXLxoK8zNwz7BdOmLHIw009jgBBRjSBms6huAAsPaVtaLE0tyXMTF0TKGXMuoziGzJPm1t-xDUj_vaA3-AmHb3FzDnotH_nyd03Qok02rB6mnjyD9-yTkk7e948/s1600-h/Ace+Lands+in+Straw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2Kl0xhORPo5TUXGclXLxoK8zNwz7BdOmLHIw009jgBBRjSBms6huAAsPaVtaLE0tyXMTF0TKGXMuoziGzJPm1t-xDUj_vaA3-AmHb3FzDnotH_nyd03Qok02rB6mnjyD9-yTkk7e948/s320/Ace+Lands+in+Straw.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">...and Ace lands on the straw pile.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">For now, the crew lets the plaster cure, while keeping it warm enough to avoid freezing. We're into a brief spell of warm weather, up into the 50's by day, and staying above freezing at night, which will help the curing process. The walls are now draped in plastic tarps, with openings on the corners for air circulation.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">The windows are due to arrive tomorrow or the next day, and will be installed right away. Soon, we'll have a weather-tight shell, and we can proceed with insulating the roof and installing a wood stove to warm the interior for plaster and all sorts of finish work. Most of the crew will be working elsewhere for a few weeks while the plaster cures. They'll be back for the interior plaster after the windows and woodstove are installed.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stay tuned -- much more to come.</span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-81587575284312117562009-10-17T13:58:00.001-04:002009-10-17T14:00:30.251-04:00<div style="color: orange; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Work continues, and it's really starting to look like a house!</span></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The bales are now almost entirely in place, but the plastering still has a ways to go. Here's a few shots of the process and progress...</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ45tujNR3ye3_uQ-8JQNc3DGKpp21ynef8opgwKGPWxIiyuh_spvfnMu0J1v-i18thJuQ8JyGvZ0wo1v1BmoGC0LkoZC6GOQ0V9YLOO2I3fXsgJCzQkAm7WfNCE2qh59w73YUt7eDFk/s1600-h/Ace+Trims+East+Wall-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ45tujNR3ye3_uQ-8JQNc3DGKpp21ynef8opgwKGPWxIiyuh_spvfnMu0J1v-i18thJuQ8JyGvZ0wo1v1BmoGC0LkoZC6GOQ0V9YLOO2I3fXsgJCzQkAm7WfNCE2qh59w73YUt7eDFk/s320/Ace+Trims+East+Wall-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ace trims the wall with a weed whacker.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The bales are trimmed to true up the wall and remove excessive fuzz in preparation for chinking and plastering.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSW-g_cFA9qwzNDNGGrlWEewgsOyumDL00L8k2jidh_9uuZ3pZ9qgxG-wBV_NNCtrXP-DvTMogUGAsapz90NrJ8MJKfkbj1xrd_o_kTWFplHtIvypIHA3i7Cd99F7kpxfMNmZbIAuLNQ/s1600-h/Deva+Plays+With+Mud-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSW-g_cFA9qwzNDNGGrlWEewgsOyumDL00L8k2jidh_9uuZ3pZ9qgxG-wBV_NNCtrXP-DvTMogUGAsapz90NrJ8MJKfkbj1xrd_o_kTWFplHtIvypIHA3i7Cd99F7kpxfMNmZbIAuLNQ/s320/Deva+Plays+With+Mud-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Deva plays in the mud.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Buckets of chopped straw and clay plaster are mixed up to a relatively stiff consistency, then balled up, twisted tight, and crammed into every nook, cranny and gap between the bales. This fills in all the gaps, and prevents air movement through any spaces between bales, improving the air barrier and insulation of the walls.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcziZ9ou0iIVUmBY1SyGc4RoH8mYKsB1spweXsUyBI6wG81ATS9zWEpO8w707GFY3mBNd2uSm2i_J-2H_6KfEOYArLRAu6L2Yi5Kuisb7iSyoIcuYMRq5-DefjRlfjnqJrn1FBfE_pfs8/s1600-h/Deva+chinks+East+Wall-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcziZ9ou0iIVUmBY1SyGc4RoH8mYKsB1spweXsUyBI6wG81ATS9zWEpO8w707GFY3mBNd2uSm2i_J-2H_6KfEOYArLRAu6L2Yi5Kuisb7iSyoIcuYMRq5-DefjRlfjnqJrn1FBfE_pfs8/s320/Deva+chinks+East+Wall-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Deva chinks East wall. Twisted clay/straw mix is stuffed into all voids.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The air is full of straw dust from the wall trimming just off to the left of this frame.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1nQF875HKou9gBluKS-QLMUstUBD2Inzcu41UOYpHFfQFhBaqy7CjXYLvRs5JvVyv54bzOB4X-6xaDMLVo6d2-jRv0XRb_hvqB1f6HVOKYQdcsQNqgE4z20CQLM5Fl2oQcMdrMa7tFE/s1600-h/SE+Corner+with+Clay-Straw+Chinking-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1nQF875HKou9gBluKS-QLMUstUBD2Inzcu41UOYpHFfQFhBaqy7CjXYLvRs5JvVyv54bzOB4X-6xaDMLVo6d2-jRv0XRb_hvqB1f6HVOKYQdcsQNqgE4z20CQLM5Fl2oQcMdrMa7tFE/s320/SE+Corner+with+Clay-Straw+Chinking-sm.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chinking can be seen as gray coloration at bale edges. </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1wDTekw9zndoncqin5GicR3Yg9HXQL6h3qg7CoFzgmlZtL50PxaWMUnLC23tCwXAE_WZUD8s2lRuhu1BwB67Pf50CXUYLqVP0rIEQbmu9Ii9H7eDq99UPJ8_bbi78-nwqho-7KDhQgI/s1600-h/East+Wall+with+Chinking-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1wDTekw9zndoncqin5GicR3Yg9HXQL6h3qg7CoFzgmlZtL50PxaWMUnLC23tCwXAE_WZUD8s2lRuhu1BwB67Pf50CXUYLqVP0rIEQbmu9Ii9H7eDq99UPJ8_bbi78-nwqho-7KDhQgI/s320/East+Wall+with+Chinking-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the east wall with quite a bit of chinking done.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-feW148sZGBt6C6VuykNCdFB3ftplOgrxZLDLcs17vTG-n9QncUEXHfsc72Ei2KCzphGRc7P3CAJOXuj0Vpy_8Ou_1FI077_yx0maSeBEcQA2eN-XCuuCwQaPPwoa6QUIZxFhM5ElPgo/s1600-h/Dave+Chops+Straw-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-feW148sZGBt6C6VuykNCdFB3ftplOgrxZLDLcs17vTG-n9QncUEXHfsc72Ei2KCzphGRc7P3CAJOXuj0Vpy_8Ou_1FI077_yx0maSeBEcQA2eN-XCuuCwQaPPwoa6QUIZxFhM5ElPgo/s320/Dave+Chops+Straw-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dave chops straw for plaster and chinking.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PIppKY_arVydzvSOoxtXcedpItLSGJ2_6-swXlvv3OhfYGvpmxtWDg1LOxIm1gTVyPVGhOkPFq4g8ZX6jHeilB8ewWOQNAd4dVQkJxaNe-csUJuSYGUVf4Vz0ASQrrAMG2wUVRvGq4c/s1600-h/Plastering+North+Wall-1-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PIppKY_arVydzvSOoxtXcedpItLSGJ2_6-swXlvv3OhfYGvpmxtWDg1LOxIm1gTVyPVGhOkPFq4g8ZX6jHeilB8ewWOQNAd4dVQkJxaNe-csUJuSYGUVf4Vz0ASQrrAMG2wUVRvGq4c/s320/Plastering+North+Wall-1-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">North wall with base coat of clay plaster.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrk2w2t3g7L8vlXYSbiHSFTs4u5aFhtPqyW6vv5QHPIrc7nSnhRAWl-zPclOn8PlCrfu0uelHJROmzfI_4SNrwE6CXi-KLc54HYt6ME-CaI4dmAL-2qMpHtU6KKOmALYD13LSvpfcGtQ/s1600-h/Plastering+North+Wall-2-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrk2w2t3g7L8vlXYSbiHSFTs4u5aFhtPqyW6vv5QHPIrc7nSnhRAWl-zPclOn8PlCrfu0uelHJROmzfI_4SNrwE6CXi-KLc54HYt6ME-CaI4dmAL-2qMpHtU6KKOmALYD13LSvpfcGtQ/s320/Plastering+North+Wall-2-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ace McArleton adjusts tarp to cover and heat north wall plaster. note the textured surface of the plaster, so subsequent applications bite and adhere well.