Since the workshop, Nick, Roger and Andrew (the brilliant roofer has
joined the team) have been hard at work putting on the lime render on
the
outside
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The first and second coats were pumped on using …
Awesome community-minded people turned up to do the workshop. The picture below shows the Saturday group. Some of these also came for Sunday's session and some new people turned up on Sunday as well. Nick gave a great teaching session about clay and the formulas required for the different coats …
Our house will have a lime render outside and a clay render inside. We have been busy filling the gaps between bales and between the window frames and the bales with cob. The process is a slurry coat which is just clay and water like a thick shake applied to …
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caption="House at end of working
bee."]
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The straw bale wall raising weekend was an unqualified success. All the bales, except for the last row, were in place at the end of the weekend. Our bedroom …
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.size-thumbnail .wp-image-193 width="150"
height="150"}As
you can see from the photos the roof is going on at a rapid rate due to
the powerhouse known as Andrew (the roofer). On Wednesday, March 10,
2010 the straw bales will arrive from Nanango. On Saturday 20 and Sunday
21 …
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.size-thumbnail .wp-image-188 width="150"
height="150"}Nick
and Roger are amazing. In the last 4 weeks they have managed to do the
deck, have the roof completed so the roofer can start and all internal …
{.size-thumbnail
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height="150"}Just
before Christmas, a wild storm swept through Conondale. I arrived just
after it had ended. I hadn't seen the carpenters' progress for over a
week so I went around marvelling at the progress they had made.
En-suite, walk-in-robe and the rafters though half …
Cooee wood oil and cleaner
I found an Australian certified organic paint that doesn't cost the earth. The straw bale walls will be rendered up to the pitching beams (far left). So Roger suggested I oil/paint them now as it would be easier than later. So at the Green …
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.size-full .wp-image-161 width="130" height="87"}Nick and Roger are
making great progress with the framing (left). Lovely straight posts
adorn our slab and define where our straw bale walls will be. The
Kurilpa bridge (right) is a pedestrian bridge in Brisbane …
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caption="Looking from dining to bedroom"]
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caption="ensuite"]
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In the wet areas and as thermal mass, it was decided to use timbercrete …
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.size-thumbnail .wp-image-149 width="150" height="150"}We now have a
slab with rods sticking our where the bales will go. Next week (from
9/11/09) we are going to start putting the frame up with the assistance
of a local carpenter, Johan.
Timbercrete blocks (for wet areas and …
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We are trying to keep our impact on the environment as low as possible, so we are constantly on the lookout for second hand items. Ebay has been great for the doors, windows, pavers (heaps) and some timber.
Some items I thought we were stuck …
Up until now I have left publishing on the blog to Mark, and I am sure you will agree that he has done an awesome job. I have had a nagging question/quandary regarding alternatives to PVC and Mark suggested I put it up on the blog to see what …