tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80950017414574254622024-03-10T00:19:59.147-08:00The Strawbale Cottaget and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-64747449064420804272023-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:002023-02-09T16:28:30.211-08:00To Naturally build or not? That is a very serious question.<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">To build or not to build</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a6a07240-7fff-7aeb-fedd-f36b0fcd969e"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I Was a Strawbale home design builder. I designed and built 8 homes, 3 of which i used REU’s or Rammed earth tires as a means to get above grade? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it cheaper to build naturally than conventional construction…Yes, but only if you do it yourself and no if you don’t. What is your time worth and do you have it!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As to building your own Natural home:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1] Building your own home is one of the most empowering things you can do. It will also be one of the most difficult, especially if you do not have experience. Having said that, a home will teach you how to build it, you just have to get started.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2] Building your home and the “SWEAT equity” that comes with it will be one of the greatest investments you will ever make.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3] A natural built home is very LABOR intensive. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4] Plan on giving yourself, at the very least, Two years to build. One for planning and design and a Minimum of one year to build and move in and possibly much longer to finish!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recommend Straw Bale as it has passed all ASTM standards and with flying colors! Lots of building Departments are aware of them and may allow them as are insurance companies and banks.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cons of Natural Building:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1] Very difficult to finance and insure. You must be persistent and don’t take no for an answer!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2] As such they are also harder to sell and as an investment will not be worth what a conventional new build home would be. So you must ask yourself…is this a place I plan on spending a large part of my life in</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3] Because a home is possibly the single biggest investment in your life and life is unpredictable, will this be a good investment for me in the long run. Possibly? If it is very efficient it may become more valuable over time as our paradigm shifts.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4] VERY LABOR INTENSIVE. Are you up for that?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pros: For a Straw Bale Home, as that is what I know!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1] Somewhat smaller Carbon Footprint.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2] Very Cozy, efficient, warm and snuggly in winter, cool in summer.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3] Artistic, Creative and Righteous!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4] Very Quite!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5] When done, you will love your home and it will love you back.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To Summarize; Building your own home can be one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life and also the most stressful. Be sure to not paint yourself into a financial corner by building a home that may be difficult to sell. Do your homework!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have the time and money to build for yourself and you want a very efficient home that will be comfortable in all seasons and you plan on being in that home for a long time then a Naturally Built home might be just for you, but remember, it might be just for you. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are building a home as an investment and are hoping to cash in on your sweat equity then I would think twice about building a alternative “natural home”</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-70554809588409262772020-05-28T16:19:00.001-07:002020-05-28T16:19:05.487-07:00Tooley's Trees<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy9trf5QoqIcwdcvcRE65M4K3az6rMxqEI6g_heDkqNuWPiUNOVUxLSVcVKUHnIJl0f8_LTKkDzjMxQYZW6zMqqOl_oQP7X-U6Ii8BcReOT5wkgYMuZxtpTANeaUOsHx_asdVmC2pR-A/s1600/1590705828541829-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioy9trf5QoqIcwdcvcRE65M4K3az6rMxqEI6g_heDkqNuWPiUNOVUxLSVcVKUHnIJl0f8_LTKkDzjMxQYZW6zMqqOl_oQP7X-U6Ii8BcReOT5wkgYMuZxtpTANeaUOsHx_asdVmC2pR-A/s320/1590705828541829-0.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><a href="https://tooleystrees.com/" target="_blank">Tooley’s Trees</a><br />
It’s spring, once more, it’s COVID 19 spring, forever to be known as the spring of 2020. This spring represents an awakening! A coming back to what is truly important. Family, close friends, the land. We are in the midst of a back to the land movement, yearning for and taking long hikes, learning how to be still and enjoying, if not appreciating, the great slowdown, people are diggin and digging gardens, and people are planting Trees.<br />
The Earth, Mother Earth, the Big Blue Ball, the Miracle of the Universe that without our existence would not, well….exist, she too is diggin the great slowdown of 2020. For my Wife Terri and I, life, for now, has not been that different aside from not traveling to see kids and grand kids, and not having our dinner parties with close friends, our life is not so different. We have always lived a “slower life”. We have always tried to “stop and smell the roses”. As a result our life has been quite rosy. Knock on wood! After all, life, like perfection, is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it.<br />
So this, now, brings me to my story. Today we are going to plant a few trees. Our Mother Earth Day if you will. Not just any Tree, but a heirloom Whitney crab tree from <a href="https://tooleystrees.com/" target="_blank">Tooley’s Trees</a>. I have known Gordon Tooley my entire adult life. We were roommates and climbing partners at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville Co. Even back then Gordon was an advanced being, a real soul-man, he had that twinkle, that spark, and he still does. To me he is an inspiration. A self taught naturalist, Botanist, who's mission in life is to take care of our planet, to be a good steward of the land and he does this with his trees, his stone fruits, <a href="https://tooleystrees.com/" target="_blank">Tooley's Trees</a>.<br />
Gordon is a natural teacher, he can’t help it. His enthusiasm for his vocation bubbles out of him like a spring, a spring of knowledge, and his love of the planet is infectious... Inspirational. To walk with Gordon is to saunter with a walking encyclopedia. Whether in his orchard or a saunter in the woods he can’t help but teach you something. What that plant is, it’s common and Latin names, what it’s uses are, whether it’s medicinal or not.<br />
The main lesson that we got from him this last meeting, the lesson that stuck, was that ½ of the world is Bare Ground and consequently is the leading cause of our climate warming. I’d never heard that before, but, if you think about it, it makes sense.