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjCtt13XohORRvujejsHtgjSgJcdbRxSbAbNXUS9PzxIaFv6EWe5e2xBIfXysQzCV5U6Hl22QNJrL1o4JDiTJ2LCA3Z_W2lefZeb7pykXoEPBm9L176RjEujzvJsEIOCrzcdZ8-2pFb4/s1600-h/View+From+NE-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjCtt13XohORRvujejsHtgjSgJcdbRxSbAbNXUS9PzxIaFv6EWe5e2xBIfXysQzCV5U6Hl22QNJrL1o4JDiTJ2LCA3Z_W2lefZeb7pykXoEPBm9L176RjEujzvJsEIOCrzcdZ8-2pFb4/s320/View+From+NE-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here the north wall is draped with a big tarp so it can be heated at night. We're getting temperatures in the low 20's and upper teens, so the plaster needs to be protected from ice crystals forming in it until it cures. A kerosene heater is at left, under sheet metal roofing.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQCkm7la0NUV224NPj1_lLrdexwwgtNq1hNYL7y2R7Wa_jIw_C8vbHtLFruQNiLOsBu4DGfvhMHBgRl_sxgSWRS4jJ8igb5zVzvYNoTQpkm6zF55PbSKK_rAzPfPei3QwFcS8cuNX9Xk/s1600-h/Kerosene+Heater+Monster-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQCkm7la0NUV224NPj1_lLrdexwwgtNq1hNYL7y2R7Wa_jIw_C8vbHtLFruQNiLOsBu4DGfvhMHBgRl_sxgSWRS4jJ8igb5zVzvYNoTQpkm6zF55PbSKK_rAzPfPei3QwFcS8cuNX9Xk/s320/Kerosene+Heater+Monster-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kero heater monster is under here, and controlled by a thermostat to prevent freezing of the plaster. Heated air is blown </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">through the tube to inflate the area beneath the tarp</span>.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0iO0mHHv1SdW7iqycM7pOinl34kRRUo9vF3HEinwW8XIffLC6HLuQERDcbyWDy80QJTepFi_Zhq5opH8kUpLL_WaBPXhhX83sNXpH598ZVJwGdmtZ_6-V78NzThTVrKeU6yJ_KtpviA/s1600-h/East+Wall-+AM-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0iO0mHHv1SdW7iqycM7pOinl34kRRUo9vF3HEinwW8XIffLC6HLuQERDcbyWDy80QJTepFi_Zhq5opH8kUpLL_WaBPXhhX83sNXpH598ZVJwGdmtZ_6-V78NzThTVrKeU6yJ_KtpviA/s320/East+Wall-+AM-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">East wall in AM, before the crew arrives.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBXka8LqiEz8iwECOVE0rIXKTkop8ehZcVNngd39A2IZKU-rN3FTbAsmrNIIqIP2mTwN5tXscxOoNt3lQ7SUGIvp6AJpMGImWWwaNgLiBUnmJHNMqK6tpzZZA_oaiMtGL9O5rYNBTrok/s1600-h/House+From+SE,+10-15-09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBXka8LqiEz8iwECOVE0rIXKTkop8ehZcVNngd39A2IZKU-rN3FTbAsmrNIIqIP2mTwN5tXscxOoNt3lQ7SUGIvp6AJpMGImWWwaNgLiBUnmJHNMqK6tpzZZA_oaiMtGL9O5rYNBTrok/s320/House+From+SE,+10-15-09.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">House from SE in morning. Expanse of south-facing roof toward the west will be used for the solar thermal collectors - a critical part of the heating system of this house. Stay tuned -- more on that later...<br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-75506320460114146092009-10-13T23:02:00.000-04:002009-10-13T23:06:49.556-04:00Bale Walls Going Up !!!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">At long last, the bales are going up! I'm super-busy this week, so just a few quick photos to get the photo stream caught up with the reality outside my door. Just for a little added reminder that winter is coming -- and soon -- we got about 2" of snow this morning! I'll have more time to write up a few details soon.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-rRVHv4fRng4M5TbSP-Aoq7VRvsJFgB0a-FVhyNXb-2qHO26UkapgK01pni0B1y2mSbe6-sD3A1WvEIEMl5S1W_ZCvNptRlToIWBDS8hBQFBSKWPSkj2pgPxwEsH3o8ho2Iaj99aYHY/s1600-h/Bales+Inside+the+House-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-rRVHv4fRng4M5TbSP-Aoq7VRvsJFgB0a-FVhyNXb-2qHO26UkapgK01pni0B1y2mSbe6-sD3A1WvEIEMl5S1W_ZCvNptRlToIWBDS8hBQFBSKWPSkj2pgPxwEsH3o8ho2Iaj99aYHY/s320/Bales+Inside+the+House-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Bales were stacked inside the house to keep them dry. Linda is standing in one of the two large south-facing window RO's.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKtH_VIBQ-HPBBG4n3_TTfpUr2v6Ukadd3e5jE8IsJqebqMkQxnTGOfCig1iHEXrmPq8ZAVPWEpwjGlofnV3IGMArtw-6BhrXkFrcV8BGdOvDX1xpDp7aSGP-WG4Fft3tuI1GmZGs6_w/s1600-h/Bales+Stacked+in+the+House-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKtH_VIBQ-HPBBG4n3_TTfpUr2v6Ukadd3e5jE8IsJqebqMkQxnTGOfCig1iHEXrmPq8ZAVPWEpwjGlofnV3IGMArtw-6BhrXkFrcV8BGdOvDX1xpDp7aSGP-WG4Fft3tuI1GmZGs6_w/s320/Bales+Stacked+in+the+House-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the view looking up the driveway with the fall colors in the background.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNp_hSDcgXwi1_EMgRRbMCf7I7Nr4M3SOfamJMN4COMgmVmpVo014c8MugKfTq9k8JT46dPGsyaET0I0kskVlTXfuu8vkKa50LK4YlrjW_7KcKiSHoBWpAHsI7ih6N-vVFPDdVJPiiVUw/s1600-h/Linda+Examines+Wood-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNp_hSDcgXwi1_EMgRRbMCf7I7Nr4M3SOfamJMN4COMgmVmpVo014c8MugKfTq9k8JT46dPGsyaET0I0kskVlTXfuu8vkKa50LK4YlrjW_7KcKiSHoBWpAHsI7ih6N-vVFPDdVJPiiVUw/s320/Linda+Examines+Wood-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Linda's designing something hands-on. Here you can see the old timber frame with drywall "wings" for air barrier bonding, the stick-built wall framing in the mechanical room (for hanging the solar equipment), and the Cedar corner detail, which will be left exposed after the plaster goes on the bale walls. The bales go between the timber frame and the Cedar corner assembly.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_lfsmV-7yvmHKdZO6x63vDqZp6OxgoZNe7P24OdosdQwzyJgINBBy_whuLIHweOBMy7OCqQLcVdJI-M86KfY3J-IwESPXSZR5Gi2b1i3iGiGKoLcu4-aFa6R7_LvjFVDDM4zd6qTeS4/s1600-h/Frame+and+Foliage-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_lfsmV-7yvmHKdZO6x63vDqZp6OxgoZNe7P24OdosdQwzyJgINBBy_whuLIHweOBMy7OCqQLcVdJI-M86KfY3J-IwESPXSZR5Gi2b1i3iGiGKoLcu4-aFa6R7_LvjFVDDM4zd6qTeS4/s320/Frame+and+Foliage-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Frame and Foliage.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Uprights and some of the wind braces are about 100 years old, and were cut on a circular saw; older house frame was cut on a vertical pit saw. </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm390rt-1C_YVqChGkW8Z00pxlitVsYsP5-Mf36TJOwYX6ZMl2VdU5GqKfOFR0fBqltr-Coo0QG4fvqb7UMRJhy-sJ9Y7gfi1x6GtZg_SuLukZPuI6lalglBx-7qzxqa9yHhgQhrPwZ_4/s1600-h/Linda+with+First+Bale-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm390rt-1C_YVqChGkW8Z00pxlitVsYsP5-Mf36TJOwYX6ZMl2VdU5GqKfOFR0fBqltr-Coo0QG4fvqb7UMRJhy-sJ9Y7gfi1x6GtZg_SuLukZPuI6lalglBx-7qzxqa9yHhgQhrPwZ_4/s320/Linda+with+First+Bale-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Linda with first bale. The bales are being used on edge, and fit tightly between the frame and the Cedar corners. Some bales will be on their side, and some on end. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnm9ygQ0QjWJFI5nNYb4s7sw2OAd0flhWXw85pxzP2Je1WvrGvWQVupa7MPF8GoeBI-E1VUKxTMIj1MCEnpheOHN8LXndsf42k0cvzFCqlKZ3kr_zj9KI7ufl2ltqNu0_q18WCNrtwHE/s1600-h/PA031311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnm9ygQ0QjWJFI5nNYb4s7sw2OAd0flhWXw85pxzP2Je1WvrGvWQVupa7MPF8GoeBI-E1VUKxTMIj1MCEnpheOHN8LXndsf42k0cvzFCqlKZ3kr_zj9KI7ufl2ltqNu0_q18WCNrtwHE/s320/PA031311.