Sunday July 25th - Joining up miracle
Kev and I lay the block that completes the foundation circle. What you dread is that where they meet one course sits about 5 inches higher than the other - because you've got your levels wrong somewhere along the way. To our amazement, as two guitarists turned builders, we were almost spot on. Much shaking of hands and grinning. We owe a lot to our dinky little £13 lazer level. We've got another course of blocks to do on the outside and then we can lay the floor joists across the void. I'm looking forward to that.Today was good.
Saturday July 24th
I think I laid around 24 blocks today - Saturday - and didn't enjoy it. Its been a busy week and giving up my sunny Saturday to cement mixers and 9" X 17" lumps of cement block wasn't my perfect cup of tea. I had this idea that the Strawdio would be a medium for contact with people, but today I was on my own, the blocks seemed so heavy, my back ached. And I couldn't seem to get the buggers lined up straight. Thats tiredness I guess. And there's this deadline looming. The bales will be ready at the beginning of September and I've got it into my head that the floor should be in by then. And we're meant to be going on holiday. It won't fit. I'll have to give in. Surrender to the speed of the Strawdio.So much to learn in one life.
July 22nd
Another load of blocks, sand and cement arrive. Ty and Wil Witt and I move them all down to the site, sweating like pigs - oh for better access!
July 19th - the field
Chris Wyatt of Brook Farm invited Fi (my wife) and me to visit the wheat field where my bales will come from. He thinks they should ripen for a mid August harvest and says he will do me a special batch with the baler set to maximum compression. Strong firm bales is what you're after.The straw is quite a long variety (called Claire) and despite being flattened by all the wind and rain, looked just right for my Strawdio. Nice way to spend a Sunday evening and thanks for the beer Chris.
Chris, Fi and Dog
July 17th - Blocks away!
Me and Kev with his ties
After months of fiddling about, guitarist Kev Griffiths and myself started laying blocks today. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to see a shape emerging from the chaos of the scapling trenches. And tho' its not dead easy, don't be talked into thinking you can't do it yourself. My neighbour lent me his electric cement mixer, I bought some useful tools (different length spirit levels, a sharp bolster for splitting blocks to length, builders "line"/string, a couple of good trowels), took a deep breath and off we went. The first two blocks went down really slow. Had no idea how much of a cement bed to lay onto the scaplings, and getting them level took a load of adding and taking. Cement mix ? Four shovels of sand to one of cement and a trowel of lime for elasticity. Water to taste. Not too thick and not too sloppy. Our pace picked up as we got the feel of it, and whistling like two big ass brickies, we were soon whacking down blocks, tapping away with our trowels and talking about cars. The only thing missing was Radio1. Got around a few minor problems. I had bought a bunch of wall ties (kind of like coat hangers that you cement between the inside and the outside wall to tie them in for extra stability). But I had forgotten that the gap between our walls was 18 " - a bale width - whereas wall ties are made for smaller conventional wall gaps. Ours were too short. Kev came up with an ingenuous way of locking two ties together to make one long one (see pic above).Something else that worked well was to make up a square of wood 10" by 10". When you've put up the outside wall, nice and straight, you use this template to position the inside wall which has a gap of exactly 10". Our walls aren't perfect but it don't matter. We're only going up four courses. And thats the thing. If you're going up 20, a small amount out can become a huge lean. On four courses a small amount stays a small amount.Which is why two guitarists, grinning like cats, had such a great day laying blocks. Best fun I've had in years and hugely satisfying. Already I'm thinking what else can I build. Oh, and one more thing about the foundation width. If you're using Barbara Jones' book, she's moved from favouring a 350mm base (about 14") to a full base width of 18". That is then topped with a "ladder" of 4X2 larch laid on its side instead of the 3X3 she used to use.Larch is more durable than pine.
July 13th - dig out the middle. Realised that the floorboards which are going to hang off joist hangers will be obstructed by the mound in the middle so its more digging again. Thanks Ty for helping. Great to get out there again after all the rainy weather. Planning to have a go at laying the blockwork this weekend. Never done it before ! As a builder friend said to me "nah, its not rocket science!". There's actually quite a lot of natural stone around the place but not enough to do the whole building so I'm keeping it for the front veranda wall. Which is also the bit of wall you'll see.
July 7th
Rain rain rain
July 3rd - whacker plate
The "whacker plate" arrived and Phoebe Jazz Singer Partridge and I set about getting the trenches flattened. We quite enjoyed this - its satisfying feeling this great big thing do the pummelling work for you. Amazing how it turns the scalpings into such a hard surface. We're in trouble tho' with our levels. Why is it that despite measuring everything a hundred times they're still out by a few inches ? The trouble with scalpings is that unlike concrete they don't self level when you pour them. Concrete is a heavy liquid really and with a bit of tamping down wants to be level. Scalpings are made of big bits and small bits, they stick up, they lie on their side, they turn over and grumble. They are more complicated characters than cement.beds. And to be honest my laser level skills are not all they could be. I'm learning but there has been a lot of digging scalpings out, spreading them out again, digging them up again. My neighbour Jason watches in puzzlement as awheelbarrow things back and forth, back and forth. Hell I'm a musician, I'm not supposed to be good at this. Here's anbother p[hoto of the site as it looked today. Notice the large pile of concrete blocks for the foundation walls. Another load to be carried from the carpark.
July 1st - scalpings and steps
As you can see from the photo above, I've had to step the foundations because of the slope. This all takes much longer than you'd imagine. Dig dig dig dig dig dig. Got blisters and a stiff back but its great to feel your doing something so tangible. I bought a cheap laser level which helps a lot getting things all level. Cost me about £13 pounds. All it is is a spirit level with a laser light built in to one end.If you want to know if your West trench is level with your East trench you put the level on a block one side, level it up and point at a a block on the other. The little red laser light shows up the other side and will tell you if your miles higher or lower than the block you've put that side. Invaluable bit of kit. I've also cemented small concrete blocks (see photo) as retaining walls for the scalpings. Next step is to get a "whacker plate" and get these trenchs nice and hard (and level!) for the foundation walls.