No Bare Ground, be a steward of the land, plant something, <a href="https://youtu.be/KRwwEQD8tGQ" target="_blank">plant a tree.</a><br />
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t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-14378673268715408322015-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:002015-05-19T12:03:41.701-07:00Ted Talks---how food is making us sick.<a href="http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/inspiration/how-food-is-making-us-sick.html"></a>t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-82620737982020103572014-04-02T07:21:00.000-07:002014-04-02T07:21:24.261-07:00A letter to congress.Increasing U.S. oil and gas exports to other nations will only accelerate fracking at home, transforming rural and impoverished communities into sacrifice zones and endangering public health, natural resources and local economies.<br />
The oil and gas industry claims that fracking for gas can lead to energy independence, but that is simply not the case if we're just going to export that resource abroad.<br />
Ultimately, approving and building infrastructure is a lengthy, expensive process, and the limited oil and gas reserves available under U.S. soil will not support the money and energy needed to ship it overseas. Instead, we should invest in renewable energy.<br />Not just renewables but responsible building practices that naturally will reduce the need for energy while increasing comfort. see: <a href="http://www.thestrawbalecottage.com/">www.thestrawbalecottage.com</a><br />
Why are we continually in such a hurry to use up our resources? If we are a country of conservatives, why can't we practice true conservatism and save our resources for a rainy day? The rich and powerful will remain the rich and powerful.!<br />There is only so much wealth [ resources ] on the planet why use them up all at once. Those are our resources and one of the many things that should help keep our country powerful.t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-85207634315542196602014-02-17T15:22:00.000-08:002014-06-25T15:57:29.298-07:00Strawbale Workshop Set for September 13th - 20th 2014<b style="font-size: x-large;">This Work Shop is Full. </b>stay tuned for future workshops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7ToFWStLnqgFi1PEC_b6gxCK28ueER9OYwmaYBO0yECUC64e6c2RDTCgN_E4zd_gGshmW8BKBvhhRw6-Frjtmj-KWkuCnY3Jeo_EbLlIWyYDiHqO_Huagm7OiGxUTVaqrdVxFY1j/s1600/stacked+bales+and+piles+earth+plaster+materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7ToFWStLnqgFi1PEC_b6gxCK28ueER9OYwmaYBO0yECUC64e6c2RDTCgN_E4zd_gGshmW8BKBvhhRw6-Frjtmj-KWkuCnY3Jeo_EbLlIWyYDiHqO_Huagm7OiGxUTVaqrdVxFY1j/s1600/stacked+bales+and+piles+earth+plaster+materials.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>This Workshop is designed for people who are truly interested in building Strawbale either for a home, shop or outbuilding. Whether you have been thinking about building it yourself or acting as the general contractor or having someone build for you the information that I share will be invaluable and hopefully will give you the confidence to take the next step towards building a home that is naturally efficient with a smaller embodied energy footprint. Much of what I will be sharing would apply to standard stick frame construction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzg-UO1axfCuB3VYcRjmcIdjx1iEQPLOUvW1Kg4iZ0nhnhNAASINLHvzPmBjUf8_4KbX_P6KZrhqPgGhvd4K-z2zZ83EIDebTp6a8or6WcHmb576LhPmjmkt6ix2K4Hb9a48I_Np7gwuG/s1600/cabin+w+addition+west+view+7-7-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzg-UO1axfCuB3VYcRjmcIdjx1iEQPLOUvW1Kg4iZ0nhnhNAASINLHvzPmBjUf8_4KbX_P6KZrhqPgGhvd4K-z2zZ83EIDebTp6a8or6WcHmb576LhPmjmkt6ix2K4Hb9a48I_Np7gwuG/s1600/cabin+w+addition+west+view+7-7-10.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>The Work shop will be hosted on my 70 acre off grid inholding called the Way Back Inn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For more info about the property see: <a href="http://www.thewaybackinn.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.thewaybackinn.com/</span></a>;<br />
<a href="http://www.vrbo.com/267299"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.vrbo.com/267299</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
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There is plenty of room for car and tent camping, facilities, and kitchen amenities.<o:p></o:p><br />
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For when a home dreams green it dreams strawbale ™<o:p></o:p></div>
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In this workshop we will be Building a small studio of my own design. The Studio will be approximately 200 sq. ft. The foundation will be of “Earthship Design” made of tire. Then we will switch to Strawbale for everything above grade.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Workshop participants can expect to learn my basic techniques for residential Strawbale construction from design to foundation to roof including electrical wiring in a strawbale wall and at the least a general overview of my approach to Natural Plasters and Finishes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Itinerary: Each Morning will begin with a discussion of Passive Solar and Construction design principles as it applies to Strawbale Building. Including but not limited to site location, infrastructure, building envelope, Vapor and moisture management heat transfer and how it relates to mass and glazing, plaster paints and finishes and myth busting ie…fire, earthquake, wind, moisture and engineer testing.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>I have designed the course so that Individuals may sign up for 1 or more days or the entire week.<o:p></o:p></b><br />
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Sat. 9/13<br />
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Arrival Set up camp,<o:p></o:p><br />
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Tour of property and it's infrastructure; Photovoltaic system, septic, gravity fed well and spring, Historic Log Cabin and Tyre Strawbale addition.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Discussion; an overview of what we hope to learn over the coming days.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Cost: $25.00 per person<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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Sun. 9/14 – Fri. 9/20<br />
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9:00 – 10:30 AM. Open Discussion; design principles etc…<o:p></o:p><br />
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11:00 – 12:00 getting that day’s job started; layout, assignment of duties, organization and work.<o:p></o:p><br />
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12;00 – 1:00 Lunch<o:p></o:p><br />
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1:00 – 5:00 Finally we’ll get something done!<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Cost $75.00 per person per day.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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$10:00 per tent site per day<o:p></o:p><br />