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Stem Wall.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2" Foam board has been removed. Bales sit atop a plane formed by the Cedar board at left, the insulation, and the 2 x 4 top of the mechanical chaseway at right. The blocks are filled with vermiculite and perlite insulation, and isolated by the 1" foil-faced isocyanurate foam board at center. The 6" cavity created inside the foam board (to the right here) will be filled with high-density cellulose to get an approximate R-33 wall structure, which is not quite as good as the bale wall above it.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp0lgmxesbwe2bTc54gQBqyEtpHQ_m0tLf9x4gV1kf94AMSQOIj7jY76pXc4PKKKp_JpRDaaCCHy884WVWCpU3bwVcvlXcaGOGz47OR2w4yUNTwfkzNXETDnNwJkGjgOLLjnkWbs4PUE/s1600-h/Perlite+Inside+the+Blocks-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp0lgmxesbwe2bTc54gQBqyEtpHQ_m0tLf9x4gV1kf94AMSQOIj7jY76pXc4PKKKp_JpRDaaCCHy884WVWCpU3bwVcvlXcaGOGz47OR2w4yUNTwfkzNXETDnNwJkGjgOLLjnkWbs4PUE/s320/Perlite+Inside+the+Blocks-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the Perlite inside the concrete blocks. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwkHW5UjP0WwiNXq7I7YpwT7YRXOkyDBOP8nFeN_5F6iUJC6U18WyKbMWp5UtRxN88x8iRUULKDwFFNtv1f_2xebW9KwdG29dMhfUrvAECB6aMW5QdKemmeqd8AM5dk7Jr5oXSYgDNh8/s1600-h/NW+Window+Box-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwkHW5UjP0WwiNXq7I7YpwT7YRXOkyDBOP8nFeN_5F6iUJC6U18WyKbMWp5UtRxN88x8iRUULKDwFFNtv1f_2xebW9KwdG29dMhfUrvAECB6aMW5QdKemmeqd8AM5dk7Jr5oXSYgDNh8/s320/NW+Window+Box-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the NW corner of the house with a 2 x 3 RO for the laundry room window. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCcQxRRepH_TiZpZQPtv5t8kN0dfaSw1ObB7d8F5S0afuq-BjHXBf1xjzAGkFF9YT6pdLVBrnCg3uFDY0FpmW2UD0esE92vKzsKk3EijS8jHMFG0ULgMlRi9CDVvBBXRkysqa0LC_Efk/s1600-h/Bale+Wall+at+Sunset-med.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCcQxRRepH_TiZpZQPtv5t8kN0dfaSw1ObB7d8F5S0afuq-BjHXBf1xjzAGkFF9YT6pdLVBrnCg3uFDY0FpmW2UD0esE92vKzsKk3EijS8jHMFG0ULgMlRi9CDVvBBXRkysqa0LC_Efk/s320/Bale+Wall+at+Sunset-med.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">West Wall at Sunset 10-10-09.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Windows are small to West to avoid overheating from afternoon light, and to the North to avoid cold winds.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL786BtBPNbegqtnyUKjEU73iLygho5ahDQHvg19iRzfoLyqBuYradsQMXfg29ofOur0Urvp6EncaRF2r2MknDm1GS6joC1ekEX4r21VvduhJYAxNovcLwiT48NXLZcwkjsHJZHEkP1zw/s1600-h/Looking+out+South+Window+RO-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL786BtBPNbegqtnyUKjEU73iLygho5ahDQHvg19iRzfoLyqBuYradsQMXfg29ofOur0Urvp6EncaRF2r2MknDm1GS6joC1ekEX4r21VvduhJYAxNovcLwiT48NXLZcwkjsHJZHEkP1zw/s320/Looking+out+South+Window+RO-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Looking out the South Side.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Windows are larger, with 2' overhang for passive solar gain in winter without summer sun hitting the floor. Here you can plainly see the drywall wings for plaster adhesion and better air barrier integrity.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNePoxdRsK6EKjQblQJ8hcY_2gYebWP2MzgHiBdqme5ez_X0aQodgRv_RxS508ApxvDNbCmzjd0FQ_GnvHKwzbrPX7wpbSGJele_a0M0CW36xGMTTX_WVR_EdbL2AsAavWSIFh0r5juY/s1600-h/South+Side+at+Sunset-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNePoxdRsK6EKjQblQJ8hcY_2gYebWP2MzgHiBdqme5ez_X0aQodgRv_RxS508ApxvDNbCmzjd0FQ_GnvHKwzbrPX7wpbSGJele_a0M0CW36xGMTTX_WVR_EdbL2AsAavWSIFh0r5juY/s320/South+Side+at+Sunset-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Same Window From Outside -- SW Corner.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">There are two big windows and one door on the south side. Cedar corner detail shows here, too.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSjD6_-UdIpuY_gClGeAPq4dc2NdqgSYdv_74d6cUxuelQLN3JM6E6PIGoqH6us7EoC7BDZvTsIoHe0aNqj7exF7cJ60I-wvAJa8tLIUpWzMMff54a15z0UzGX9waPXwrIItOWcLt8QE/s1600-h/Sunset+on+North+Wall-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSjD6_-UdIpuY_gClGeAPq4dc2NdqgSYdv_74d6cUxuelQLN3JM6E6PIGoqH6us7EoC7BDZvTsIoHe0aNqj7exF7cJ60I-wvAJa8tLIUpWzMMff54a15z0UzGX9waPXwrIItOWcLt8QE/s320/Sunset+on+North+Wall-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Setting sun just grazes the north wall. Only a few small windows to the north. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hzSQMKvmwbTvyWb458QP-54YPlLpvu_pNGxRzBz0Rpc1QSwDYJGbnuLH02Rjimu4imVumQW1Y6c9RC-7MuZhuT0FdLFPxRq6r7L37W1gQD7Ur8m_9TgeVcMitMDIisHRQxwAZqWFc7k/s1600-h/Dave+%26+Dani-sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hzSQMKvmwbTvyWb458QP-54YPlLpvu_pNGxRzBz0Rpc1QSwDYJGbnuLH02Rjimu4imVumQW1Y6c9RC-7MuZhuT0FdLFPxRq6r7L37W1gQD7Ur8m_9TgeVcMitMDIisHRQxwAZqWFc7k/s320/Dave+%26+Dani-sm.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Dave & Dani Bonta peek out a window box on a visit to see the progress and attend LEAF -- the Local Energy Alternatives Festival, in nearby Bradford, VT. Dave and I both spoke at the event. Dave started the USA Solar Store network, and Dani makes everything Dave does possible.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">More photos and information later, when I carve out a little more time!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Be well & Clear skies,<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Brad<br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-89499018895963446322009-10-12T08:02:00.000-04:002009-10-12T08:02:10.091-04:00Columbus Day, 2009 Update<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi All,<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just a quick update for now, with much more to follow.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm in the middle of a complex solar installation about 30 miles away that I need to get finished before I can take the time to process photos and get the blog caught up to the progress on the building. Today is sunny and cold (25 & quite frosty this AM), so I need to get the solar panels mounted before the rain returns tonight.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As for the house, so far most of the bales on the first floor are up, and its starting to look like a slightly fuzzy, light golden-tan house. I got some good photos this weekend, and we even had a visit from a professional photographer, so who knows...?<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been a tad busy lately -- in fact too !^%#^$ busy to help with the work on my own house, which is starting to drive me nuts! We have some very talented people on site, but I want a lot more hands-on, and I'm simply overwhelmed with stuff to help right now. Not only would I really <i><b>really </b></i>enjoy helping with the bale work, but any labor I do is labor I don't have to pay someone else to do... This is just a matter of timing; if we were doing this 2 months sooner, or even a week or so later, I'd be able to get down and dirty a lot more. After this crunch time, I expect to get into the plaster work, and learn a lot from the crew.