April 12, 2014 is set to be the BIG DAY!!!

After meeting with one of our consultants, Jay, from Blue Rock Station this past Monday, we now have a "start date" for the building of our Earthship!!!!! (I cannot insert enough exclamation points to highlight my excitement)!!!  Jay and Annie are planning on holding workshops throughout several of the main stages of our building process for people who are interested in learning the skills to build an rammed earth tire home.  The cost for participants will be $35 per person per day which will include breakfast and lunch, a full day of hands-on experience learning the skills of building a rammed earth tire home and a wealth of information from Jay and Annie who have built their life around sustainability.  The first workshop is the 2-day Rammed Earth Tire Building workshop which will take place on April 12-13, 2014 and will mark Day 1 of our build!  The next several workshops will take place over the two or so months following this first workshop and is set to end with an Earth Plastering and Bottle Wall Construction Workshop sometime in late June or early July 2014.

The following is the current, tentative schedule for workshops to come:

• Saturday, April 12, 2014 and Sunday, April 13, 2014- Tire Foundation- this 2-day workshop is set to cover the following topics:
• Site selection and preparation
• Tire selection and basic Earthship construction concepts
• The art and science of pounding tires
• Water issues and "French" drains
• Concrete "half-tires"
• Installing the sill plates
• Various foundation options

Photo courtesy of Blue Rock Station's site.

• Saturday, May 17, 2014- Framing- this 1-day workshop is set to cover the following topics:
• Framing the structure
• Integrating windows and doors into the structure
• Saturday, June 7, 2014 and Sunday, June 8, 2014- Straw Bale Walls- this 2-day workshop is set to cover the following topics:
• Securing the base row of bales to the foundation
• Cutting and retying bales to size
• Cutting saplings to girdle the bales
• Lashing the bales to the saplings
• Theory of straw bale- load bearing versus non-load bearing
• Water issues

Photo courtesy of Low Cost Green Home's site

• Saturday, June 28, 2014 and Sunday, June 29, 2014- Earth Plastering & Bottle Wall Construction- this 2-day workshop is set to cover the following topics:
• Cobb integration into straw and building non load-bearing cobb walls
• Using cans and bottles as part of straw bale or tire wall
• Mixing cobb with cement mixer as well as by hand or foot
• Creating shelves or other free-form objects
• Creating the scratch coat mix
• How to apply scratch coat earth plaster
• How to mix the various coats, including cobb, base coat, scratch coat, finish coats and exterior coats
• The theory and practical uses of can/bottle walls (for use in pillars, walkway borders, small garden buildings, etc.)
• Forming bottle walls within conventional framing

Photos courtesy of Inspiration Green's site

These workshops will not only increase the participants' knowledge of rammed earth construction techniques but will also serve to help us build our home like an old-fashioned barn raising!  If you are interested, email us at SecondhandHomeProject@gmail.com letting us know which workshop(s) you are interested in and we can get your name on the list before the workshops fill up.  We are working out just how many people will be accepted into each workshop so we will keep you posted but spaces will be limited so let us know as soon as you can so we can get you in! 

In the coming month or so, we will also begin sign-ups for more informal "work days" for any friends, family, neighbors, or anyone else in the community who is interested in lending a helping hand throughout the building process and gaining free knowledge and hands-on experience.  We will have weekends laid out with tentative tasks to be completed and you can sign up for any and all that you are interested in. 

I can't believe it is all really happening...!!!!!!! (I couldn't restrain myself)