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$15:00 per person per day for meals. Meals include: Continental breakfast, Deli style lunch, and family style dinner prepared by teams to be determined at orientation.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">To register Contact me---Greg Walter @ 719-539-0420 or greg@wanderlustroad.com </span></b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.142857551574707px; line-height: 10.559999465942383px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span>or Fill out Registration form <a href="http://gregsworkshops.blogspot.com/p/registration-form.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;">About the Instructor: Greg Walter has over the course of the first decade of the 21<sup>st</sup> Century has designed and built from the ground up eight Strawbale Homes, three of which used tires for the below grade stem-wall / foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;">My interest in alternative construction or natural building goes back to at least my late teens. While living in Red Feather Lakes I was exposed to a variety of interesting folks who definitely did not fit into the normal social paradigm. From tree houses, to modern day homesteaders who were literally living off the land, to multi generation mountain folk whom had their own 19<sup>th</sup> century belt drivin, off grid machine shop and foundry. I was also introduced to books like Homework , Homemade Houses, and books that featured folks who had turned old trucks and busses into comfortable homes. As someone living on my own throughout my teens and early 20’s these all had a powerful influence on me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;"> Later on through my 20’s I would be turned on by the Earthship books by Micheal Renalds, Living the Good Life by Helen and Scott Kneering and Bill Mollison’s Permaculture: a Designers Manual. During this time I started to here of Strawbale. This was some time in the late 80’s and early 90”s and there was something that really rang true to me about that kind of construction. At the time there really wasn’t much literature on the subject but the idea--- it just stuck with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;"> At the same time I was finishing up a 10 year career in ski bumming and as I was nearing my 30’s I began to burn out on the lifestyle. I mean really, if you are thinking of yourself as a granola crunching, tree huggin, 3-pinnen hippy carrying the weight of the world----well, ya can’t be livin much higher on the carbon and economic food chain than living at 10,000 feet, riding a chairlift every day, and workin for tips off the more well to do folks of society. Or at least that’s how I began to see it. No offence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;"> So that’s when I decided to buy some off the grid property and take my own stab at “Living the Good Life” and sustainability and all that stuff that really is ever elusive and not that easy to attain. But, in my opinion is sure is worth the try. I mean you gotta believe in something. Right! Anyhow, I went about finding a local Strawbale Guru and a small little self-published guide called Build it with Bales by Matts Myhrman. Soon I found myself building a Tire and strawbale addition to an old historic log miners cabin that I was also remodeling on the property that I had purchased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;"> After starting that project I was approached locally by someone who wanted me to help design and build her home. It was also a tire and Strawbale hybrid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.39px;"> Ten years and eight homes later; which I designed and built, and with a lot of research and reading I now feel confident, inspired and obliged to share the knowledge and passion I have acquired.</span></div>
t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0The Way Back Inn38.5270215 -105.9223744999999938.526973 -105.92245349999999 38.527069999999995 -105.92229549999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-23735375963212734462013-12-20T09:04:00.000-08:002013-12-20T09:05:28.167-08:00Ted Talks. Save the bees-----says it all<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/I5ZIulOiHQI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>What this lady reveals in her ted talk and her closing statement, in my mind........is the solution!t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-85661132390016757762013-08-23T09:30:00.000-07:002013-08-23T09:30:36.033-07:00<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: rgb(223, 206, 168); mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Past Projects </span></b><br />
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<strong>The Thomas Residence<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymr181sqvZ7Ci9IeJVuxw8Ng0etuUv8I4aq9kgsWdxWikHJrzy-ZaI30Pmrk9FYIgKvBp9hQir66VS6AIXprsq-giu5B3ymAJa0MWLhwOnYDZfSzV9DlVzhprE7v2XdUgtRUEpeRljHk/s1600/Thomas+s.elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymr181sqvZ7Ci9IeJVuxw8Ng0etuUv8I4aq9kgsWdxWikHJrzy-ZaI30Pmrk9FYIgKvBp9hQir66VS6AIXprsq-giu5B3ymAJa0MWLhwOnYDZfSzV9DlVzhprE7v2XdUgtRUEpeRljHk/s400/Thomas+s.elevation.jpg" width="400" /></a><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For our second Strawbale Building in Smeltertown, we built a 1640 sq foot home for some more folks wanting to lower their ”Carbon Footprint”. The home is part of a piece of land that is also home to the Cox / Hvoslef project. It features, a variety of historic buildings that comprise of an old homestead. The home incorporates traditional natural plasters inside and out, an adobe earth troumb wall, in-floor radiant heat, solar domestic hot water, and 3000-Watt Solar Grid Inter tie system. This home also features a passive solar radiant air floor influenced by the work of James kachadorian’s in his book “The Passive Solar House”. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Built in 2008-2009; The Thomas’s Home has very clean lines. They wanted a modern, European look. To accomplish this we used no trim for baseboard, doors, or ceiling. The result; a nice clean simple finish. This Strawbale home is <a href="http://www.energystar.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Energy Star Rated</span></a></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVz82MiYQVF36dHFfIiFQz-zYO-cSNba0teG90xHfyW1B_V99UzRsBEJaXDO5lAhjyMpxjQ90ECKa-Xj6KeKdRdZaa4FNRN-6PJNaN_UuuaHqI8i-I1DbbZOXb9bY_qHWNq3sxCgg3zA/s1600/DSCF0699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVz82MiYQVF36dHFfIiFQz-zYO-cSNba0teG90xHfyW1B_V99UzRsBEJaXDO5lAhjyMpxjQ90ECKa-Xj6KeKdRdZaa4FNRN-6PJNaN_UuuaHqI8i-I1DbbZOXb9bY_qHWNq3sxCgg3zA/s400/DSCF0699.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><i><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Merry Cox and Eric Hvoslef’s Residence</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is an artists home with an artists touch. Definitely the most fun we’ve been able to have to date.! This pad not only has all the amenities that you expect from The Strawbale Cottage But cool touches through out. Such as; The grill of a 57? Chevy pick up with the chrome arrows saying Apache integrated in the main rooms plaster walls. The headlights work too! Tadalakt style shower walls, an old steering wheel incorporated into the truth window among other cool details.</span></i><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><br />
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t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0Salida, CO 81201, USA38.5347193 -105.9989021999999738.5098773 -106.03924269999997 38.5595613 -105.95856169999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-27115653655379008162013-08-15T08:39:00.001-07:002013-08-15T08:39:31.500-07:00Passive solar water bottle lightCheck out this 3rd world invention of the solar tube light!! has potential in any natural home. Will need to replace the water with alcohol or something but still ????<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914</a><br />