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I helped organize a very successful weekend energy and green building fair in Bradford, VT called LEAF, or <b>L</b>ocal <b>E</b>nergy <b>A</b>lternatives<b> F</b>estival. We had a good turnout (probably 500 - 600 despite cold and drizzle), and held 24 workshops on everything from solar hot water to wind power to masonry heaters to natural, green building techniques, and preparation of locally-sourced food. We also arranged solar home tours and tours of the Bradford Hydro Dam. We had a great crew who worked very hard to pull it off , and we'll get together in a day or two to compare notes and evaluate how things went. We'll want more volunteers for next time! I'll get a link to that event and a few photos for that event in the next few days.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One cool part was that Ace McArleton and Jacob Deva Racusin, of <i><b>New Frameworks Natural Building</b></i>, gave a workshop on natural building techniques for cold climates. There are the same Ace & Deva who are working on our house. The more you look, the smaller the world gets.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The real drag on my spirits is my need to complete my already-extended taxes for 2008... Almost there -- once they are sent in, I'll get quite an emotional lift, as that sword of Damocles above my head vanishes into the clear air of sustainable living!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <i>"That sword! That sword! Don't you<b> see</b> it???"</i><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be well, stay tuned, and clear skies,<br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brad</span>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-40202368950079576822009-10-09T19:34:00.000-04:002009-10-09T19:34:34.903-04:00The Bales Arrive...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At long last, on Monday, September 28th, the bales arrived. The bales are wheat and barley straw from Southern Quebec,about 75 miles to the North, and imported by Vanasse Farms in far Northern Vermont. Straw has no seed or grain heads -- just the hollow stalks, with no nutritional value, so it doesn't attract those fuzzy little woodland creatures who might want to come snack on hay.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the truck could not quite make it up around the corner at the top of the driveway, and could only go as far as the East end of the current house.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlqc5gkTscXzuefVnT-ku2EupVRy2PzHab_5pIAch8zJwHd7YSGKErcfObt2g5QMTzUCmPhyyTmQLr86ARQb-c8CVwQ4Xur-gBsrFappLR-HzptUIwagnHvULSXZ8BBs452-sNkmBmHE/s1600-h/Bales+Stacked+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlqc5gkTscXzuefVnT-ku2EupVRy2PzHab_5pIAch8zJwHd7YSGKErcfObt2g5QMTzUCmPhyyTmQLr86ARQb-c8CVwQ4Xur-gBsrFappLR-HzptUIwagnHvULSXZ8BBs452-sNkmBmHE/s320/Bales+Stacked+up.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here the bales are stacked on the ground, ready to be transported up the hill to the new house. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFSYiCNxwuMxdnz0qvpLS0ZsNx2B_-fxhsb9j1efoF0P70zt_7wmHvAGO4m-xPE0RmghJYoMFSRkbXGnvbIVV1_USMj03_iyKTJqAeSaGy1nqAS_U0ailCoBxbOoqMe6EorOavrtRDNk/s1600-h/Bales+in+front+of+their+new+home.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFSYiCNxwuMxdnz0qvpLS0ZsNx2B_-fxhsb9j1efoF0P70zt_7wmHvAGO4m-xPE0RmghJYoMFSRkbXGnvbIVV1_USMj03_iyKTJqAeSaGy1nqAS_U0ailCoBxbOoqMe6EorOavrtRDNk/s320/Bales+in+front+of+their+new+home.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Looking up to the house site: the bales in front of their/our new home!</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bales had to be hauled up the hill and put under cover before it started to rain... here's the first bale loaded onto Ben's pickup.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No wonder that truck is tired! Bales were stacked up inside the frame under the protection of the just-finished roof.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had expected to be at this stage a year ago, but this was the best we could manage.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next... Building Bale Walls !<br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-17172568699216689692009-10-08T22:02:00.000-04:002009-10-09T20:04:30.824-04:00Preparing For the Bale Walls<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The straw bales were set to arrive around the end of September. Before they could go up, a stem wall was to be constructed to lift the bales up about 18" above the ground to minimize any chance of moisture getting into the walls from splashing rainwater or deep snow cover. The crews from Natural Design Build, and New Frameworks Natural Building worked to build a concrete block stem wall, with a wood framed chaseway on the inside of the walls. This would provide an easy way to run wiring, propane gas lines, or other mechanicals along the inside of the walls.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0HxNioNQ4kMv6LTfULjQMHlxZFQAKd0NPJjoRri-rBllzA41wXpPyVdD2lxU8zJXnxbw2uVmSB78q4qyvONY8UgvbxAy2eQspK6s52N4yDP7_vEkg-Ye2QU-MTpKA77cBC1PvimyykM/s1600-h/Block+Wall+Around+Frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0HxNioNQ4kMv6LTfULjQMHlxZFQAKd0NPJjoRri-rBllzA41wXpPyVdD2lxU8zJXnxbw2uVmSB78q4qyvONY8UgvbxAy2eQspK6s52N4yDP7_vEkg-Ye2QU-MTpKA77cBC1PvimyykM/s320/Block+Wall+Around+Frame.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First, blocks were laid out around the frame, atop the concrete/ICF "beam" supported by the rubble filled trench.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ace McArleton, of New Frameworks Natural Building, mixes mortar for the block wall. </span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O0-FPSc41oxdW1AKK3nsKsnl3h-dUaqK3nINt2msBmH07XmvtKpNoVFZU43G4PnXwCDjGnHSWSmqSg3Ey2CCt_jSSwqcCWv-EnzDunDg5nVw2N6WJ82ihGmCXwqCk7eXpMqluGB7c9U/s1600-h/Ben+Sets+Blocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O0-FPSc41oxdW1AKK3nsKsnl3h-dUaqK3nINt2msBmH07XmvtKpNoVFZU43G4PnXwCDjGnHSWSmqSg3Ey2CCt_jSSwqcCWv-EnzDunDg5nVw2N6WJ82ihGmCXwqCk7eXpMqluGB7c9U/s320/Ben+Sets+Blocks.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ben Graham, of Natural Design Build, sets blocks to create a bale supporting stem wall. Deva Racusin at left, and Nick and Nick prepare the wood framed chaseway.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibN0_Gxzsju4xa8Sa8nuIcvE96l7XV-zqlP4pp9rRY_U-xR1HURFyqckcQa-H4v84NswbnpwPbVtjBX7tfaK4vMplELxYFG-dkM17ywx8rhk_U9ozSd8btOdRhwOXv3AHZl7TC9cFFIeo/s1600-h/Ben+Setting+Concrete+Blocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibN0_Gxzsju4xa8Sa8nuIcvE96l7XV-zqlP4pp9rRY_U-xR1HURFyqckcQa-H4v84NswbnpwPbVtjBX7tfaK4vMplELxYFG-dkM17ywx8rhk_U9ozSd8btOdRhwOXv3AHZl7TC9cFFIeo/s320/Ben+Setting+Concrete+Blocks.