Jun
29
2014

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Weekend Work

by Going Slowly

After saying goodbye to Pete and Natasha (we miss you already!), "normal" life resumed, which means pretty much one thing: construction. Even though P & N completed the baling on both gable ends of the cottage (THANK YOU!!), we still have loads of non-strawbaley things to do. Here are some of the tasks we accomplished this weekend:


We put tar paper on the pony wall…

Timber Frame Strawbale Cottage Under Construction

…added J-channel flashing as a plaster stop…

J Channel on Pony Wall

…started putting wire mesh on the exterior walls…

Timber Frame Strawbale Cottage Under Construction

…stuffed holes where the bales were uneven…

Tara Stuffing Strawbale Wall w/ Pitchfork Support

…laid out kitchen cabinets…

Strawbale House Range Hood / Vent Diagram

…cut a hole for the range hood vent…

Tyler Cutting Hole in Strawbale Wall w/ Chainsaw

…flashed the door frame…

Tara Installing Flashing Around Doorway

…worked on digging a trench from the solar shed to the house for power…

Tyler Digging Trench for Electricity

…annnnd collapsed.

Exhausted Tyler in Garden Cart
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6 comments

Holy cow! That's a TON accomplished! I am tired just reading about it. Just wanted to let you two know that I started a small project that I really didn't feel equipped to do, but though, "No excuses. T&T would completely do this without batting an eye!" So I started in instead of making excuses. You inspire a lot of us readers and I thought I'd de-lurk and let you know. Thanks!

-Ali

(BTW, I'd love to see a panoramic photo of your homestead now.)
Posted by Ali on July 16th, 2014 at 7:47 AM
Ali, that is SO GREAT that you started your project! And it feels really darn good to know we had some small hand in helping you taking the plunge. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know!

PS: I don't really feel equipped most of the time, so you're in good company. :-)
Posted by Tara on July 16th, 2014 at 10:20 PM
PS: What was the project!? Do you have any pictures or other things we might see of it?
Posted by Tyler on July 16th, 2014 at 10:21 PM
It's embarrassingly small - I am just moving a garden shed (8x10) from one corner of the yard to the other and installing one of those umbrella-style clothes lines. Of course things suddenly got more complicated - the original site I wanted would make the space feel too crowded. The new location will need to be leveled (who knew there was that much slope in IL?!) and I'll need to relocate a flower bed first. I am looking forward to mixing my own batch of cement though - I've seen it done but not done it myself. Even doing such small jobs makes me appreciate so much more the scale of what you are doing. It's amazing how many things go before each step you really want to do! I'll send you before and after pics...it just may be a while. ;)
Posted by Ali on July 17th, 2014 at 8:44 AM
And Tara, you definitely were more than a "small hand" in taking the leap. It reminds me of you jumping off the bridge on your bike tour, but way less scary for me!
Posted by Ali on July 17th, 2014 at 8:45 AM
It's amazing how many things go before each step you really want to do!

YES! This exactly.

Also, hooray for taking the leap! :D

Can't wait to see those photos!
Posted by Tara on July 21st, 2014 at 9:03 PM