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<h1 class="story-header">
Alfredo Moser: Bottle light inventor proud to be
poor</h1>
<span class="byline"><span class="byline-name">By Gibby Zobel</span> <span class="byline-title">BBC World Service, Uberaba, Brazil</span> </span>t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-16966002913573580382013-04-18T14:32:00.001-07:002023-02-09T16:40:25.975-08:00Ok, Back to the business of building a tyre and strawbale hybrid.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ok, Back to the business of building a tyre and strawbale hybrid.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember; when a home dreams green it dreams strawbale.</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 18pt;">© gvroom</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0avoBq4-YLLLfU0NQ-TTbpZ3G0oZdUExcwLbUhIq22fF7WizZBB-6GjhQBG9C5nKYwcC1rTXOO1YnfHA4BkeK0mH_-pT8P8qoCB5R4qM-EjIlX8X-wxVaCin17q-NtUQFcuCLssclsFX/s1600/first+tyre.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0avoBq4-YLLLfU0NQ-TTbpZ3G0oZdUExcwLbUhIq22fF7WizZBB-6GjhQBG9C5nKYwcC1rTXOO1YnfHA4BkeK0mH_-pT8P8qoCB5R4qM-EjIlX8X-wxVaCin17q-NtUQFcuCLssclsFX/s320/first+tyre.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://earthship.com/" target="_blank">Micheal Renalds books Earthship’s 1&2</a> Had a huge influence on me and in my opinion a must read for anyone interested in sustainability, green and natural building etc… His concepts are sound and harmonize well with the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org/" target="_blank">permaculture</a> ethos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Personally I chose to build a hybrid using Earthship concepts below grade and strawbale above grade. I chose this option for a couple of reasons. One, packing tyres is a hell of a lot of work, and one only needs so much mass for an efficient passive solar home. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have since built 3 homes using tyres to get above grade. They work great when berming into the earth and honestly are not that bad to pack from the ground to about chest high. After that they get incrementally more labor intensive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkw5Ap9XBPFNmH1QntCaoMuxFpcODF6fAPY1uLt4O-sBBET7KzcCanh1p2Zoy8SZ6SgrFXjBxUm-c0MLhkod_rjhu_OFmLFGtrnFKyvdlxr-BccJMu5mS5QLPR5GbphH2-VXJgsdR8Z_I/s1600/tires+out+of+the+dirt.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkw5Ap9XBPFNmH1QntCaoMuxFpcODF6fAPY1uLt4O-sBBET7KzcCanh1p2Zoy8SZ6SgrFXjBxUm-c0MLhkod_rjhu_OFmLFGtrnFKyvdlxr-BccJMu5mS5QLPR5GbphH2-VXJgsdR8Z_I/s320/tires+out+of+the+dirt.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is important that you keep your <br />
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same level!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think tyres make excellent Foundations and stem walls. Unlike concrete which is brittle and therefore inflexible, tyres can move with the earth but because of their width still remain stable. And we all know that the ground is in a constant state of flux. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">When collecting tyres it is important to get all the same size. In my case they were R-75-15. You will want to learn what the most common SUV or truck tire is in your area, as they will be the easiest to collect. My county is rural with about 14000 souls and supports 3 tire stores. With that said I was able to collect 300 tires in about 3 weeks. Keep in mind these were all the same size tires. That puts into perspective how many tires we use and exemplifies the importance of finding ways to use this soon to become precious resource, and they make great foundations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">When prepping the ground to use Tyres or REU’s [ rammed earth units ] the same rules apply as to any other footer/foundation. The grade needs to be level and on “undisturbed soil” or packed to 50 psi per engineering specs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">This is usually done with moistening the dirt and tamping with a mechanical tamping device.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsBFGWf1-0w7RHwArU8c4pVO8YthTffbDey_Nw1wFPs7ZZ2gvffVTHtTRHgSmOXycpEuxvZ4nLg_ztw4gDT-5L9iWB5iKkZxgYLj2EUNXs53l3Bv-bWYfRL51Hzg6v6v9qFqA4N9__GR/s1600/tyre+corner.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPsBFGWf1-0w7RHwArU8c4pVO8YthTffbDey_Nw1wFPs7ZZ2gvffVTHtTRHgSmOXycpEuxvZ4nLg_ztw4gDT-5L9iWB5iKkZxgYLj2EUNXs53l3Bv-bWYfRL51Hzg6v6v9qFqA4N9__GR/s320/tyre+corner.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>In this photo we are building up our corners. Because I wanted my corners to be at right angles the tires would not overlap so we poured concrete 1/2 tires and tied them into the tires with rebar.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span> <span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My approach to packing tires is to use two people working as a team with one person on opposite sides of the wall. One person shovels and packs while the other pry’s open the rim of the REU with a pick axe. The shoveler first fills the tire and then packs out the inside of the tyre first by hand and then with a small 2 pound sledge hammer. This will fill the tire to nearly the required amount with the least amount of effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note: when the REU [R-75-15] is packed to 10” you have achieved the proper psi per engineering specs of 50 psi. [I have the specs on this and would be happy to share them]. It is also important that you keep each course on the same level. Sooo---always shoot grade and use string lines. We will be discussing more on this as we go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6on6Dr6gbF07rMXLem-TdX4TFINqlc7Psin_En_a_2tYevb0Wf3LrFa3HrCLGohYeCxQdfihQdg1nCUkwuTDOvS7hW8Gp82th2a8QeLD6EW2r91gCd49a4F9zuHFbWfEmrB7lkK9VQbEt/s1600/jumpin+jack+tyre.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6on6Dr6gbF07rMXLem-TdX4TFINqlc7Psin_En_a_2tYevb0Wf3LrFa3HrCLGohYeCxQdfihQdg1nCUkwuTDOvS7hW8Gp82th2a8QeLD6EW2r91gCd49a4F9zuHFbWfEmrB7lkK9VQbEt/s320/jumpin+jack+tyre.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">jumping Jack Tyre, it's a gas, gas, gas!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To finish packing the tyre to the required psi, overfill the tyre with your shovel, then use a “jumping jack” to finish packing the tire out. The jumping jack works great as it’s foot fits perfectly in the hole of the tyre and not only tamps the earth down, but pushes it out to pack out the sidewall. This is also a two man job. I found the jumping jack to be much easier than using a large sledge or pneumatic sledge to finish packing out the REU’s.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Using between 3 & 400 tyres in a project would take a crew of 6 people about a week to complete. The cost compared to what the same amount of mass in concrete would cost me with labor included.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One reason why REU’s work so well is that the rubber acts both as an insulator but also as a conductor. So as one tyre heats and becomes warmer than the tyres around it the rubber helps to conduct the heat to the surrounding cooler tyre.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv70v0slHvs-0WaEVHU7XS-sQ76p5ypIiQFAoAqiCZxEltKGVtaM-6fKNIg-gOvx96SXShbgN6ceJXir091uWdjCeLBsFxcYhlEix9MlGTt7vyB4jrV4644H_OfyEODaVs35BNoLYiXivU/s1600/top+course+tyres.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv70v0slHvs-0WaEVHU7XS-sQ76p5ypIiQFAoAqiCZxEltKGVtaM-6fKNIg-gOvx96SXShbgN6ceJXir091uWdjCeLBsFxcYhlEix9MlGTt7vyB4jrV4644H_OfyEODaVs35BNoLYiXivU/s320/top+course+tyres.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is about 500 sq. ft. and took a work party<br />