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each block is checked and trued up before progressing to the next one. The stem wall will be covered with a parge coat of a fiber cement that will hold all the blocks together. More about the structure of the stem wall in a few days.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW4wlWwGGKHZ13y1KbSy5WC34Zg5wbM_O69d3obM9NOtUL7XcY73P53-UBO4zDsgo65_0A504W9xK6RZAKc-IvwXSw6oHczPbAqI0BRfhlOGjNjmbAIRZr0Dl6NQGbyRcLrbu4YtYdL8/s1600-h/Roof+Trusses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfW4wlWwGGKHZ13y1KbSy5WC34Zg5wbM_O69d3obM9NOtUL7XcY73P53-UBO4zDsgo65_0A504W9xK6RZAKc-IvwXSw6oHczPbAqI0BRfhlOGjNjmbAIRZr0Dl6NQGbyRcLrbu4YtYdL8/s320/Roof+Trusses.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here I'm checking out the rafters and the shed extension framing on the north side. The old rafters were 3 x 5 and were sistered up with new 2 x 12's to create a cavity about 16.5" thick. The north shed extension is framed with "I-beam" rafters of OSB and solid wood. This will be sheathed with 1/2" plywood and filled with high density cellulose,eventually creating a roof cap of about R-65.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Work continued on the stem wall. It's composed of two courses of concrete block capped with 3" patio blocks. The cavities are filled with Vermiculite and Pearlite to offer a little more insulation than the concrete would. Sheet foam and dense pack cellulose will insulate the wood framed portion of the stem wall, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">bringing it up to around R-32, about the same as the bale walls.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaged0PTOB0ZW1rudTv_yjtMX2fXTuZHXzRjKsBtSL0gO_ddHCGPpT-znF1WmQ7SlkZW9BVqBG9sr_H27B-Q93bOEityHrI8SyJpfcWGTqXS-BqAGd4AjDhmo_3Q5ivz_3nAUq00FbcFY/s1600-h/Working+Like+Crazy,+inside+and+out.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaged0PTOB0ZW1rudTv_yjtMX2fXTuZHXzRjKsBtSL0gO_ddHCGPpT-znF1WmQ7SlkZW9BVqBG9sr_H27B-Q93bOEityHrI8SyJpfcWGTqXS-BqAGd4AjDhmo_3Q5ivz_3nAUq00FbcFY/s320/Working+Like+Crazy,+inside+and+out.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everyone's working like crazy, inside and out, to get ready for the bales, which are due to arrive soon. </span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-47835246700946393772009-10-07T23:05:00.000-04:002009-10-07T23:11:17.340-04:00A Roof At Last !<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our 150-year-old timber frame sat out in the weather without the protection of a roof for over 8 months before work resumed. This was not our intent, as we expected the building to be "weather tight" before the onset of serious winter weather (in October or November 08, that is). We were very disappointed in the lack of progress, and resolved that Jean-Paul and his crew would be right back at it as soon as spring weather broke, probably mid to late April...<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But -- that didn't happen.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had agreed to -- and had expected, a weather-tight shell by winter. Failing that, we expected the work to resume as soon as possible in the Spring. However, in the Spring, Jean-Paul needed money, and took on another job about 30 miles away, and we couldn't seem to agree on how much work we had already paid for on our project. This went on all Spring and Summer, and we were getting worried, and quite annoyed that all our money had gone into a frame that was out in the weather with no roof to protect it.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At SolarFest (www.solarfest.org) we talked with Ben Graham, of Natural Design-Build, in Plainfield, VT. His crew, along with another crew run by his friends Ace McArleton and Jacob "Deva" Racusin, had built a number of straw bale buildings in the area, including the bale work on Bobbie and Dylan's house nearby. We asked him if he and his crew could help us get our house finished if we couldn't work out a way to do it with Jean-Paul.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eventually, we met and settled up with Jean-Paul. We paid him what we owed him, and agreed to have his crew finish the roof structure and finish up framing the interior, but Ben Graham and Natural Design Build would be working on the bale walls.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the frame in late Summer 09, still in good shape, but a little weathered. Linda is showing the place to her aunt, Patty Peden-Spear, and Patty's children Ryan and Cedleigh Peden-Spear.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once the rafter tails were all in place, the cedar reveal that will be seen from below was built around the perimeter of the roof overhang. This provides a 24" overhang on all sides. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazenTlG9eTTUgtaD0GG-WiizJ1fqqvAkaZeRLrAHHZLETdWzoRg6k305XiSoYE5-71bpU2UcvtW2-Aesg_YlLalsYFg3ZaY0uH6sngPG8gSeAZnLLWIkVHaCHHpROUhA3Nc04j1X6sjw/s1600-h/Frame+%26+Roof+from+North.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazenTlG9eTTUgtaD0GG-WiizJ1fqqvAkaZeRLrAHHZLETdWzoRg6k305XiSoYE5-71bpU2UcvtW2-Aesg_YlLalsYFg3ZaY0uH6sngPG8gSeAZnLLWIkVHaCHHpROUhA3Nc04j1X6sjw/s320/Frame+%26+Roof+from+North.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next, the 5/8" Advantec roof decking was applied. Here's a view from the North, showing the frame and roof, and the lower-pitch shed extension to the North. </span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkvsO64DXpn7yTrKrCb2Bwt0UfFvozr_ZtIjglBJ82rZ67tn1dCRBXITvk-ENQ5KagUabckHnzYLb19zqs5H5vh4iSrNnxpCpwka2cA5zZTUi5WBhtrxorRegbeew27YUshnFZp6dcI0/s1600-h/Frame+With+Roof+Sheathing+and+Cedar+Reveal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkvsO64DXpn7yTrKrCb2Bwt0UfFvozr_ZtIjglBJ82rZ67tn1dCRBXITvk-ENQ5KagUabckHnzYLb19zqs5H5vh4iSrNnxpCpwka2cA5zZTUi5WBhtrxorRegbeew27YUshnFZp6dcI0/s320/Frame+With+Roof+Sheathing+and+Cedar+Reveal.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">This view is from the Southwest, ready for Bituthane ice & water shield, which will make the roof assemble water tight.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBrsqfeBfMpwRsKoeF75ZJvZjeq6pr8j9IoK52Ksd2NcD7fDMiUUCdnDb-JU2lfoLRQgOTl_da5fooeufjz99F5DRnj_JD8jIFm1cIxqLEARKaVTSVHxtfMhYyUMjg_8BPzO3K-Uk4k4/s1600-h/All+Sealed+Up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkBrsqfeBfMpwRsKoeF75ZJvZjeq6pr8j9IoK52Ksd2NcD7fDMiUUCdnDb-JU2lfoLRQgOTl_da5fooeufjz99F5DRnj_JD8jIFm1cIxqLEARKaVTSVHxtfMhYyUMjg_8BPzO3K-Uk4k4/s320/All+Sealed+Up.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">All Sealed Up -- and just in time for rain!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuzXkVrzOJ1hAmXlBpKEz9zl8_R4or-vk_MJthO7Dyv2HggoQxEd129ZIT6G-nlPF9DundpVFsmUA1Fcwbu81HWG3-Z8RWNnWjaRpuqTlZ-ZOQGkt89jgUCCbHfYURaADP7fKBRRgFf4/s1600-h/View+From+SE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuzXkVrzOJ1hAmXlBpKEz9zl8_R4or-vk_MJthO7Dyv2HggoQxEd129ZIT6G-nlPF9DundpVFsmUA1Fcwbu81HWG3-Z8RWNnWjaRpuqTlZ-ZOQGkt89jgUCCbHfYURaADP7fKBRRgFf4/s320/View+From+SE.