Day 90

What have I been doing? Well, nothing very exciting. We finally ordered the timber, after deciding to go with design A, the one with the A-frame detail.

Who would have thought it would be so difficult to get hold of some bits of wood! It should be here before Christmas, so then I can really get on with something. In the mean time I’ve been designing the rafters to go round the curved ends of the roof and generally faffing around on the computer, planning and designing!

I’ve also cut out the ply wood for the base plate, that’s the bit the bales will sit on.

 

I'll huff and i'll puff and i'll blow your house down

What button do you press to stop the wind blowing so hard?  

It’s getting very windy. Nature is doing its best to pull down my scaffolding and cover, but it hasn’t won yet. 

I’m still working out the timber frame design with the architect and getting prices for the timber. It sounds like it may take a while to get here, so I hope that doesn’t hold things up! If you would like to help decide the design of the timber frame, you can choose from A,B or C. Please send your choice in on the back of a fifth pound note and drop it round to me. 

A

B

C

Clearly I need help

As you can see I’m very happy that the design was finished AFTER I started building, meaning I’ve had to knock down some of the brick work, re-dig the foundation in the correct place and put the bricks back in there new improved position. This is all so the doors and entrance work properly and don’t fall down, it will also prevent any heat loss. 

Apart from this minor set-back, I’ve finished most of the brick work and put in the foam glass insulation blocks. I’m working on a model to help with the construction of the timber frame, because after meetings with the structural engineer and architect it’s all still quite confusing.

 

If you’re interested in helping me out, I could do with some company on these cold winter days, please get in contact. Also, if you’re just interested in having a look round to see what’s going on, then give me a call.

Email - strawmanbuild@hotmail.co.uk

Keeping the rain off

So, I’ve been doing more brick laying, I’m using naturally hydraulic lime mortar because it has been used to bind stone and brick for hundreds of years, and over its life time it will absorb almost the same amount of C02 that was used to make it. So, its way better than good old Portland cement!

The time came to get some scaffolding in and start building a sturdy frame to support the temporary roof. It needs to be a whopping 6 meters tall, and the cheapest solution was to cover it in polythene sheeting. It’s not the most eco material to use, but it keeps the rain off!

 

 

I got some help making the hoops and getting the sheet secure, it couldn’t have been done without everyone’s help, thank you all.

My pet peeve of the week is mud sticking to my boots, that makes more mud stick to my boots and that makes them ten times heavier.

View from the top.

Beginning

Introduction

I’m building a mud hut style, straw bale meditation space in the heart of Worcestershire. I am going to try and do as much of the planning and labouring as I can, but will definitely need a little help from my friends, to get me by. The building is going to be experimental, and have as low as possible environmental impact. I hope you enjoy watching it's progress.

So far, since we’ve had no real rain, I have cleared the site, dug the foundations, laid the foundations, laid the base block work and started the brick work course. All this is very important to ensure that the straw has a sturdy base that is well off the ground away from moisture. It’s been hard work, but I’m loving working outside because the weather has been amazing (so far!) 

I will try and keep you updated as much as possible, let me know if there is anything you want to know.

The JCB

Base

Block work