of friends a long weekend to accomplish what<br />
you see here.Oh! and a lot of beer.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Here we are on our last course of REU’s. In the background you see a packing team giving their last touch to a tire. Note the small sledge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the foreground you see rebar poking out of the tires. The rebar is beat vertically down through the tires to tie them all together. To accomplish this I used the same tool that is used for t-posts in fencing. The rebar is then left long to tie into the concrete bond beam.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">In this photo we see-----Jubilation!, and for good reason. We are celebrating the successful pour of the bond beam. Now this was no easy feat. First of all our forms left allot to be desired. The beam was formed on top of the tires, as wide as the tires, about 30”, and a foot thick [total overkill I might add], keep in mind that we are at the Way Back Inn and getting a cement truck up there, well that alone is asking a lot, not to mention that on that day I had a crew of two. Anyway, about the bond beam, the purpose of the bond beam is exactly as it is described; to bond the tires together and to create a level surface from which to build off of. Note the rebar sticking out of the bond beam. Those were for stabbing into the first course of straw to tie everything together. This I would later learn is not necessary and would not do this again on my next 7 homes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7-zkb3MOdzPR0tVR9Qqo1X9f9epdL9nb1BRoTeCioIUe89sx8Kpxiz6JW4ZLUic1NCJHBsMa6siK891dyannwxWjAWnK5F9kNy4XawP-DGzLvLs7s3wAY97xtLFlXhcErYg0EvHWE6vJ/s1600/east+bond+beam.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7-zkb3MOdzPR0tVR9Qqo1X9f9epdL9nb1BRoTeCioIUe89sx8Kpxiz6JW4ZLUic1NCJHBsMa6siK891dyannwxWjAWnK5F9kNy4XawP-DGzLvLs7s3wAY97xtLFlXhcErYg0EvHWE6vJ/w352-h236/east+bond+beam.jpeg" width="352" /></a><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">On my future homes where I have used tyres I would have the bond beam engineered to use a minimum amount of concrete. I think we shrunk it down to the size of a typical footer which is 8” thick by 16” wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XjtPSnFemNuYOfcBJScNJrR0G1EPn_u2-xmU-FCHtvqDe8hHr1nGM1pPw-qZMFuX9vW_jsKPNhBxaYbrzxgCpORYuVU1xhNXIyM4WP0ienMOEuaaEzz7hnyHTLk1es1CGUVISFSpCg8K/s1600/tyre+cob+w+kevin.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XjtPSnFemNuYOfcBJScNJrR0G1EPn_u2-xmU-FCHtvqDe8hHr1nGM1pPw-qZMFuX9vW_jsKPNhBxaYbrzxgCpORYuVU1xhNXIyM4WP0ienMOEuaaEzz7hnyHTLk1es1CGUVISFSpCg8K/s320/tyre+cob+w+kevin.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin is filling the v's with an adobe/cob mix.</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Now you can see in the photo above, the V’s or holes between the REU’s. Those need to be filled. On future homes I would use 2 ft. by 8 ft. strips of ply wood on both sides of the tyres. These would function in a couple of ways: They would act as a means for me to maintain level and plumb, and they were forms where I would pour concrete into the gaps between tyres after every course was packed. This method proved to be a much easier way to fill the V’s and resulted in a fairly plumb and square wall.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIjR6iI4lFD9oAqZfITYLCE3cW08CvWJVzbxr2KzGtNTpVHDJmET8Y3cs2kSaUHGn53frG4HcCbwH37Gr1e1nKYygGg4EySvzPiAB-BdJ5hZxJatl2qZXzdtVLFLT3OE9c09Xng1GFpsm/s1600/cob+tyres.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIjR6iI4lFD9oAqZfITYLCE3cW08CvWJVzbxr2KzGtNTpVHDJmET8Y3cs2kSaUHGn53frG4HcCbwH37Gr1e1nKYygGg4EySvzPiAB-BdJ5hZxJatl2qZXzdtVLFLT3OE9c09Xng1GFpsm/w320-h229/cob+tyres.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this instance be sure to install a good French drain.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Now one of the laws of thermal dynamics state that when two materials of different temperatures are touching, heat will got to cold and vice versa. So in the case of using mass as a heat sink for your home, unless you don’t mind the earth and or elements drawing the heat stored in your mass down to its temperature, you have to isolate/insolate your mass from these elements. If you do then the mass will maintain a consistent temperature based on the ambient temperature of your home. I highly recommend doing this. It is also important to create a moisture barrier between the earth and your tyre wall/footer/foundation. Condensation will eventually deteriorate the integrity of your wall and will also act as a heat syphon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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</o:p></span></span></o:p></span></span><br />t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com6Salida, CO 81201, USA38.5560641 -106.2051483999999838.1587911 -106.85059539999999 38.9533371 -105.55970139999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-52905131777652568822013-04-18T14:29:00.000-07:002013-04-18T14:29:26.504-07:00A word about Septic Systems<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zobbe in "The Machine" excavating leach field w/addition excavation in foreground and site level for grade.</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span> A word about Septic Systems: In my opinion a well built septic is a composting system. The tank captures the solids as well as acting as a grease trap, is periodically pumped and then composted at a municipal sewer site. The effluent then gravity feeds into the leach field where it can then naturally filter itself back into the aquifer. If properly installed and maintained these systems will last well over the 20 year span they are rated for. I like the concept of Composting toilet's, and grey water systems and have personally experimented with humanour and have been responsible for maintaining large volume composting toilets for <a href="http://www.summithuts.org/" target="_blank">Summit Huts</a>. These systems require lots of hands on maintenance and when not functioning properly result in handling raw sewage.! Although you may be up for the task the reality can be quite over whelming and is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. As for grey water systems the same hold true, and again, if not properly maintained will result in an anaerobic system that will not be healthy for you or your plants. Plan Wisely, not with idealistic lenses that may or may not be based in reality. Having said all that, I do believe that if we all dealt with our own feces/waste the world would be a better place.t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com1Salida, CO 81201, USA38.5560641 -106.2051483999999838.1587986 -106.85059539999999 38.9533296 -105.55970139999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-61558904035664260112013-04-18T14:26:00.001-07:002013-04-18T14:26:25.238-07:00 All Building projects begin with infrastructure. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now for the Tyre and Strawbale addition!</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhoFIU_Foh2P2SgtFf7L5o6njps0ErhGQo_k2TG0wCpIbmvAY9Tbq9qvFvqla2EIHrU03b69Hw5PTosjUtb3G1hrY_V57DOzINQ4SCwXfO7viPadTIkehq5vuezGrR-6PY8vuJVHiBk3P/s1600/IMG_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhoFIU_Foh2P2SgtFf7L5o6njps0ErhGQo_k2TG0wCpIbmvAY9Tbq9qvFvqla2EIHrU03b69Hw5PTosjUtb3G1hrY_V57DOzINQ4SCwXfO7viPadTIkehq5vuezGrR-6PY8vuJVHiBk3P/s400/IMG_1011.