As portrayed throughout the website, I have moved toward a low cost, low impact, low throughput lifestyle (for more information on low cost, low impact, low throughput -The History of the Yurt . I became really excited when Mary’s daughter Megan wanted to embark on such a journey. She purchased a parcel of land located next to ours and wanted to build a house based on these principles. I expanded on all of the virtues as we (Megan, Mary and I) began the process of building the house. The house would be 20 feet by 20 feet, with a 10 feet by 10 feet room to house tanks for water collection.
The house was to be modeled after our straw bale octagon only it was to be a simpler rectangular design. The first step was to order the marble for the foundation (for more information on not digging for the foundation -The True Foundation of Building). Due to inflation the cost of the marble had skyrocketed from $45 to $75 dollars a load making the total cost of the foundation at $150 for two loads of marble.
Right away Megan had to develop new skills. The full marble pieces weighed 220 pounds and she had to learn how to move them into place using momentum, bars, and brute force. The foundation had to be level and square with the correct dimensions so using various tools became part of the everyday process.
The house was to be modeled after our straw bale octagon only it was to be a simpler rectangular design. The first step was to order the marble for the foundation (for more information on not digging for the foundation -The True Foundation of Building). Due to inflation the cost of the marble had skyrocketed from $45 to $75 dollars a load making the total cost of the foundation at $150 for two loads of marble.
Right away Megan had to develop new skills. The full marble pieces weighed 220 pounds and she had to learn how to move them into place using momentum, bars, and brute force. The foundation had to be level and square with the correct dimensions so using various tools became part of the everyday process.
 Two loads of Marble |  Megan moving the marble |
 Stacking the marble |  Building the corner |  The corner is square and at the right height |
 Using a square to mark the beam |  Cutting the beam with a chain saw |  The plate is almost done |
When trees were felled it was Mary’s job to drag the logs out of the woods using chains and the pickup truck then to strip them of bark using a draw knife. In the next few weeks Mary’s hands and arms turned black with sticky pitch that would not wash off. At first she would laugh and hold up her hands and say, “let me hold your baby”, and Megan and I would laugh. As the weeks wore on the amusement diminished.
Megan hewed the beams using an adz (for more information Volunteers for Peace, Part 1 - Hand Hewing and Building a Foundation ) and had to learn how to use a chain saw. As time went on she became more proficient in her work. The logs piled up and we all began to realize that this was much more of a job than any of us thought. As the frame went up there were still more logs needed for the joists, collar ties and knee braces. All the positive virtues explained in the beginning seemed to fall away and we reached a low point, however we still had to press on to get ready for a planned work party.
Megan hewed the beams using an adz (for more information Volunteers for Peace, Part 1 - Hand Hewing and Building a Foundation ) and had to learn how to use a chain saw. As time went on she became more proficient in her work. The logs piled up and we all began to realize that this was much more of a job than any of us thought. As the frame went up there were still more logs needed for the joists, collar ties and knee braces. All the positive virtues explained in the beginning seemed to fall away and we reached a low point, however we still had to press on to get ready for a planned work party.
 Mary drags the logs with the truck |  Meg guides the log into place |  The beam is raised into place with pump jacks |
 The house starts to take form |  A ramp is used to move the joists to the second story |  The knee wall is started |
Mary’s son Clyde came up from New York to help with the joists and it was just what was needed. New energy brought back the positive attitude. A week before the work party my son Chris and my grandson Sam also came to help. With the change in attitude and extra help we accomplished so much every day. As the work party weekend approached we began to install the rafters. It was finally starting to look like a house.
 Chris looking at the progress |  Sam up on deck |  Using blocking, jacks and muscle, the beam is fitted |
 Raising the rafters |  The roof takes shape |  Meg attaches the rafter with timberlocks |
It was Friday of the work party and we were all exhausted. Friends and family were to arrive that night and camp out. I was sitting in a chair too tired to go to bed. It was raining and I thought I’d better make the move to the bed before anyone came. As I thought about my move a car drove up. The next thing I knew I was out in the rain helping everyone get situated. It’s times like these that the virtues of low cost seem to disappear.
The next two days were so inspiring. We had a full crew that knew what they were doing and everyone had their own ideas and knowledge. We pieced these ideas together and made getting the roof built exciting and enjoyable. We worked, we ate, we laughed, what more can you want?
The next two days were so inspiring. We had a full crew that knew what they were doing and everyone had their own ideas and knowledge. We pieced these ideas together and made getting the roof built exciting and enjoyable. We worked, we ate, we laughed, what more can you want?
 Yes, it's starting to look like a house  |  Ricky, Tara and Meg stand up a rafter-heavy  |  Ricky measures for the rafters  |
Clyde cuts boards for the Working together the process Nailing the boards on the roof
roof became easier
roof became easier
After the work we all settled in for good food and conversation. Thank you all for all your help. Others were involved that are not included such as Ezra (Megan's brother) and Justin (friend) but I guess regrettably we were too busy to take photos. Mary and I are going on a long bike ride across the country from California to Florida and Megan is going to live in our house for the winter months. Next year she will finish part of the house and live in it so the story continues. Mary and I hope to write about our trip in this blog. Stay tuned for our ongoing adventures!
RSS Feed
