city folk building a home further afield as sustainably as possible
The virtues of clay plaster extend into far beyond what originally drew Graeme and I in. I've always loved the smooth, earthy texture and feel of it. It's natural, non-toxic, and chemical free. It's porosity is a nice companion to our breathable Blox. Clays are hygroscopic – they absorb moisture if humidity is high, hold … Continue reading Progress Update: Interior Clay Plaster
No regrets. It's stunning. This room has a combination of the exterior and interior walls. first layer of base plaster. Scored, ready for smooth coat No doubt that this is labor intensive. The plaster line items comprises a massive part of our budget. But we spend a lot less in other materials and labor elsewhere. … Continue reading Progress Update: interior plaster work begins
Rainy spring: happy new kitchen garden veggies, sad for all the interior work, tools and workers. Dry, dry dry, hot early summer: sad fruit trees, good to dry out inside as we race to get ready for roof. Order roof. Wait. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. Then, roof arrives... gets installed... dry, dry, dry, dry. … Continue reading Progress Update: the roof!
Our property is covered in native lantana. What a gift!
Here's some photo updates from the framing phase of our house.
There's an ocean of debate threads on the topic of eco-friendly, sustainable, energy-efficient insulation. The way you construct your roof, attic and walls directly impacts your material options. The goal is to create a tight building envelope with strong thermal and acoustic insulating properties. We've got a few different roof styles in the house, which … Continue reading Earth friendly insulation
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