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">View From SE<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Things are really moving now, with one crew on the roof, and another crew building a stem wall to get the bales up off the ground by another 18". <br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqluqoINwUaXsAbq766tzcdzDdd-1vYu7weTSTFT99kUHIUF9g_TJo5B3K_O2Y_whx8eMSF106rtQqrty2OhfhyeX8VuGscIkEN9dU5T2y66Afgi0QaV5TVkC-0wRc9_ogVS0EUcmrswU/s1600-h/View+From+NE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqluqoINwUaXsAbq766tzcdzDdd-1vYu7weTSTFT99kUHIUF9g_TJo5B3K_O2Y_whx8eMSF106rtQqrty2OhfhyeX8VuGscIkEN9dU5T2y66Afgi0QaV5TVkC-0wRc9_ogVS0EUcmrswU/s320/View+From+NE.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">View From NE </span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEYTKSctYHZOfb7JvAM15G-J4n5-aAIdMBF8aDAmmFYgbq2bsdhdSI_qOFdlWAPi6r21U7TubPEj9Co47tLOnoIO-jWt3uWa1PTfm_qwSdphu9UKWae6rtw_q6Nh7kG439RydSxEMwM8/s1600-h/At+Last+--+A+Roof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEYTKSctYHZOfb7JvAM15G-J4n5-aAIdMBF8aDAmmFYgbq2bsdhdSI_qOFdlWAPi6r21U7TubPEj9Co47tLOnoIO-jWt3uWa1PTfm_qwSdphu9UKWae6rtw_q6Nh7kG439RydSxEMwM8/s320/At+Last+--+A+Roof.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A Roof -- <b>At<i> Last! </i></b></span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>Here's how the house looked when this blog was started.</i></b></span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ready for the arrival of the bales....</span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-81017793339516282752009-10-07T22:19:00.000-04:002009-10-07T22:21:43.112-04:00Frame Work, Fall '08<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few more details of the 150-year-old timber frame being erected. i've sized these photos a little smaller for faster loading -- I'm slowly learning...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGggPuY-M2a2C9jlTasB8bn3Uvx3RkzoDRIgWL2E16b1B6Q6gQK6rP7GtH8P9yQZsUTKazogHmIXjY2rRJSgz5dp2X66yG-fB-i6zUJBl5-DN7Lrbfq-rLc2Em3nGZilX4Au5rbU_YtPg/s1600-h/JP+Works+On+Timber+Frame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGggPuY-M2a2C9jlTasB8bn3Uvx3RkzoDRIgWL2E16b1B6Q6gQK6rP7GtH8P9yQZsUTKazogHmIXjY2rRJSgz5dp2X66yG-fB-i6zUJBl5-DN7Lrbfq-rLc2Em3nGZilX4Au5rbU_YtPg/s320/JP+Works+On+Timber+Frame.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Through the Autumn months, Jean-Paul and his helpers adapted the old frame to give it new life in our new home. Here JP uses a come along to coax a stubborn beam into place.</span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Orwz2-gOf668ME76h1c1AB60T6bQ8XVuoBncEx3jhYppngj45EWOW85LZ4XpUxocOzLJv15cTaPM3Fk0zLDw2nQqQNGP9uxiDxxUUOoxOQOvEWXuGYsXdt1E_e6oi-z5QHghzvSEVnM/s1600-h/JP+and+Phil+on+Upper+Deck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Orwz2-gOf668ME76h1c1AB60T6bQ8XVuoBncEx3jhYppngj45EWOW85LZ4XpUxocOzLJv15cTaPM3Fk0zLDw2nQqQNGP9uxiDxxUUOoxOQOvEWXuGYsXdt1E_e6oi-z5QHghzvSEVnM/s320/JP+and+Phil+on+Upper+Deck.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our son Philip, 27, helped out for a few weeks, too. </span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQpkkS0tjP4AVLKgrENeHX-cQVbMN9TDcyPmOEkvbi8_Gadg3tm1P4cEZBiL7NMLcysr8lx-iJxyvbJWtfbzxmACCcDUtib2VUyiK1ZuX9Z-Lb0n9a_vGg7hMfZtTZdKeUDSoinuNAjQ/s1600-h/Linda+%26+JP+Discuss+Rafters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQpkkS0tjP4AVLKgrENeHX-cQVbMN9TDcyPmOEkvbi8_Gadg3tm1P4cEZBiL7NMLcysr8lx-iJxyvbJWtfbzxmACCcDUtib2VUyiK1ZuX9Z-Lb0n9a_vGg7hMfZtTZdKeUDSoinuNAjQ/s320/Linda+%26+JP+Discuss+Rafters.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here Linda and Jean-Paul discuss rafters and upstairs floor plan.</span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9O6x4CZPqoTC58b7yqBgyid1v8j1j9nmCzRwovfkLAdgXL5ctZ-j1xdx_BbTYDqYkJISjLIylE6uclSP4Cf7pcPWlse0FIbknDjXQ0sUUS_F5iLwvYHVuToqe-jMpJK_xLNr5FRGGt8I/s1600-h/Bobbie+%26+Dylan%27s+House.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9O6x4CZPqoTC58b7yqBgyid1v8j1j9nmCzRwovfkLAdgXL5ctZ-j1xdx_BbTYDqYkJISjLIylE6uclSP4Cf7pcPWlse0FIbknDjXQ0sUUS_F5iLwvYHVuToqe-jMpJK_xLNr5FRGGt8I/s320/Bobbie+%26+Dylan%27s+House.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...and it's <i><b>all done!</b></i> Well, no, this is a straw bale home being built about 15 miles away by our friends Bobbie Farlice-Rubio and Dylan Ford. This is another timber frame with straw bale wrap. They worked on the wood frame, and hired a crew to work with the bales and plaster... more about them later. This house gave us some great ideas, and got us all excited about different pigmented plasters we might use.</span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhZUxbJSR4mJzo1O-bpkRygpyKye9haCoHMvfIha5dHxtAcF252-ihFzqkG6pMhfpCgbzWw41WB3foCLy1TKSpbIJ-K-TTTiSSqgxhhvD6HdwTvKSqIVD_uaEg_SIC1nyU5RrIlbN_PA/s1600-h/Plaster+Colors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhZUxbJSR4mJzo1O-bpkRygpyKye9haCoHMvfIha5dHxtAcF252-ihFzqkG6pMhfpCgbzWw41WB3foCLy1TKSpbIJ-K-TTTiSSqgxhhvD6HdwTvKSqIVD_uaEg_SIC1nyU5RrIlbN_PA/s320/Plaster+Colors.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Plaster color samples! We're getting excited about the end product -- if we ever get to the end! </span><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPXTvcKZCaWjrQaGMdv2JU9ErGvrykPxNDGduycyB5D1PoApPeAwi3KyKs6jO4d0P9CucqtSNoV34aGxYS_wSHjUmGASn4pD0PZign1h6Wk_nyBasALlFZ66_Tw-JafUXV4MatWJAqaM/s1600-h/Earl+Bancroft.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPXTvcKZCaWjrQaGMdv2JU9ErGvrykPxNDGduycyB5D1PoApPeAwi3KyKs6jO4d0P9CucqtSNoV34aGxYS_wSHjUmGASn4pD0PZign1h6Wk_nyBasALlFZ66_Tw-JafUXV4MatWJAqaM/s320/Earl+Bancroft.JPG" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Earl Bancroft<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This photo was taken just a few weeks before he died in his cabin -- a very sad day for all of us. </span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-26980433762727592352009-09-29T23:07:00.000-04:002009-10-09T21:21:11.377-04:00Ice Storm!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here are a few photos of the incredible ice storm that came about the time work ceased in December, 2008.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRh8DTXu_1njJ-sQdoxV_Bu39tpvkfyJi4piJ4-ZcuttjXksj1L_osUlz-P_yb_Xqrku1o4j9XHu-23FWOXx9fOV3cdrsZrasxZMq450V_-f6eiZZIIWeJ1anubh-DLqfVzjtTdIrkd8/s1600-h/IcySunrise-1+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRh8DTXu_1njJ-sQdoxV_Bu39tpvkfyJi4piJ4-ZcuttjXksj1L_osUlz-P_yb_Xqrku1o4j9XHu-23FWOXx9fOV3cdrsZrasxZMq450V_-f6eiZZIIWeJ1anubh-DLqfVzjtTdIrkd8/s320/IcySunrise-1+small.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> This is about 2 miles down the road, toward West Newbury, VT</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">View to the southeast, across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire, with Mt. Cube and cloud-shrouded Smart's Mountain in the background. