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Entries made in July, 2014

July 2014, in Photos

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

Installing Range Hood Vent

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

Today, we installed our range hood duct, and a wall cap that Tara ordered and painted. Once everything was in place in the wooden box we made in the strawbale, we filled the gaps around the duct with expanding foam. ...

Heat & Water

Saturday, July 26th, 2014

Today, I arranged a meeting with a master gas fitter to see about hooking up a propane regulator on the outside of the cottage. Our current plan is to run our oven and on-demand hot water heater with a pair of 40lb tanks. Someday it would be nice ...

Making Window Reveals

Thursday, July 24th, 2014

It feels like we've been saying we are "almost ready to plaster!" for ages now. And by "ages" I mean a few weeks, back when Pete and Natasha finished installing straw bales in the gable ends of the cottage. Ever since, there has been a non-stop sup...

Off Grid Power Update: Solar Battery Bank Arrives

Monday, July 21st, 2014

Today, our new battery bank arrived! We now have eight 6v 370aH Deka L16 batteries with a total storage capacity of 17.6 kWh. Taking losses into account, and not wanting to drain the batteries below 50% (it shortens their lifespan), this gives us a...

Blood, Sweat & Tears (and Snot)

Sunday, July 20th, 2014

Almost every single day, I injure myself while working on the house. Some are minuscule wounds, others are larger, requiring a bit of super glue to patch them up. The main perpetrators are plaster lath and wire mesh—it's so easy to gouge myself on ...

We're Doing It

Saturday, July 19th, 2014

A few years ago, when we were dreaming of our homesteading adventure, I happened to read a blog post that completely floored me. It was about a young Vermont couple that was in the process of building their own home. And it wasn't just any house—it...

Electrical Wiring in Strawbale Cottage

Saturday, July 19th, 2014

For the past few mornings, I have been wiring outlets, light switches and speaker cables in the house. Each box gets a plywood plate with tar paper and blood lathe. I run the lines through the wall, chainsawed into grooves a few ...

Trenching Power from Solar Shed to Cottage

Friday, July 18th, 2014

For at least a year I've been telling myself that getting electricity from our solar shed to the cottage would be a piece of cake. "All we need is a beefy extension cord—we'll just plug that in somehow and voilà, we'll have power!" Each time I ment...

Off-Grid Power Update: Solar Panels Arrive

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

Last April, we received the initial charging equipment for our off-grid power system! We're starting with six 245 watt REC photovoltaic panels, whose output to our battery bank will be regulated by an Outback FM80 charge controller. The week they ...

Progress

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

Farewell Cardboard Model

Sunday, July 13th, 2014

It was with great pleasure today that we realized the cardboard model of our house has served its purpose. Since we now have a life-sized version to work with, it is no longer necessary. For the last few months it has done little more than take up ...

Hi Ho Hi Ho

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

It's off to work I go! ...

Impromptu Garden Update: July

Friday, July 11th, 2014

Here's the update after a month after planting our first impromptu garden: the peas are doing great. One cucumber plant is growing like crazy. The salad mix and arugula were chowed on by the slugs. Mache never came up. Garlic chives are looking and...

Mole Face Morning

Monday, July 7th, 2014

Ever since last week's freak out, we've been getting up even earlier than usual. This lets me spend more time on the house with Tara before I have to go to work, which makes her feel more supported and less like our house-building project is never ...

Chainsawing Kitchen Niches in Strawbale

Sunday, July 6th, 2014

This morning, we chainsawed niches in the kitchen wall to hold spices: ...

Grand Central Station

Sunday, July 6th, 2014

For the past month or so, we've had a non-stop train of people passing through our homestead. Besides Dan, Julia, Pete, and Natasha, all of whom stayed for a few days, we've had a whole slew of other folks and friends come for short visits. A few w...

Affixing Wire Mesh in the Rain

Friday, July 4th, 2014

A Freak-Out Kind of Day

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Lately, building a home feels impossible. Even so, I keep slogging along, not out of hope or excitement or joy, but because I feel shackled to the task. It doesn't feel like I'm living out my wildest dreams, it's more like my life is being held ho...