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note the large overhanging eves. A must for passive solar and Strawbale {helps keep the water away} Like us a good home likes a good hat on it's head.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The “addition” is built with an insulated Tyre foundation and stem wall to get me above grade and post and beam with strawbale in fill above grade. It has a clearstory roof for light and passive solar. Though I could not get true south facing exposure {due to geologic obstacles} it is built with passive solar principles, ie… solar alignment, proper amount of glazing {10-14% s. facing}, overhanging eve designed to shade in winter and sun in summer, mass, as in; concrete floor and tyre {REU’s per Michael Renalds Earth Ship specs} and a lot of insulation in walls and ceiling {strawbale for walls @ R30 +/_ and R 30 for Ceiling}. Note; it is important to insulate your mass / heat sink from the earth and elements to prevent conduction & therefore retain the comfortable ambient temperature of the interior of the home. I also prefer R50 in the ceiling.I will discuss these principles further in my Strawbale Cottage Blog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose of the addition was to house the kitchen, and bathrooms. Because we are off grid I wanted a place that would not freeze without the aid of a mechanical heater and take advantage of the abundant energy from the sun. Consequently it has never gone below 46 deg., the pipes have never frozen, and the plants love it.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Septic Tank Hole. if it caves, your dead!</td></tr>
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<br /> All Building projects begin with infrastructure. $10,000.00's of dollars will be invested in things that become buried, never to be seen again until something goes wrong. Plan wisely!<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaX55zxacLp_U1Vy-1FapB96a76ZZUshu5AEwBZ1RqGVVbLNNQRxvolIAu-i3GwCYnteUOYhDFGE8_aGve0uPKP9ZC3jL3U9wJY5zbyB4BBkhDhzkeZB582-5pc6E0LsEoqchyQV29Sf1/s1600/septic+trench.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaX55zxacLp_U1Vy-1FapB96a76ZZUshu5AEwBZ1RqGVVbLNNQRxvolIAu-i3GwCYnteUOYhDFGE8_aGve0uPKP9ZC3jL3U9wJY5zbyB4BBkhDhzkeZB582-5pc6E0LsEoqchyQV29Sf1/s400/septic+trench.jpeg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">line from septic tank to leach field</td></tr>
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<br /> Infrastructure involves; excavation, sewer, main water trunk lines, electric main, among other things.<br /> In this case, over the years I have dug and buried over 3000' of water line for both the gravity well system, and gravity fed spring.<br /> A Solar powered low flow well pump can typically pump up to 200' vertical feet from the static water line in the well. As our static line is 30 ft below grade that allows us to potentially pump 170' up. In this case we ran a 1/2" line up to a 1500 g buried cistern that is located 80 vertical feet above the cabin. Now, a home needs to function on a min. of about 30-35 psi and up to 65 psi. In a gravity feed situation your psi is determined by dividing the vertical drop from the water source by 2.3----. Since our drop was 80' divided by 2.3 that gives us a psi at the faucet of approximately 35 psi. and our shower, toilet, faucets, filtration system, all function fine with that pressure, thus eliminating the need of a power eating pressure tank for the home. Important in an off grid situation if you have the elevation to work with.<br /> Our spring functions in much the same way! At the source we have a 2 foot dia. by 4' in length perforated culvert buried vertically in the ground. The perforated section is in the top two feet with no perforations in the bottom 2 feet. This allows water to seep in through the perforations and then the bottom 2 ft. act as a sediment catch. At 2 feet down is the water outlet. the top of the culvert is then covered with a semi-permanent top with plastic sheeting expanding over the ground in all directions topped with gravel to prevent surface water from infiltrating the spring. since earth ie... gravel, sand, etc.. is the best filter this works quite well for keeping the water potable. For an easily read reference on how to do these sort of systems see: <a href="http://shop.realgoods.com/The-Home-Water-Supply-p/80205.htm">http://shop.realgoods.com/The-Home-Water-Supply-p/80205.htm</a> I Used an earlier version of this book to help me design our system.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6ruI02Eb1yTmnB1PlWNdKyiQvg-Gv8bldW8pDxWX6izq4f0Zu2XQ4D7euWKsg6b16cs3_ldXVhnJ5529t6DrbWRIiS8shpTBWaKOER5DcN_GWBSuDU8YYHg8xKWdAmE2YHl052AkN_Of/s1600/elec.+trench.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6ruI02Eb1yTmnB1PlWNdKyiQvg-Gv8bldW8pDxWX6izq4f0Zu2XQ4D7euWKsg6b16cs3_ldXVhnJ5529t6DrbWRIiS8shpTBWaKOER5DcN_GWBSuDU8YYHg8xKWdAmE2YHl052AkN_Of/s640/elec.+trench.jpeg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hand dug elec. trench. must be 18"<br />
below grade</td></tr>
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<br /></span><br />t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0Salida, CO 81201, USA38.5347193 -105.9989021999999738.5098768 -106.03924269999997 38.5595618 -105.95856169999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095001741457425462.post-58853213568253611722013-04-18T14:21:00.000-07:002013-04-18T14:21:21.964-07:00The Beginning of a dream or how i cut my teath on natural building<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I bought the land May 4<sup>th , </sup>1994 but this venture didn’t begin then. No sir. For me it began two years earlier, if not from the time I was born.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5HuCZRSzvT779eXPJDj8fD0KvddahsdX9dBn9koFz6KcAVrhW81vbY3uWXiKo9clFRkRo5TPzctCJO1f6kpZmV-LDlIbFWsUKipaNPE4KAW2Y8OC0Rl8O0DEVwtaUSHT9klPPoxm9IlU/s1600/destruct+construt+bd+rm.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5HuCZRSzvT779eXPJDj8fD0KvddahsdX9dBn9koFz6KcAVrhW81vbY3uWXiKo9clFRkRo5TPzctCJO1f6kpZmV-LDlIbFWsUKipaNPE4KAW2Y8OC0Rl8O0DEVwtaUSHT9klPPoxm9IlU/s400/destruct+construt+bd+rm.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">destruct before construct. this was an ad-on by the previous owner. he <br />
poured a concrete floor but built the walls on the ground, therefore they were <br />
rotting and had to be torn down and rebuilt on the existing floor. later I would<br />
