Slow week

All in all, we have had a fairly slow week, because...
1) the weather has been bad, with wind, clouds, and a little rain (unfortunately our tanks are currently disconnected from our gutters due to building!!).
2) we have been sick with a cold. First Leo had it, though not too badly. Then me, with one day of fever, and 3 days of being congested and weak. Abe has been tired for the past couple of days with swollen lymphs, but it had looked like he would fight it off. Now, it looks like he's getting it.

Having said that, we did get some accomplished. We put the brown coats of stucco on the connecting ceiling, got some more framing done, added a couple of levels on the bottle wall, and have finished the first rows of bricks for the ceiling on the entrance way.

The brick ceiling is interesting. Using plaster of Paris, which dries very fast, we add bricks in an arch. This system has been used for huge roofs and is supposed to be very strong, with builders able to walk on top of it without any additional reinforcement. We will add cement on top of it for added strength (just in case!) and then insulate it and add the roof. We will post more photos of it here as we progress.

Bottle Wall

While Abe and a friend have started to frame the roof (I'll make a post on that at a later date, when it is a little further along), I begun a small bottle wall that joins the current building to the new one on the south side.

It's a slow, but very enjoyable project. I've only done 5 layers so far, but the light already comes through and the wind plays them like an instrument.

I'm using a 3:1 mix with added fibers and I LOVE the fibers. They are cheap, but make the stucco so much easier to smooth and sculpt. Plus there has been no cracking, even though it has been hot and very windy, and my covering is constantly blown off.

We are using bottles found by the side of the road. Unfortunately, we don't have much variety beyond clear and brown, although Abe did find 4 blue bottles on his last city trip, which will be going in soon!

For more photos, click here.