Wow, that is some reception! 
Thanks!!! I'm just doing what I think is right This house started as a tool box. I needed a place to rest my bones and keep my tools safe. But I ended up building a house and hopefully I'll be able to move there with my wife next year.
So more things has been done over last week and a bit:
You can the cross beams and the ends of second floor beams resting on them. Some of the materials dried out twisted, still don't know what causes it, maybe its a bad job from the mill people, maybe it's the natural twist in the tree that comes up or maybe it's because the wood was cut ice cold during the summer. It's a trouble for me, as I'll have to work them quite a bit later to get the floor board on straight. But that next summers worries.
On the other end there was no wall, although there is solid foundation underneath. We build a chimney that is going to receive a stove before the winter. Later the wall will be build in an centuries old fashion that is going to get warm from the fire in fireplace. But it's a big job so we left it for next year. We have something to rest the beams on and that is it. Pillars will hold one end of the beams and the chimney holds the weight on the connection.
Custom made arch door. Very pleased that my mate who is a professional wood worker had a few days off and came over to make it. It's going to be fitted with some custom made doors next year and I hope I will manage some cool blacksmith hinges from my forge.
From inside.
Window opening has got support beams from each side. Just to be sure there is no collapse of the cob later.
Thats the big room view. Quite spaciuos living room almost 10 square feet.
I bought some big windows very cheap and build this oak frame to host them, it's just some old benches regrind and fitted in the round front wall. That front wall is a big challenge and one element I'd rather not have done, but maybe it will pay off in the end. Anyway keeping thing square is way better, then trying to fit some round in a square building............ you live you learn and then you die stupid.
Second floor will have two attic bedrooms, this is the main bedroom floor.
The end of the beams don't just sit on the wall. Under them there is a thin beam that spreads the weight over the wall, if you'd sit the beam on the cob it would sink different in places and you'd be in big trouble.
On top that's the last piece of frame that is going to hold the spares of the roof. So with this we reach the top of the wall, cob covers all the spaces and gaps and then there is the roof coming up next week.
To make the mixture I use a garden tiller. Got an old robust kind from Germany and it's the most treasured tool in wall building, it does most of the job. First i get the clay in small bits with it. Then it's being kept in water over night the sand added and then in the morning next day I work it with this machine to a somewhat cream texture, the straw comes in at last, being worked in by feet and then when it's good in mixture being pulled by hand and put on the wall. Each and every case is different but if I would have followed the popular book advice and did everything by hand I would have done even a half by now. So it is quite important to think for a while and adapt to situation accordingly. If I had access to a small tractor or bob cat I would have done a big trench to produce even more cob at once. I used small room downstairs for this purpose and I made 4 cubic meters of cob per day. That was enough to work full day. I made this last bit in the back of the tractor, because I could move it the spot I need.
Alright, again, thanks so much for such a nice welcome to my efforts. Someone asked how big the house is going to be. It'll have a large living room and a studio/kitchen downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. Later I think to build an attachment with a bathroom and maybe a separate kitchen or storage. I left the north wall with no windows for this purpose so whenever I have the time and funds I can extend, but before that I still need power supply and running water.
Cheers, Andy.
Thanks!!! I'm just doing what I think is right This house started as a tool box. I needed a place to rest my bones and keep my tools safe. But I ended up building a house and hopefully I'll be able to move there with my wife next year. So more things has been done over last week and a bit:
You can the cross beams and the ends of second floor beams resting on them. Some of the materials dried out twisted, still don't know what causes it, maybe its a bad job from the mill people, maybe it's the natural twist in the tree that comes up or maybe it's because the wood was cut ice cold during the summer. It's a trouble for me, as I'll have to work them quite a bit later to get the floor board on straight. But that next summers worries.
On the other end there was no wall, although there is solid foundation underneath. We build a chimney that is going to receive a stove before the winter. Later the wall will be build in an centuries old fashion that is going to get warm from the fire in fireplace. But it's a big job so we left it for next year. We have something to rest the beams on and that is it. Pillars will hold one end of the beams and the chimney holds the weight on the connection.
Custom made arch door. Very pleased that my mate who is a professional wood worker had a few days off and came over to make it. It's going to be fitted with some custom made doors next year and I hope I will manage some cool blacksmith hinges from my forge.
From inside.
Window opening has got support beams from each side. Just to be sure there is no collapse of the cob later.
Thats the big room view. Quite spaciuos living room almost 10 square feet.
I bought some big windows very cheap and build this oak frame to host them, it's just some old benches regrind and fitted in the round front wall. That front wall is a big challenge and one element I'd rather not have done, but maybe it will pay off in the end. Anyway keeping thing square is way better, then trying to fit some round in a square building............ you live you learn and then you die stupid.
Second floor will have two attic bedrooms, this is the main bedroom floor.
The end of the beams don't just sit on the wall. Under them there is a thin beam that spreads the weight over the wall, if you'd sit the beam on the cob it would sink different in places and you'd be in big trouble.
On top that's the last piece of frame that is going to hold the spares of the roof. So with this we reach the top of the wall, cob covers all the spaces and gaps and then there is the roof coming up next week.
To make the mixture I use a garden tiller. Got an old robust kind from Germany and it's the most treasured tool in wall building, it does most of the job. First i get the clay in small bits with it. Then it's being kept in water over night the sand added and then in the morning next day I work it with this machine to a somewhat cream texture, the straw comes in at last, being worked in by feet and then when it's good in mixture being pulled by hand and put on the wall. Each and every case is different but if I would have followed the popular book advice and did everything by hand I would have done even a half by now. So it is quite important to think for a while and adapt to situation accordingly. If I had access to a small tractor or bob cat I would have done a big trench to produce even more cob at once. I used small room downstairs for this purpose and I made 4 cubic meters of cob per day. That was enough to work full day. I made this last bit in the back of the tractor, because I could move it the spot I need.
Alright, again, thanks so much for such a nice welcome to my efforts. Someone asked how big the house is going to be. It'll have a large living room and a studio/kitchen downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. Later I think to build an attachment with a bathroom and maybe a separate kitchen or storage. I left the north wall with no windows for this purpose so whenever I have the time and funds I can extend, but before that I still need power supply and running water.
Cheers, Andy.
