The past week or so has been quite eventful. There’s been mostly positive progress, but some negative, too.
Cobbing complete!
With Karen’s and my dad’s help, I completed cobbing. The walls are finally done! In just a few days, the gap between the walls and the roof was closed. It was very satisfying to see the final [...]
Posts from ‘October, 2008’
Cob walls complete, windows and door installed, and more!
Dressing up the reciprocal roof
Before the EPDM went on the roof, I wanted to add a cushion of cardboard on top of the rafters and decking to protect the membrane. And before the cardboard went on, I wanted to add some kind of fabric so that the cardboard would not be visible from inside of the space. I bought [...]
Making a tractor tire skylight frame
A few nights ago, a flash of brilliance struck during a conversation after dinner about making a frame for a future skylight in my reciprocal roof. We were sitting around, thinking of alternatives to making a wood frame, which would have proved quite difficult considering the irregular nature (14 uneven round poles) of the top [...]
Roof decking complete
I finished decking my reciprocal roof yesterday. I’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out. It got a little funky trying to nail dimensional lumber up and around some of the knots of wood on the rafters, but overall, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it might be. It was more time-consuming than [...]
Roof decking pictures
Well, the roof decking continues. I’ll probably finish it in another day or two. The shadows have really been great lately with all of the rafters and decking casting shapes all over the walls:
Decking the reciprocal roof
Last week, I began the somewhat tedious process of decking my roof with the help of Jeff, my most recent work exchanger. It’s pretty slow work, having to mark and cut and then nail every individual piece of board, of which there are over 200 now on the roof.
I am using scrap 1x black walnut [...]
EPDM pond liner for living roof construction
Last week, I ordered the most expensive material for my entire cob house: the EPDM pond liner for my (soon-coming) living roof. EPDM is a synthetic, petroleum-based rubber product commonly used for living roofs, due to its strength and durability. Apparently, it can last 50 years exposed to the sun, and presumably longer buried under [...]
All about building a reciprocal roof frame @ Green Building Elements
Last night, I wrote up a blog entry for Green Building Elements about building a reciprocal roof frame. I wrote a little bit about the concept of the design, the history, and my own experience building a reciprocal roof. I was inspired to write this due to an overall lack of information out there about [...]
