lumber

We got our lumber from a local saw mill, and saved about 30% of costs by doing so. Now it has to sit for about 4 weeks so it can dry out. Then we will start building!

 I altered our design a little after reading an amazing book called "A Pattern Language".


 

Breaking ground: the house!

Step 1: dig holes bellow the frost line and down to the sub soil.

 

 Step 2: fill holes with sand (well, the non-lazy way is to fill with gravel and tamp it first. But we already had sand and didn't have gravel.)

 

 Step 3: drop in urbanite, and level. These pieces are old concrete flooring from Duke University.

 

May 2012

Here is a photo update:



Beets and kale.



Annuals with ecological support plants surrounding them.



Our pear guild.



We started plastering the shed!



Our summer flowers!



Plum trees...



Our new utility trailer! With collected materials (broken concrete, or "urbanite").