cobbing

I got the chance to mix some cob this weekend to put on the wall of the Teahouse.  We paid a friend to put a real roof on the structure for us and when he did he pulled off the damaged bits.  Now they need to be fixed and I started the process.  I got four batches of cob on the wall.  Nothing today because it was misting and there were other chores to do.

As you can tell, I had help from the Small Mister.  He danced with me a bit and told me all about the consistency of the cob.  I just wish I understood his words.  All too soon he will be speaking our language.  My Beloved helped me move buckets as well as the Tall Short Person.  My Beloved actually had the forge going so everyone was in the backyard for a good part of the day.  

The process of cobbing is slow for me.  It works best.  I actually scared my Beloved while I was on the ladder.  He wishes to put the scaffolding back up but I think the ladder is working for me well right now.  The process is also rather soothing.  It is that getting your hands in the mud thing.  

I do hope to get more done and the walls done before it gets too hot.  But too hot may be tomorrow, even though it does not look like it.

We have a computer down so blogging this week may be catch as catch can.

cob oven

One of the columns my Beloved is building is going to contain on oven.  The columns are for a structure that will be his forge.  One is one more fire feature?  We bought firebrick this last weekend and made sure it was the right height.  My Beloved actually took his chain saw to the top of the column so that the oven floor would be level with shoulder.  I will not have to lift up when I place bread in it or when I take bread out.  Or maybe yogurt. Or pizza. Or a casserole.  Or a....

We put masonry sand in the shape of the oven on top of the fire bricks.  We used an old olive oil can to create the chimney.  We then covered the sand with paper.

My Beloved made a batch of cob with out straw in it in the mortar mixer (we are lazy.  we rarely foot tread cob anymore unless it is at a workshop).  We put the whole batch on top.  We just have to keep going up and finish the column.  We will also cut a door.  We just have to build the column up until it will meet the roof.  Then the oven can be used!  Maybe sooner.  We will have to see.

the rafters are up!

Russell and I got the rafters up on the Teahouse on Sunday.  Okay, so it was mostly Russell but I was the go to person to bounce ideas off, come up with knew ideas, and help move rafters.

 

It is a double reciprocal roof which is one of the strongest out there.

 

This is where the monitor is going to be.  

It does not look like much but Russell worked on it all day.  It also made him very happy.  More cob, deadmen, and lathes are needed but it is a step.  We may have a finished Teahouse by October, with many hours of plastering still to come!  That piece makes me smile even though I am short.  It is going to be hard to reach parts of the walls even on scaffolding. 

All the straw bales are covered

Russell and I have been working on the Teahouse together.  He gets the cob mixed and I help apply it to the walls.  He finally got the scaffolding at a level where I can easily get into the loft to work on the wall.  I still have issues reaching the outside edge but he finishes that bit.

The straw bales are covered.

We are at the point of designing the roof.  We are going to put a reciprocal roof.  We need to even out the top edge a bit and also cover the straw bales just a bit more.  The cob in some places is very thin or stair stepped over the bales.  

There are actually not that many resources on how to build a reciprocal roof but it is one of the strongest roofs out there.  We are coming up with ideas and Russell is very excited.

He also got to work on knives yesterday.

I would say that we had a good day. 

Teahouse building weekend number 2

The second weekend of building on the Teahouse did not have any participants but Russell and the support staff.  I am the support staff.  Or in another words, I make sure there are crockpots full of food for hungry tummies and to make sure the fuel can be used for building.  I do admit that it was very humid and hot this last weekend so I did not blame anyone for not working outside.

That said, Russell got four batches of cob put on the Teahouse on Friday.

Saturday we had the house warming to go to and errands run so not much happened.

Sunday, Russell again worked on the Teahouse and I did support staff duties but added in all the tasks that need to get done for the week.  Many of which will have their own posts in the future.  But, I did finish my tasks in time to help with the walls.

Russell mixed clay, sand, and water in the mortar mixer. 

He then poured it on to a tarp and we treaded in straw.  Basically, dancing in mud!  A very good work out!

The cob then goes on the walls.  I needed help on to the loft because all my hand and feet holds are no more but we got the batch of cob on the wall.  I cob faster then anyone else Russell has been working with.  He felt like he had to be almost continually hauling up half five gallon buckets of cob to keep up with me.  I know what I am doing and I like things to do with mud.

 

Soon all the straw will be covered and the roof will go on.  It is a lovely space.