Wednesday, January 30, 2008

plaster party, part ii...

























A few more pictures of the scratch coat. Tomorrow they'll commence the brown coat, where they'll even out the walls somewhat.

Picture #1 shows our truth window. For the time being, we've just blocked it out with a scrap 2x4 frame. Once the plaster is up, we'll pull the 2x4s out and replace them with a frame and hinged door made from barn wood.

Monday, January 28, 2008

snow and larceny




Snow, and a burglary of our nursery office, have kept things from moving too quickly of late. Photos below show momma-to-be Christie manning the tractor, the house as seen from the nursery and covered in snow, and me carving out a niche in the strawbale. Tomorrow the plasterers are supposed to begin the scratch coat on the interior strawbales.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

gratuitous floor shots




Some of the colors and textures seen in our ferrous sulfate stained, acid stained, newly sealed floor.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

floors and eave vents



The weather has turned for the better. Cedar siding work has resumed. The first photo shows how we are detailing the under side of the vented eave. The second shows Christie applying our water based concrete sealer. The color is a combination of ferrous sulfate (rust) and Mahogany colored acid stain.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

kitchen notes




Not our kitchen. However, this picture (at bottom) shows the IKEA Adel base and upper cabinets we purchased for our kitchen.

For the counter tops we're considering granite or a composite recycled paper / resin product called Richlite.

For the Richlite counter top we are considering either a charcoal color or a nice sage green. (see examples)

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

fighting with the elements...


The weather has been terrible for the past month. The whole construction site is a muddy swamp. Our friend Chad braved the the elements long enough to take this photograph with digital SLR camera. Exterior work has ground to a halt while we wait for a break in the weather. Inside we've commenced the annoying process of never ending sweep / mop cycles, with floor staining in between. At first blush, the Ferrous Sulfate seems too orange (ie, Ronald McDonald's hair orange) for our tastes. I'm hoping one or two more sweeps with the mop will tone things down a bit.

If you're wondering when the plaster is going to be applied to the interior of the house - we are too. Three plasterers are supposedly going to give us numbers this week. We hope to get going next week, once the floors have been covered up.


(More of Chad's photos can be seen at www.witnesstobeauty.com)

Saturday, January 5, 2008



Some quick pics showing the T&G pine ceiling in the living / dining / kitchen area. Below, T&G cedar siding on one side of the clerestory walls. (The gray below is stucco covering the strawbales.)