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is what Christmas, 2008 looked like around here. It was incredible in every direction. About 200,000 people were without power in Southern NH, but we were fine in Northern VT. </span><br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-56359078208631860512009-09-29T23:00:00.000-04:002009-09-29T23:28:48.094-04:00Work Grinds To A Halt :-(<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our project ground to a halt in December before the roof could be put on. We were very disappointed, since the original plan was to have a weather-tight shell (roof, walls and windows/doors in place) by about October or November, so we could work in a heated space through the winter months. Winter around here can be cold, and -20F is not rare, and even -30F happens from time to time. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Serious Setback: We lost a lot of summer days to rainy weather, and Jean-Paul's mom died at the end of the summer, which really set him back. Jean Paul went out to visit her and say his goodbye's when she started failing, but she died before he could get there.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emotional Setback: Our beloved Keeshond, Sasha, was starting to fail. Despite our best efforts, and those of the local Vet to keep her on her feet, the strength in her real legs was sinking fast. She'd have good days and bad days, and always loved getting outside to see the world. When she could no longer get up onto her rear legs, we knew we couldn't keep stringing her along, and the cold weather would be miserable for her. We took her to the Vet for the last time in early December.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Last Straw: Working in the cold of December was going quite slowly, but the last straw was the death of Earl Bancroft, who had started having seizures that caused him to black out for days at a time. He had a few of these, and lost a lot of strength from October to Early December, but he loved working on the house, and insisted that he needed the work and the activity, and something to do to avoid going crazy.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Earl lived a few miles away in a tiny cabin. On Christmas day, after failing to show up at his sister's house for the family gathering, Earl was found dead in his freezing cabin. Earl was a gentle man who had lived a hard life. He'd spent years managing the forest where he lived, and worked for many years making ladder rungs with a drawknife. I'm glad I got to know him while he was here.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had all had enough hardship for one building season, and vowed to pick up where we had left off in April or so, when it would be warm enough to resume work.<br />
</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-55870924500612437672009-09-28T22:15:00.000-04:002009-09-29T13:30:15.729-04:00Recycled Historic Timber Frame Re Assembled<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the coolest features of our house project is the recycled timber frame. We purchased the frame from a house that was being torn down in Central New Hampshire. This frame formerly lived at 431 Main Street</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, in Rumney, NH, where it was built somewhere around 1850. More research is needed to fill out the history. For many years it was home to Guy and Allitia Poitras, and was passed on to their sons, David and Ethan. It had been run down for years, and was set to be torn down when discovered by Jean-Paul Downs, of Legacy Timber Frames. This structure was disassembled and brought to our building site for a little less than $16,000.</span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This frame was originally 20' x 40', and the church beams front and back ran the whole 40' length in one piece! The original corner posts were 6", and a little light for our desired 10' ceiling height, so we located 8" x 8" corner posts from a barn in Peacham, VT, built around 1890.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our floor plan is 30' by 30' on the inside, so the 40 footer's were cut down to 30', and one of the long beams had to be repaired, and joined in the middle.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the first part of the frame erected; these are the uprights on the south side.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The timber frame progressed quite slowly during late summer and into the fall of 2008. We had an exceptionally wet summer, so we lost quite a few days to rain. Here's the frame in late October, 2008, with Linda in the South doorway. Note the tall ceilings.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Mutt & Jeff. Here's Caroll "Tate" Ainsworth, left, and Jean-Paul Downs, right. Tate did a magnificent job with all site work, excavation and drainage, and is our favorite local Viking. If you want to give him grief for driving a metallic flake pink dump truck, go ahead, make his day. Jean Paul did the timber framing and general contracting.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eventually, the walls were framed, and the roof rafters were up. This is pretty much where things stood when work stopped in mid-December, 2008. Note the Trusses are 2 x 12's sistered onto the old 4 x 6 roof rafters, for 16.5" cavity for dense cellulose fill. This will result in R-63 or so, plus the sheathing inside and out, for a total cap R-value of around R-65. We probably won't add sheet foam on the inner surface to get this up to R-72.<br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-53213644673068843962009-09-28T20:57:00.000-04:002009-09-28T21:26:43.082-04:00Concrete and ICF Walls<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pouring Concrete:<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once the drainage was in place, we were ready to start pouring concrete (as little as possible!), to create the root cellar, and support the bale walls to come.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few more photos of the process. First the footers below the ICF walls of the root cellar/basement. Here's Jean-Paul Downs filling the forms.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's the ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) blocks, assembled, and ready to pour. There are PVC pipes running through the walls for plumbing and electrical service. those to the left are for the solar heating system (<i><b>much </b></i>more later), while those to the right are for electrical and phone lines from the existing house. the plan is for a grid-tied solar electric system with a battery backup.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Jean-Paul and Sean pouring concrete into the ICF forms for the root cellar.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here the root cellar is poured, the rubble-filled trench has been prepared for the 12" tall by 22" ICF forms to support the bale walls, stacked and ready in their bright blue wraps.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Here's what holds the walls up. Black Locust is used instead of pressure treated lumber. 12" Thick by 22" wide concrete beam with 2" foam insulation on inside and out.<br />
