Some improvements on the strawbale cottage

... It's been awhile since I chronicled the developments going on with this beautiful building. Here you can see that the fascia's been painted and attached, the window and doorframes have been stained and caulked, and baseboard has been laid out in front of the house where a patio will be.
This platform will have a woodshed and a compost toilet.....
One of the doors to Ryan and Eden's house; drainrock around the edges to guide water away from the building....
Landscaping around the cottage -- large river rocks plucked out of the farm field line the edge of the landscaping, and soil was brought in.

Not sure what the straw is for; perhaps to define paths....

A few more random shots of the Common Building

Our general contractor John Di Fruscia showing off the circular window frame he's building for a second floor window.
Part of the second floor window frame mentioned above. And the picture below here shows the new roof, fascia, plaster and new windows...

The final exterior walls of the Common Building

The beginning of the walls that will go out from the octagonal common building and enclose the Llopis bread oven as well as the mill room and pantry.

Full Bloom at Sunset

Puttin' on the Roof, part II

The roofers were here for two days. Here they are putting on one of the last sections of the common building roof.
A long view....
The finished cupola; the carpenters put the windows in today.
Another look at roof and cupola
A look at the roof overhanging the fascia...

Puttin' on the Roof

Matt Garrity rolling out a second layer of tar paper while the roofers tackle the cupola.
Roofing the cupola...
Our friend and one of our main carpenters, Autumn.
Roofing the cupola...
The whole roofing/tar papering scene...

Beautiful stray kitty

This kitty was unceremoniously dumped on our land. It's a common phenomenon for this to happen out in the country. We found her hiding in a bush while our dog Coda was barking at her. She turned out to be an incredibly sweet, playful, energetic bundle of love, and we all lost our hearts to her. Eden named her Malia (sp?) after Barack Obama's daughter, and we found a home for her with friends nearby who have an adopted 4-year old daughter. I was really sad to see her go.

A day plastering the common building

Eden (far left) working with the plaster crew on one of the outside walls...
Freshly-made plaster headed to the building -- a combo of chopped straw, sand, water and sifted clay.
Brendan of the plastering crew, who was doing the mixing.
Jo throwing clay at the screened sifter.
This should've been the first photo; it's Justin, head of the plastering crew, spraying a very thin coat of the plaster mix onto the straw. Then the crew came back and applied the first real coat. Unfortunately, it is so late in the year that this coat won't have time to dry thoroughly until next year. It should be enough to protect the strawbale insulation from moisture though.

A look at some of the earthen plastering earlier this month

Looking up toward the roof, on the outside of the building...
Up close and personal with the plaster. This is the first coat, and it's very rough. There will be two more coats put on next spring, and the final coat will be silky smooth....
One of the outside walls...

Some Interiors of the Common Building

A nice look at part of the ceiling, the stairs and some of the interior second floor walls...
...Our windows recently arrived; not sure when they'll start getting installed....
A view of what will be the solarium, on the ground floor.
The interior and exterior ground floor walls have been coated with earthen plaster; coating the second floor is happening this week.
Framing on the second floor. For now we only have windows on a few interior second floor walls, but all walls in this series have been framed so that we could remove the plywood sheeting and install windows if we change our minds.

Views of the ceiling/roof of the common building.

Lying- down look at the cupola
Just love the cupola!
The roof is now fully tarpapered, the fascia has been put on. The roofers are forging the metal roofing, which will be delivered and installed in early November. The fascia for the cupola just got painted with wood finish and will be put in this week.
...A closer look at the fascia board.
A view from the kitchen garden at the common building. This picture is a little old now -- all the fascia below the roof has been installed.

A few more pix from the roof.

Matt Garrity, our good friend and one of the carpenters on the crew
All the insulation for the copper piping that carries water up & down the building...
Yuki, of the Portland baling crew, who also is a longtime plumber; he was helping Dave the plumber out with this part of the project, installing and soddering the copper piping.