Metal up, light clay straw started!

 Things are progressing faster now that we are working 2-3 days per week. I put the rest of the loft floorboards down... unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention while I was doing it! The nails totally missed the joist and are sticking out the other side.

 

 Decided to throw in another window up here:

 

 We started filling the walls with clay and straw!! I'm a little nervous about this part.... there is a lot of wall to fill, and it's a little cold to be elbow deep in cold, wet clay every day. I'm going to try using kitchen gloves to stay dry...

 

Now that the roof is on... we don't have to haul stuff to and from the shed or from my parent's house!!

 

Lofty Rafters

Greg put the loft up so he could stand on it while putting up the roof rafters. I have to take a video so you can see how he gets those big rafter beams up there all by himself! We couldn't help much today. We are recovering from a yucky stomach virus. But we're hoping to do 2-3 work days per week from now on, since we were on such a long hiatus for the month of November. Greg is done with his other project for a little while, so he will have more time to help, too! This photo is looking from the south side, through what will be the door into a future addition:

 

 The loft, with the front door below it:

 

 View from the south side again:

 

 Those diagonal braces will not be plastered over, to give it a more rustic look:

 

 Greg in the loft... as you can see, we won't be able to stand in it!

 

 Greg "toenailing" the rafters in place:

 

Four walls up!

Lost track of work days, since we work on it for 3-6 hour periods whenever we have the chance. Things are going slower than I had hoped, but we're still chugging along. We are taking a vacation next week so we won't be building for a little while.





Luca "helping".



This is a view from inside the house, of the "knee wall" we just put up. That will be the upstairs of the loft, and the highest point of the roof slope. Note the spaces for windows!



We started working on the two window seats as well.



These triangles of plywood on all the corners will keep the walls straight and level while we fill them in with light claw straw.

Look at this CRAZY growth on one of our pear trees!! Ash has recently mowed down all the sorghum and has seeded rye and red clover for more cover crop.



Next we finish framing the windows and doors, and move on to the rafters and remaining knee walls. Roofing materials are the next big purchase... time to pick up some extra shifts at work!!