Studio

Today I finished the render on the outside of the studio.  It is nice to see the outside of this area done.  Trying to make straw bales fit into a triangle with a round window in it was very challenging.  Looking forward to just doing straight straw bales for a while.

Waste Plumbing

Last week saw the waste plumbing all but finished.  The only things left to do, is install the pump and the high level alarm.  The absorption trenches went in in the rain and Kylie was a little sad to see all the bush go.  However we now have a clean slate and can control what we want to grow back or plant - maybe.  The photo below is after the land was cleared but before the trenches went in.

I had a fun half day cutting slots in the pipe.  Needed 120m of slotted pipe so it was either pay the plumber to cut the slots or do it myself.

Plumbing Waste

Today the plumbers were on-site to start the waste plumbing, septic and all of that.  The apprentice rang in sick which meant I was the apprentice for the day.  A successful day with the ensuite and kitchen being plumbed into the septic tank, that was also installed today (not going anywhere with 3000 litres of water in it).

Tomorrow the bathroom and laundry should be plumbed in, pump well installed and a good start made on the absorption trenches.  After that they should also start on the rainwater catchment.

In this process there will be a lot more soil moved around so the outside of the building will look different again.

Eaves, stairs and general progress

This week has seen progress on a number of fronts.  Had the builder back and we put up some eaves.  This also meant that I had the electrician wire up for the outdoor lights to be fitted.

Whilst the builder was on site we fitted the circle window in Kylie's studio and fitted some internal cavity sliding doors.  Now I just have to work out how to make straw bales curved.  We also have scaffolding back on site to help finish the higher bits of the straw walls.

We also had the stairs delivered and fitted.  Kylie and Lily are very happy now as they can both get to the guest area without using a ladder and squeezing between studs.  I am really happy with how the stairs have come up, they will match in with the floor very well.  The tops of the stairs in the photos are MDF which will be taped on to protect the treads whilst the rest of the build goes on.

This week should see the plumbers back to start with some of the external plumbing work, which will include the destruction of Mt Dunn and Mt Smith, as all of the excavated soil is placed back around the house.

An update from the Project Director

After a week off the weather was kind and allowed the second coat of render to be finished on the front of the house.  Also managed to finish wrapping the bits at the front.

The house is really starting to look like a house now. There is still a lot of work to go, but there are windows, doors and roof and some significant walls! Derek and Glenn (the builder who occasionally helps us) will be starting on eaves tomorrow, and will hopefully get the front door in as well. We'll also get another load of straw bales delivered tomorrow, so we can start on our bedroom wall soon.

And to add to the exciting progress on the place, we should be getting stairs in the next couple of weeks. Personally I can't wait for that since the temporary stairs (stacked besser blocks) are really no the right height for me to comfortably walk up and down.