foundation

Well, finally the foundation is progressing. I finally have the keys in place and starting to fill it with rocks. Next step is to put a concrete topper of six inches to attach the logs. I am also in the process of making a cob bench between two trees. I am taking pictures, but it is difficult to upload them from the library computer. My next project is a cob bread oven, for making bread and pizza. I have assembled our rocket mass heater out of the house first, in order to see how it functions, and to make any adjustments that would be necessary. I know it must be hard to picture such a house or bench from just the words, but it is going great, and I will find a way to upload pictures, eventually.

Time

Well this is a good or bad time for me. I was just terminated from my position at the Day Care, since we are an at will state, they gave no reason. So now I have a lot of time to get going on this house and have a place to live before winter. I am continuing to find bricks for our outdoor stove and our indoor heating system. I still need to find some logs for the roof and our loft for sleeping. I have located some windows and some window glass and still in search of a few more doors. I have created a list of things that I am looking for and posted it on the local grocery store window. In hopes that someone will be cleaning our their garage and find something that I could use and will put to good use. It will be difficult to get pics up on here since I do not have a great camera, but I will continue to use my phone for those types of things.

Foundation keys

I have been looking for a few scraps of plywood or metal to hold the rock rubble foundation, while I fill it with rocks now, the other side will fallout if I do not have a brace for when I add on later or next year. I have found some metal and found a few pieces of plywood just today. Now I can get to some serious dirt sifting and add to the rock rubble foundation. I can't help but think this is a lot of work and it is taking a long time. But, when I moved here it was to build a house first and foremost. However, I found a job that has consumed a lot of my time(especially through more education) and I am left wondering if I will have a house this winter, is my job really more important than my having a home, should I quite for a while and finish the house? please feel free to add a comment about this dilemma. Sometimes I am too close to the issue to see it clearly, and could use some advice from my friends. thanks so much.

Hello to all:
I know I have not been on here much lately, wish it was because I was building. I still do not have a completed foundation. I decided to add a greenhouse addition for next year, and needed to add the keys into the foundation, so it will be easier to build later.

That is the first keys that I put in for a bedroom later, there are two of them but only one in the picture. The next image is of my drain line that will go on down the hill to a gray water holding tank.

So far I have not found a drain for the bottom of the foundation to make it a french drain. I may just go ahead and use flat rocks, or bricks to finish it off, so that I can get started on the rock portion of the sifting.

Foundation and classes

Well my foundation is going great, but taking another o9nline sollege course is interrupting me a bit. It is an intensive writing course and I am already bogged down from it. Hope to get some balance back in order and continue with the filling of the foundation trench and topping it with a limecrete base to start the mudding.
As for classes, right now they are free and we are calling them mudding parties for all my friends who are interested in the whole process. Next year it may be a different story. If you are interested and want to come to a house site and see it first hand, call me, at 719-937-3327. If you are out of the area just keep up with this blog and possibly I will start videos on youtube under my pinkrosebud88 name soon as we are mudding. You can always come visit me I will give you directions and my address when you call. Happy House building to all.

Foundation (complete)

Well this weekend was Mother's Day, but I still worked on getting things done to complete the foundation. The circle is complete and we are getting ready to lay the bricks for the drainage system, and I built a sifter to sift all the dirt extracated from the trench. These rocks will then go back into the trench to make the rock rubble portion. Then afterwards we will lay the limecrete and start the stem wall, then finally we get to the mudding.
I know I have not posted pictures in a while so this week I will take more and post them soon.

Pictures of my Hike on Easter

On Easter my son and I hiked up to the top of the Mountain, that is behind our property. The hike took us about 2 hours to get to the top, which is about 10,000 feet above sea level. I took some pictues while at the top of this mountain, and here they are.