So, I finally got around do driving that log that Pam peeled and shaped, into it's place. It won't move!

Next you can see that we are finally getting some of that green metal roofing on. It is a banner day for me, as I have spent a lot of time worrying about the rain.

Finally you see a series of photos of what will be a cob tromb wall, to absorb both the sun's heat and that of a wood stove, for later radiation. Our friend Kiko Denzer (ret hat) got 3 intern volunteers who were visiting for a couple of days, and they got a good start on what will be an 8ft. high piece of wall (fastened to the steel wall behind it. Pam (last photo) is preparing twine ties to work into the cob for stability,

So, here you can see me and a friend and the framing I have added to finish off the roof where it partially covers what will be the balcony for the upper bedroom.


Next you can see the final roof line as seen from the west looking east. And, you may notice that we have added something important and new - - the insulated chimney!!! When the metal roof goes on, it gets sealed with a special high temperature "rubber" flashing.

peeling a log

We've been a bit remis in making postings lately, but we've been busy. Here you see Pam trimming a flat side on a log that will go in the entry across from the existing one. It is not as easy as it may look.1

cutting the first opening

So, it will be obvious from the photo what has happened!! We finally arrived at a point where we could make the first cut-out of one the walls of a container (the 40 footer). Cutting it out wasn't such a problem, but putting the chunk that we removed up on the balcony where it will serve as a deck to receive the mortar and tile. It was fairly heavy and really awkward to deal with, but we did it with the help of Son Aaron"s brawn and his tractor. It needs a bit of welding yet, but it is in place.

Next you will notice that tar paper and plastic are beginning to envelop the place. as we are entering a week long series of showers.. And last of all we received the metal roofing that we will put on when the rain allows.

Stay tuned. During the rain we will work inside and put in bathroom walls.

sheathing to protect the bales

So, since the weather shifted in our favor, we layed in some bales and then were in a bit of a rush to get them covered. As you can see, Pam was right up there on the roof driving nails. Now we don't have to worry so much about getting water soaking down into the middle of a bale.

You might like to see the view that the house has every morning as the sun clears the ridge. There is a pond over there that can be seen from what will be the upper bedroom and it's balcony.

bales and rafters

We also got some rafters up on the upstairs ""dormer" room, and, of course, worked on more bales. If all goes well, tomorrow we will get some plywood sheathing up to protect the bales from inclement weather.

pegging straw bales

So, son Aaron and daughter-in-law Autumn came to the rescue. It was just what we needed.

In the above photo you can see Aaron pushing the "bale needle" through so that we can tie a bale to the wooden corner column.

Now you can see Aaron driving a peg through a window "buck"or rough frame into a bale to stabilize the wall. The wall gets tied and pinned both vertically and horizontally, even though it is not load bearing.

straw and such

So we have finally gotten to the point where we can put some straw bales in place. Of course we are counting on the weather being good for the next few days, which is a bit risky here near the coast. Yesterday it rained! That is Pam putting the first bale in place. Pretty exciting.

But, after my moment of euphoria came the hard work and we soon realized that we've gotten older and these bales were going to take us a lot of time. In case you haven't had a bale in your hands lately, these are two string bales, approximately 48in. by 24in. by 16in. and they can weigh 80 lbs.

stone terrace

Pam started backfilling around the part of the cabin that will be buried and began to find quite a bit of stone. Since we had the idea to have a terrace off of the lower bedroom, we decided to begin it with a stone perimiter (the ground slopes down and away from the bedroom). So, whenever she finds stone with the tractor, she puts it in the bucket and hauls it over to the terrace area. If we don't have enough to fill all of the space, we will fill the rest with urbanite and or gravel, and then, as it becomes available, pave the terrace with flat stone.

dormer

Now finally you can see that we have started on the small dormer room. It was going to be a loft, but we thought about it and realized that for a $100 worth of lumber (and a lot of our sweat) we could have a real room up there. As you may know, the Oregon building code specifies that the overall ceiling height must be an average of 7ft 8in. That allows you to have a low ceiling where a dormer comes out and still squeeze that upper room in.

So, stay tuned for more changes after Labor Day. There will be a slight pause for some burgers!!

pull!!

I was hoping not to fall when I was doing this. I saved the first rafter till last because it gave me something to brace against for that rather touchy location. Notice the joint we made so that the 20ft board could become a 25 ft board and look good! It is easier to do it with something like those 8in. GRX screws.

And somethimes there is nothing like a little help from your friends!

Beam ends and rafters

Before putting up the rafters, we also decided to fancy cut the ends of the large (4x8) beams that will attach to the rails of the containers and bear the rafters. Then, it was the struggle to get the rafters up and in place.

rafters

Finally we are making some visable headway!! Here I have started cutting the tails on the 20ft 2x12 rafters (that is why most people use trusses). It is about all Pam and I can do to get them up onto the edge of the container to take them up for mounting.

But, while we were at it, since we finally got the long lumber cleared out of the 40 footer, I wanted to find out how difficult it was going to be to cut out a portion of the side where the livingroom will enter the container. Lots of sparks! Obviously, if you are going to build one of these hybrids yourself, you must be able to weld and cut.