have to put a foundation under it....another chapter. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like the sayin goes; how long did it take you to do this? My whole life, or 51 years as of this writing. Some things we were destined to do whether we know it or not. I always wanted to live off the land “sustainably” so to speak so I started out back in 92 or so looking for land from New Mexico to Idaho. This is the first place I saw. Nothing else compared, Seriously. I saw the potential but had no understanding of the can o’ worms I was openin, ahh, through the lens of youth and idealism. Oh well. Never afraid of learnin something new, nothing left to do but point em down hill and let er rip. Pick your line and shred it so to speak. Well here we go-----19 years later! Talk about shreddin some vert. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was the original rock fireplace. note where the rocks end. that was the original height of the cabin before the previous owner punched out the roof. the fireplace had to go because a]it was to big for the space and b] all the chinking had failed and a family of rats were livin in the cracks. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTurzy2uDVB8ID9Vmh_urKRCORDwG9N0IMPClONWnH0SZtvv08BC4z_CcQSGeLp2vrSrOLHtIiC_qCKPVO3tWrbTsge5dlEvCmgPeZv5jjxH9eRWRYC9ccm5cm3_5b3vrqWmgtCQbMmJPr/s1600/pre+slab+exc.+cabin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTurzy2uDVB8ID9Vmh_urKRCORDwG9N0IMPClONWnH0SZtvv08BC4z_CcQSGeLp2vrSrOLHtIiC_qCKPVO3tWrbTsge5dlEvCmgPeZv5jjxH9eRWRYC9ccm5cm3_5b3vrqWmgtCQbMmJPr/s400/pre+slab+exc.+cabin.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">After pullin out the unfinished dry wall and insulation in the gable's and ceiling, then cleaning out the hardened rodent piss and skat [this was 1994 the year of hantavirus]</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcItdV-WQIwshNgkUis0fYnTMbHjM2WgGo2GztoJxs8geBo3FW0j3Lc84Ir2NvzHugLogGCU4m47TCx0loIo7JEJ7rgVd-tjJjmuKrVcBjbS1O1HN6SB8lgul91C0ho0WM5vYKTVoUSmv3/s1600/removal+of+first+course+logs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcItdV-WQIwshNgkUis0fYnTMbHjM2WgGo2GztoJxs8geBo3FW0j3Lc84Ir2NvzHugLogGCU4m47TCx0loIo7JEJ7rgVd-tjJjmuKrVcBjbS1O1HN6SB8lgul91C0ho0WM5vYKTVoUSmv3/s320/removal+of+first+course+logs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">it became obvious that in order to prevent rodent infiltration we needed to pour a floor. also, the bottom course of logs as they were on the ground were rotten. had to go. we hand dug a footer/foundation and poured a mono-slab concrete floor. that was my first attempt at flat work. one of the cement truck drivers froze up on our road and then got stuck. we didn't finish the pour until midnight in what was the first snow of fall.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JvhM9QpNd3Ny4EJoG96NjmqwRyE2m7KnG0ZVaHaT_b1M3YHQgSj60ugmtzXpdWsVRryu-zg-uMjYEJ6XF8LLt77Zt5Q56U3KYqWRTKw3k8h1yxMes6Y5huLQil2CQeCMaqGZENKP_ihC/s1600/cabin+sepia.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JvhM9QpNd3Ny4EJoG96NjmqwRyE2m7KnG0ZVaHaT_b1M3YHQgSj60ugmtzXpdWsVRryu-zg-uMjYEJ6XF8LLt77Zt5Q56U3KYqWRTKw3k8h1yxMes6Y5huLQil2CQeCMaqGZENKP_ihC/s320/cabin+sepia.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This place was run down, I mean seriously run down. The cabin, an old miners cabin from 1880’s was, for lack of a better description, a wildlife refuge with every known animal in the region either livin, huntin, and defecating in there. That’s how porous the place was. And so it began, the openin of the can.-------enjoy the worms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As I said before the cabin was a wildlife refuge. To emphasize; soon after I had bought the place a buddy and I had been white water rafting on the Arkansas that spring day in May and it had been very wet! On our way back to the cabin it had rained enough that on one of the many steep hills leading to the place we were not able to get up because the road had simply got to greasy and we did not have 4 wheel drive-----yet. So we packed up our sleeping gear, food, etc.. and walked the last mile up to the place in the rain. Now normally we would have slept outside because the cabin really stank at the time, later we would find out why, but on this eve it was simply too wet to sleep outside as we did not have a tent. Later, once we were sound asleep there was a creature running over us in our sleeping bags and my buddy Mike, in frustration as we were very tired from the day’s activities, grabbed his shoe and started smacking around with it in hopes of hitting whatever creature was buggin us. At that moment I urged mike to stop till I could grab a flashlight to see what it was. I did, and what I saw in the dim light was a family of skunks! They must have been living under what was the wood floor at the time. Anyhoo, somehow I was able to coax the skunks out the back door. How we avoided not getting sprayed is beyond me but it was a very lucky day indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfqDl75Fbk4PcNvxA6X8TzD-PpxqZ5mStwM0LnBtHyEjI0hzT4Pfbvy6-vVWQCbIZWgEAadwm5OkS1zPNSoKoM1OtUPrsISH1Dqod8K3W_ggsJ9oJ0zws3P90w8YyjCIavvVdcpnhVaCo/s1600/stripped+cabin+interior.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfqDl75Fbk4PcNvxA6X8TzD-PpxqZ5mStwM0LnBtHyEjI0hzT4Pfbvy6-vVWQCbIZWgEAadwm5OkS1zPNSoKoM1OtUPrsISH1Dqod8K3W_ggsJ9oJ0zws3P90w8YyjCIavvVdcpnhVaCo/s400/stripped+cabin+interior.jpeg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9kE3xavzDjJbnKsNgxGLz4R62xEnb6eqsXdYBO53ULoePWu6t1UcD6CBNsa4xZxULpPYJ3nrpFJmZBvppf4DqZKl-VisBSH6gTgfgbKbe5wCaGfeIMdNNfnzSm_RmfZPGwOe3Jpegagh/s1600/ext.+cabin+sepia.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9kE3xavzDjJbnKsNgxGLz4R62xEnb6eqsXdYBO53ULoePWu6t1UcD6CBNsa4xZxULpPYJ3nrpFJmZBvppf4DqZKl-VisBSH6gTgfgbKbe5wCaGfeIMdNNfnzSm_RmfZPGwOe3Jpegagh/s320/ext.+cabin+sepia.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 18pt;">As you can see in this photo, though not as well as I’d like, that the chinking like everything else was in bad shape or non-existent and In fact had not been done since 1907. We know this because newspapers were used to fill in the gaps between the logs and were from Portland Maine dated 1907. When re-chinking I had found a recipe in the </span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Cordwood-Masonry-Housebuilding/dp/0806985909/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364152443&sr=1-2&keywords=rob+roy+cordwood" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="color: #004b91;">Complete Book Of Cordwood Masonry House building: The Earthwood Method</span></span></a> <span class="ptbrand5">by Rob Roy</span> <span class="bindingandrelease">(Jun 30, 1992)</span> </span></b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The recipe consisted of a typical masonry mix of sand, lime, Portland cement, but with the added ingredient of sawdust soaked in water and added to the mix. The mix was just right when you could make a snowball, throw it in the air, and upon landing only slumped a little bit but still held together. The sawdust helped with elasticity, and slowed the drying which improved the curing. After 19 years it is still holding strong! </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I would recommend this recipe!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk-k9xnCXKyZk2dUOJd27xBh1OmSh3ltILAAZwQ_CMmcTXDMg198Y8z5SSg06D908AiZsmMvqpLKsMm6U5bPu2bY5RB7J0OpPKF7Rvx5CvlS8g4eoEMHSQx63xZHJ-jQiQYpzHFj7v0w_/s1600/rock+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk-k9xnCXKyZk2dUOJd27xBh1OmSh3ltILAAZwQ_CMmcTXDMg198Y8z5SSg06D908AiZsmMvqpLKsMm6U5bPu2bY5RB7J0OpPKF7Rvx5CvlS8g4eoEMHSQx63xZHJ-jQiQYpzHFj7v0w_/s400/rock+wall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the orbs. This is a truly spiritual place.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Rock Wall you see here is of native stone and was built by my friend Mike “the skunk slayer” whom was a rock mason in Breckenridge before becoming head of Summit Huts. This is a free standing wall that separates the living room from the bedroom, is 18” thick, has shelves, crystals, antlers for coat racks built into the masonry. The main purpose of the wall was to act as a heat sink absorbing heat from the ambient temperature of the cabin, as well as to absorb heat from the wood stove. Though not a tromb wall it performs perfectly. Although like all mass, especially uninsulated it swings both ways. Ie.. it helps keep the place warm when the place is kept warm but also takes a while to heat up if it hasn’t been kept up, with warmth that is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rock used in this wall as well as our stem wall to substitute the bottom course of logs was selected for its near perfect brick <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shapes. In other words all the surfaces were flat and fairly square or rectangle.