Strawbale House

This blog is intended to chart our progress through the self-build process, from half-hearted plot-hunting through to completion of the build. The twist is that we're building the house from timber and straw (hence the blog title).

Click on the image at the end of each post to see that day's photos.

Monday 27 August 2007

August 27th - Slating

All on my tod again today, with Mal away cladding in Foulden and Melvin reacclimatising having arrived back from Kenya yesterday. Borrowed some scaffold planks from Stevie Sudlow (SKS Joinery), which has enabled me to build a platform the full length of the scaffold.
Seemed like slow progress again, with lots of cutting and tinkering around the stepped fascia and then the velux units. Appear to have a bit of a dodgy batch of slates in the latest pallet, after two uniformly excellent pallets. Lots of "fool's gold" in them, and an annoyingly high number of rattly slates with fault-lines that fracture either when I'm cutting them, or, worse still, when they're in place.
Forgot the camera today. Also forgot cutlery, mug and milk, so lunch was a dry roll supplemented with chunks of cheese nibbled straight from the block, lubricated with water from the bottle!
Came over all cold and shivery late in the afternoon, and back was giving me gyp so I decide to knock off early. Hunted down a watch and discovered that it was almost half past six!
Should get past the velux tomorrow, after which things will speed up markedly. In danger of running out of slates if I can't get some delivered on Wednesday.
Need to turn my mind to the design of the verandah, and cadjole someone into shifting the earth so we can get it started. Also need to pull some more wires so Mal can close up the walls, but that can wait for a rainy day. In the meantime, while the sun is shining I'm making hay on the roof.
Talking of hay, dropped in at the Bells (next-door neighbours) and asked if I could store the straw in their barn for a week or so when it's delivered.
As there are no pictures today, I thought I'd let you see the traumatic effect that building a house can have on the hair (I've promised not to have mine cut until it's finished). The first pictures was taken during the foundation walls in June. The seconds was taken tonight...


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