Arches and treehouse

bag work

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Recent work

This is why it has been so long since I have posted. It takes many weeks to complete just one job. The 2 photo's below are an earthen wall going up along the road. The foundation is rammed earth tires and they are placed in a traditional bricklike pattern. Above the foundation is around a yard of cob.

Interestingly enough to me is that I harvested all the earth for this cob wall from less than 6 feet away from this wall; when I got near the end of constructing this wall the earth physically started to change; the clay rich soil gave way to a pink clay; perfect timing; I took this clay with a 1:1 ratio of rough sand, and armful’s of chopped straw and lathered the whole wall with this.

Below photo. Trench for an earthbag retainment wall.


below is the start of the base for a table, the big wooden wheel will lay on top of this base


below is the cob oven with a lime finish

Avocado Tree

Tire Wall updated

tire wall

Cob Oven

more wall building

tires

below is my first job done with the tires, its a bit messy, but will
be covered in vines, and also, cannot be seen from above,
it does its job, protects land from errosion




below are the stairs leading up from the creek






below is the 3rd tire job. its getting better. green grass might be planted down here, the tires have since gotten a rough mud stucco

Mary Bohan

worked with us for 2 weeks. she worked on
plastering from top to bottom

Bug to be

bugs...insects.... what is this? its so neat looking while a family of 5 are eating the tiny sprouts of our beautiful to be tree, the Framboyant.
I am removing them from the tree, one squirted out its behind a thin whitish fluid with enough force to squirt a few feet, maybe a poison? Its probably an "assassin bug" this is a good "photo", of a different, documented assassin bug, explaining my theory.

below photo, same cool bug

above photo is the back side with a good view of the roof. and guess what? it works, i mean the roof, it rained hard a few times and no leaks at all!


below photo is a view into the center living room window, with the kitchen wall in the back.

near completion

sorry its been so long. no real reason, just been busy working and i have been quite lazy to get on the computer to show progress.

the roof was installed over a month ago. the doors and windows are now framed. electricity is in, as is plumbing. the first coat of interior plaster will start in earnest this Monday

long time no post

above photo. near lunch time on the 8th of march.


above photo. the roof mock up as seen from the east walls.


above photo is our neighbor, Manuel. he is 64 years young. he mixes the cob up for us 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. hes great. he a natural cob mixer, the best i have seen and it is the first time he has ever done it.


above photo. lintels are up. this photo is from over a week ago. i hurt my knee on march 4th. a rock rolled down on it, no pain at all..... about 36 hours later, during the night it started hurting bad. the sports medicine doc is now working on it all this week.

this will be a home, not a house

above photo is me, Mark Grossman. resting my pitchfork full of "cob" on the scaffolding. i am awaiting Gordons signal that he needs it


above photo is a rare back side photo. taken from our neighbors land. you can see our current home in the background.


above photo is the sleeping loft. and Ollie under playing the guitar.


above photo. Ollie in the cozy eating are. above is the wooden loft for sleeping. i am quite proud of my woodworking here.

above photo. this is the end of the week. feb. 29. leap year.