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC6I0oSN-qFCNP_qtGXcskOKLxqeE3wbWkBJxtNMZyObRZ41n4KTtbwE6_OgfaFa4aPmD65FQTRZIvpOPpjVCc8ATto_9djz6DQLuNJrh-W0ijqBIpbkyTOX-aiOywZSvJ3JD0eSxnaH/s1600/terri+priming+cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC6I0oSN-qFCNP_qtGXcskOKLxqeE3wbWkBJxtNMZyObRZ41n4KTtbwE6_OgfaFa4aPmD65FQTRZIvpOPpjVCc8ATto_9djz6DQLuNJrh-W0ijqBIpbkyTOX-aiOywZSvJ3JD0eSxnaH/s400/terri+priming+cabin.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Wife Terri. Master Plasterer, and Painter!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The interior of the cabin has earth plaster details where conventional building materials meet natural ones. The dry wall is painted with <a href="http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=88_117" target="_blank">Bioshield</a> Matt white natural paint {for both primer and finish paint} and then pigmented with Concrete mineral pigments. {A much cheaper alternative to buying pigment from bio-shield} I purchase these pigments from any concrete batch plant, or from <a href="http://blueconcrete.com/" target="_blank">Blue Concrete</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;">I choose this paint because it is truly odorless and economical.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ21qgDPLKn6cF7SoSbCB_u5MYmQzntyl9H70iBcseh6R-CuPwWOT8kcW9CasfgayvnbMUzIqiHnzf-az-EOcauGOjU6Jfq9sgdgiW4pQkpNA5TGkkq1qLlivq_tsVXo_jJ0j19yuF7smN/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ21qgDPLKn6cF7SoSbCB_u5MYmQzntyl9H70iBcseh6R-CuPwWOT8kcW9CasfgayvnbMUzIqiHnzf-az-EOcauGOjU6Jfq9sgdgiW4pQkpNA5TGkkq1qLlivq_tsVXo_jJ0j19yuF7smN/s400/IMG_2872.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finished!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7XdWN7Ib-sv5ipifIz7_XoE-VcRqy0LDMiOxdVdgSF5KHwQaALGZS33UzjoZjudp3bcxnQ2zQ7YmZKrxDea7JNfheZDARdsGik2jHgEpGkSdpqq4dt9gYSivJIMTkn2i01p39Tqs_EuC/s1600/living+room+w+loft+7-7-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7XdWN7Ib-sv5ipifIz7_XoE-VcRqy0LDMiOxdVdgSF5KHwQaALGZS33UzjoZjudp3bcxnQ2zQ7YmZKrxDea7JNfheZDARdsGik2jHgEpGkSdpqq4dt9gYSivJIMTkn2i01p39Tqs_EuC/s400/living+room+w+loft+7-7-10.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all the finish details are recycled or reused from <br />
previous job sites or salvage yards.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though the historic cabin part of the Way Back Inn is far from a well built passive solar home it functions perfectly well. What would I have done differently? Without changing the historical nature and feel of the cabin I would have insulated under the concrete slab as heat goes to cold and the earth will forever drink whatever heat you feed it. In the future I may consider plastering the exterior logs with adobe and a lime top coat to better insulate the logs and seal air infiltration between them. Then the logs would act more as an heat sink and less as a conductor of heat.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6grXYpKoGSqKg-ZQUESgigjWDnNrI1xMVrGq7hCup2ImiDEc43osFMLgzAaCiVU2r6yU84aqK-hAZuFQxd2QRmY_79e8o6I1DUzSZMXCKbPKHza9IFICnyxp9h29910sf3N476H4rWdEC/s1600/bd+rm+exc..jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6grXYpKoGSqKg-ZQUESgigjWDnNrI1xMVrGq7hCup2ImiDEc43osFMLgzAaCiVU2r6yU84aqK-hAZuFQxd2QRmY_79e8o6I1DUzSZMXCKbPKHza9IFICnyxp9h29910sf3N476H4rWdEC/s400/bd+rm+exc..jpeg" width="258" /></a><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At some point we had to pull a permit for the rehab we were doing to the cabin. The cabin actually sits on a rock outcropping and although the walls of the bedroom were on a concrete slab by the previous owner I still needed to put a foundation under it. So here is my friend Kevin helping me hand dig for the foundation </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbENvJQm95BQpwCpbgMSso11GR9gFi76Rhey2nLCNiDsDQzYAmS-0o_LZVHMsTR46NsuD83zyvRXXngBr1w1oPxdIH-1TSEgE26Rb_uePHujOWWZgBgIc5padlqn908VqYvWcoRO71Me8/s1600/bedroom+foundation.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbENvJQm95BQpwCpbgMSso11GR9gFi76Rhey2nLCNiDsDQzYAmS-0o_LZVHMsTR46NsuD83zyvRXXngBr1w1oPxdIH-1TSEgE26Rb_uePHujOWWZgBgIc5padlqn908VqYvWcoRO71Me8/s320/bedroom+foundation.jpeg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another successful back country pour.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbxHrGOqFFHGRhC3X72svIYC5wyTnSzzartFefH_cXPGieKnwqg7mcHTY85OWtQYuf2DZkBKSY31o__Av2_JRrk7iH3oR2sop4PtMXaxENLNi59h6jYJmRNCyNYty_plMFL1K9Gp-Ei1T/s1600/bd+rm+w+flashing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbxHrGOqFFHGRhC3X72svIYC5wyTnSzzartFefH_cXPGieKnwqg7mcHTY85OWtQYuf2DZkBKSY31o__Av2_JRrk7iH3oR2sop4PtMXaxENLNi59h6jYJmRNCyNYty_plMFL1K9Gp-Ei1T/s400/bd+rm+w+flashing.jpeg" width="255" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because of the elevation in relationship to the addition I would have a drainage problem. To remedy this I flashed with metal the first 24" of the bedroom walls.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note the evidence of 2" blue board at the foundation level and the over lapping flashing for drainage and water protection.</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODFQARxct32Yw4x_20CKVvEM2-CjinJZaRg13FOyX5e0nwD_RciEa2XdjcbER4Mb-VLkkNf1RrzP_nOQ8r4WDq8A51q5eDD2PsbMr5A9oq4upLamX2LCth4s9m5-NowJUzz7AasKSp3zw/s1600/bd+room+wall+insulated.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODFQARxct32Yw4x_20CKVvEM2-CjinJZaRg13FOyX5e0nwD_RciEa2XdjcbER4Mb-VLkkNf1RrzP_nOQ8r4WDq8A51q5eDD2PsbMr5A9oq4upLamX2LCth4s9m5-NowJUzz7AasKSp3zw/s320/bd+room+wall+insulated.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">After flashing, I then insulated the exterior with 2" rigid. The walls were built of two by fours, consequently it could only be insulated to R13 with fiberglass. by adding the rigid on the outside I now achieved a R value of 23 with no thermal breaks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ig5pM83LOGGb6xjFOGs6Q5rNpg93P37N6BzltzYIHXaNAldyND5Jj6hT9K5sKjjW6jJzVULYsQbXCzZNgTOnwUacJYmmhy7ElF2fhZO8Miq4HN2BT3bquQf2VK1JsOiKdTKCshpuL0b7/s1600/papered+foyer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ig5pM83LOGGb6xjFOGs6Q5rNpg93P37N6BzltzYIHXaNAldyND5Jj6hT9K5sKjjW6jJzVULYsQbXCzZNgTOnwUacJYmmhy7ElF2fhZO8Miq4HN2BT3bquQf2VK1JsOiKdTKCshpuL0b7/s400/papered+foyer.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Note the drainage pipe in the above photo. That would be used to drain water underneath the breeze way that is not yet built.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to do the same to</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">the foyer on the west side of the cabin </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa5JBto7aECmzMIlVRkhRh4J-CbnWUGMBQaJnmY9-flnwXmHuV0sBDeHHvHPIZloREggGijMhqDQsFTzdjHdOsmLqMoVK9LKPw6ZFSAooq4scWUSSmLR4ncOoNVDBwZHwUjtL7K50xebx/s1600/b+room+w+stucko.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa5JBto7aECmzMIlVRkhRh4J-CbnWUGMBQaJnmY9-flnwXmHuV0sBDeHHvHPIZloREggGijMhqDQsFTzdjHdOsmLqMoVK9LKPw6ZFSAooq4scWUSSmLR4ncOoNVDBwZHwUjtL7K50xebx/s320/b+room+w+stucko.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">A rough coat of cement stucko was added as a primary top coat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">This is before I had learned about Natural Plasters. </span>t and g Vroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615757078688176238noreply@blogger.com0Salida, CO 81201, USA38.5347193 -105.9989021999999738.5098768 -106.03924269999997 38.5595618 -105.95856169999998