Strawbale construction diary

sunrise

2008-07-02T21:05:00.001-07:00

Sunrise filtered through smoke makes for nice art on our entry hallway wall.

Other photos show our hallway book shelves (minus the ultimate built-in book shelves, but providing space for cd shelves at the moment).

The tree is one of many sitting in pots around the courtyard (and around the entire house) waiting to be put into the ground.

smoke

2008-07-01T06:11:00.001-07:00

Smoke from Northern California wildfires. At first glance, I thought this sunset was actually not the sun, but the moon.

Esmé

2008-06-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

The newly born Esmé Haysel Ann Mackison...

- yellow

2008-05-23T10:43:00.001-07:00

Photographs showing the 'finish' stucco coat. The color is a mix of yellow with some added sienna pigment worked into the surface. It should become a little less intense as it drys over the summer.

getting ready...

2008-05-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

The three bedrooms, the kitchen, plus one bathroom are more-or-less done at this point. The plasterers are set to apply the color coat on the exterior this week as well.

Outside, temperatures soared to 100 degrees over the weekend. The much ballyhooed strawbale walls lived up to their reputation as the temperatures inside nudged only a few degrees higher to around 74 degrees.

misc. photos.

2008-05-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Photos from two recent outings. First, Christie and myself at the Oregon coast. I don't think the picture does justice to exactly how windy is was that afternoon. Second, visiting our Friends Becky and John in Bend, Oregon. Photos show Christie and Beckey, and Christie with sisters Ame and Stacey.

Below, photographs showing the pendant lights hanging off a beam above our (yet to be assembled) dining room table. Also, a large crepe myrtle we transplanted into the courtyard.

No furniture? -- no problem...

2008-04-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

After nearly 3 years inhabiting a rickety fifth-wheel Fleetwood trailer, a lack of appropriate house-scale furniture is not really a problem for us. (Note the old pear crate used as a night stand.) After all, when the wind blows our house no longer lists and shakes.

new stove...

2008-04-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

The new RAIS stove was delivered yesterday. It will ultimately reside in this corner, though probably a little further out from the walls. We'll wait until the weather has dried out before we cut the hole through the roof where the chimney goes...

kitchen island and lights

2008-04-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Getting the pendant fixtures installed has proven to be quite a chore. There are two more still to go up above the island. The light at the top of the beam is a spot light that shines up onto the T&G ceiling - there's one over each beam. The kitchen is done except for toe-kicks and sliding in the dishwasher.

more kitchen...

2008-03-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Two more photographs. The Paperstone countertops were amazingly heavy, but otherwise installation was uneventful. The IKEA farm sink looks great nestled in beneath the kitchen window. The island is approx. 5 ' x 6', with lots of room for newspapers, coffee cups, miscellaneous paperwork, and food prep.

kitchen sneak peak...

2008-03-14T15:53:00.001-07:00

Photographs showing the half completed kitchen cabinetry. The Paper Stone counter top is scheduled for delivery next week. Also shown are the powder room door - glass to be frosted eventually - and the baby's dresser and assorted goodies.

ceiling fans...

2008-03-08T14:25:00.001-08:00

Trying to find a ceiling fan that is 1) modern, 2) simple, 3) warm (ie, not too modern), and 4) doesn't look like a prop from Gone With the Wind. If we can actually find this animal (seen in photos) locally and get a better look at it, it might do the trick. There are 2 ceiling fans in the vaulted living / dining / kitchen wing. Having the up and down lights (each operates individually) would be a bonus.

2008-02-26T18:24:00.001-08:00

Two pictures showing the finish plaster coat. Picture one shows a somewhat rustic niche in the spare bedroom. Picture two shows the bookshelf hallway - minus the actual book shelves. BUT, look closely and you will see an illuminated ceiling light at the top of the frame. That's new. There are also some switches and electrical outlets scattered about. Good times.

IKEA assembly line...

2008-02-17T17:55:00.001-08:00

Sunday afternoon marked a break in the schedule - time to begin assembling the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. There's a LOT of flat packs laying around the living room at the moment. By the time we broke for dinner we had assembled three kitchen base cabinets and this bathroom vanity (seen below). It will hopefully only take a couple weeks of evenings and Sundays to get everything more-or-less put together...

plaster before and after

2008-02-13T19:17:00.001-08:00

Race to the finish...

2008-02-09T19:27:00.001-08:00

Who is growing faster, Christie or the eucalyptus? Christie or the nursery straw bale house? For sure, one will be done by June, and it probably won't be the house. After an amazing 2 weeks - which saw the plasterers scratch and brown the entire interior of the house -the sun came out and the plasters scattered to complete exterior work elsewhere. It's unfortunate, but we're still happy with them and their work. Though, one thing we didn't count on was the interior of our house turning into a steam shower. Water from the plaster condenses onto windows and doors and is soaking the (unstained and unsealed) wood - to the point where doors and windows aren't operating properly, are sticking shut, or - if they are already open - not closing. My new morning coffee ritual is to take two large, dry beach towels to the house and sop up all the moisture off the wood. Once the sun is out, I open up all the doors and windows and try to let them dry out as much as possible. If the plasters return, we'll start assembling the kitchen next week.

bright and shiny...

2008-02-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

plaster party, part ii...

2008-01-30T18:18:00.001-08:00

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.

beginning interior plaster...

2008-01-29T16:53:00.001-08:00

Yahoo!

snow and larceny

2008-01-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

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.

gratuitous floor shots

2008-01-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

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

floors and eave vents

2008-01-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

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.

kitchen notes

2008-01-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

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)

fighting with the elements...

2008-01-09T06:48:00.001-08:00

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)

2008-01-05T12:53:00.001-08:00

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.)