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</div>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-25307778940857378652009-09-28T20:31:00.000-04:002009-09-28T21:25:58.676-04:00Back To The Beginning...<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here are a few scenes from the beginning of this project. What we can't show are the 4 years of discussion and design that led to this building. At first we planned to renovate the highly unusual building in which we live -- a former farm building with a crane built into the ceiling!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After digging into the roof, floor, and walls, as well as trenching along the north wall to add insulation to the poured concrete, we realized that there were so many unknowns dealing with the old building that we had no way to predict what problems we'd run into -- or how much we'd have to spend. Basically, we had a building with very little insulation, no proper frost walls or footers, and a slab poured right onto the dirt with no insulation below. To create a highly-insulated and highly-efficient building, we'd have to jack it up and build a proper foundation under it, with no idea what the cost would be. We decided to build new.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After considering a tight, super-insulated stick-built "cube" -- ugly but high functioning -- we decided on straw bales for the best mix of sustainable construction, energy performance, and for being so downright cool. Suddenly the enthusiasm for building new went through the roof -- a timber frame/straw bale house could be so beautiful, so green, and such a nice place to live, that we were all abuzz.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sitework and drainage: <br />
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</div><ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5IjpT_S5zJMvtqK_T0cZFV3Xhs9XhBBZS5GYcotSdsDdB9wHE31UIRI09lK1yphDievvXpAgpmjkXeYxrD7KdabBtY6rC3SDgsBtahnzPuTa8SbT6prnzxxsgfUOFRdpZIXQ7Toe8hs/s1600-h/Excavation+%26+Drainage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5IjpT_S5zJMvtqK_T0cZFV3Xhs9XhBBZS5GYcotSdsDdB9wHE31UIRI09lK1yphDievvXpAgpmjkXeYxrD7KdabBtY6rC3SDgsBtahnzPuTa8SbT6prnzxxsgfUOFRdpZIXQ7Toe8hs/s320/Excavation+%26+Drainage.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><ul><li> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most straw bale buildings are found in warmer and drier places than Northeastern Vermont. Building here would have to be quite a bit different than New Mexico or Nebraska. Our summers are warm and sometimes wet, but our winters are long and bitter cold (so far). We average about 40" of rain per year, anywhere from 80" - 130" of snow, and roughly 7,900 heating degree days.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drainage is very important to keep water out of the walls, and we paid a lot of attention to the details.</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We wanted to minimize the use of concrete -- an unsustainable material with a LOT of embodied energy. The walls would be supported by a 12" tall by 22" wide poured ICF concrete "beam" built atop a rubble filled trench with filter fabric and perforated pipes to lead water out to daylight down the nearby steep bank. Many thanks to Jean-Paul Downs and Carrol Ainsworth for this design and fine execution.</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The soil on the building site is just about perfect for this sort of building -- stony glacial till with coarse gravel and sand with excellent drainage.</li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We needed a little more room for mechanicals than our mechanical room would allow, and we wanted to incorporate a root cellar, so we had to dig down. We decided on a 10' x 15' "basement" under one corner of the house, using ICF blocks to achieve R-20, and to minimize the volume of concrete needed.<br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> These photos show the excavation, the crushed stone for drainage, the 4" perforated PVC pipes below the crushed stone to conduct water out of the trenches, and the vertical pipes that can be used to flush the system. These pipes all lead underground until they come to daylight to the west at the base of a steep bank. Landscaping filter fabric is then placed over the stone to act as a filter to keep fine silt from clogging up the works. Our current house -- the former farm out building -- is in the background in some photos.<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The day after the excavation was complete, we got 13" of rain in 2-1/2 days. The photo with the excavator on the edge of the deep hole shows how little damage this caused. We had to shovel away a little sand and mud off the landscape fabric, but amazingly, the vertical walls did not crumble. </span><br />
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</ul>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204806825832011719.post-79290303871943833212009-09-27T09:36:00.000-04:002009-09-28T22:36:42.250-04:00Getting Started<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi Folks,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is our first-ever attempt at any sort of Blog. We don't even have experience <i>reading</i> blogs, so we can assure you there will be a learning curve, but things will get better! The important thing is to record our experience, share ideas, and</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">meet some excellent people along the way. We are on an important journey, and early adopters of a few ideas that will probably become mainstream sometime soon. We plan to post a number of short pieces describing how we got here, and our future direction. There will be lots of detailed posts on all manner of green building and renewable energy matters, too.</span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the house as of Sunday, September 27, taken in light rain: The roof is finished just in time for a week of rainy weather and the arrival of the bales. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We're starting this blog with the house well under way, with the frame and roof up and the bales arriving in a few days, so we'll attempt to fill in the early stages of our thinking, the design process, and earlier stages of construction so you can see what we've already accomplished, while getting all excited about all the new stuff happening every day. These might appear out of order until we figure out how to edit that.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for checking in with us. Feel free to send us comments, questions, or encouragement! <br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>BPVietjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178426519347413375noreply@blogger.com2