What do you do for fun on a Thursday in Moab? You go and retrieve a ton (might be only around a 3/4 ton, but we didn’t actually weigh it) of sod to put on the roof of your dome building.
Yesterday we finished up the detail work on the stone drip edges and cob of the dome to allow for a final roofing material to be put on. It was nice to get that part of the construction done and it was kind of fun cause I got to do some of the finish cob and plaster while tied into the rafter inside the building.
The universe spoke to Kaki and she ran into a guy delivering sod the other day on the way home. We had talked about sod for the roof as this was Kaki and Doni’s original plan, but none of the calls Kaki had made panned out. Then she runs into the lawn guy (his name was Lon… ironical much?) and he says he has around 2000 sq ft of reject sod that we can have for… FWEEEE! So today we got up early and headed to Wellington with a truck and a flat bed to bring home sod.
Doni styling the sod toupee
That's a lot of sod
There were also a couple of questions about the Bio Shield product that I posted yesterday, so I’m including some answers here.
- Question - Is it a problem to get good adhesion when putting a water base product on top of the old oil base finish?
Answer – Bio Shield is actually an oil based product with one of the main ingredients being linseed oil. As such we had to clean up with all-natural citrus thinner so bonding to the existing oil finish isn’t a problem. Doni had done a test patch before we started to make sure that the look and finish would be fine and that the homeowner liked the final look. The floor was also cleaned thoroughly before we started. - Question - How thick is the straw mix base material? Does it go on top of a concrete slab or what?
Answer – The floor is actually made up of many layers, none of which involve concrete. The first is a capillary break to keep moisture from wicking up into the floor surface. This is often done with 4-6 inches of crushed stone leveled and settled. Next is an insulated layer such as rigid insulation 2 inches or so thick. On top of the insulation there is a lot of flexibility based on personal taste. You can do a sub floor of rammed earth with a poured adobe earth floor on top of that, or you can do the entire floor with poured adobe earth. Each of the individual layers are stabilized with hot linseed oil poured over the surface. The linseed oil is heated to thin it so it will penetrate deeper into the floor layer. (Note – while I was getting the detail of this from Doni and Kaki each of the above steps was punctuated by chords of ukulele)
This concludes today’s lesson on natural building in Moab.
--Tom
6 comments:
OK - first - in all seriousness - love reading up on you guys and your travels. And even find the construction info very interesting. But I have a serious question. If you really want to live in dirt - why don't you just dig a hole??
Also - two more questions. Tom - you are getting a really good tan. How is Jessie surviving? And also - can you take a picture of what that hut looks like on the inside??
I'll definitely include a picture of the inside of the Dome. The idea behind learning to build with earth is less about living in dirt and more about building with native sustainable materials. Standard stick frame construction takes a huge toll on forests which while renewable take a long time and good forestry management to be sustained. We also build houses in conventional construction that are filled with toxic chemicals that then off-gas into the air that we breath and our surroundings. Building with earth/straw/rock or any locally available materials lessens the environmental impact of our homes and also if done properly leaves you with a home that is much less toxic to its inhabitants. At the same time many earthen homes are sunk in the ground so your right - we should just dig a hole :)
--Tom
My question about home built of natural is always - do they exist some place that receives rain? I feel like all "sustainable" type homes are in the desert. What does someone in say; Coos Bay, Oregon, do?
You are getting tan, Tom. :)
In rainy climates, houses have bigger overhangs on the roof to keep moisture off. Also, the exterior plaster is probably sealed better or they use lime plaster (instead of earth based plaster) which is more moisture resistant.
Tom has a pretty wicked farmers tan but the rest of his body is still white. I'm at least monochrome.
I have a bit of sod and racoon problems here... Do you mind bringing some left over sods with you???
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