Week 3: Ground breaking and forming and pouring the foundation.

Wednesday morning we met up for the official groundbreaking ceremony. Emily said a few words about the gaining in momentum of community rebuilds and everything we were hoping to accomplish with this build (below).

Standing across from us were friends of the organization, the board of directors, neighbors, and the cat that visits us every morning, who goes by Snufflekins, Litterbiscuits, or Dr. Meow (below).

When the crowd cleared out, Tony started up the Bobcat and leveled the house site for us. Then we measured out the space our foundations will take up, plus room on each side to move. Kelly is checking how level the foundation trenches are with a laser level (below).

Then we pull out the Dr. Seuss looking pounding machine- jumpingjack or wackerpacker- to ensure our base earth was firm and ready to receive concrete. Eric shows Claire how to use it below.

Next we add stakes, guided by our exterior lines, and set up rails to hold foam insulation and the poured concrete. End of a cold, damp Wednesday.

The next morning, we have formed a box perimeter to pour concrete into. This is a shallow foundation, the center will be filled with some gravel. The straw bales and radiant-heated adobe floor will sit on top.

Kelly Ray and Dave pay as a visit with densely packed straw bales from Colorado, we were all so happy to see Kelly Ray again!

Alyssa is extremely useful in small places, like the top of the straw bale shelter.

I got to be my dad for a day as I tie rebar together that will reinforce the concrete.

At the end of the day we were all ready to go for concrete...except for a bummer mistake we made on both short sides of the foundation. We left the worksite concerned about fixing the problems before the inspector showed up Friday at 1 and the concrete truck at 2.

On Friday morning, we finished the adjustments, finish tying rebar, spray for termites, check all our pipes (electric, sewer, water, greywater). A neighbor down the street, Kathy, brought us fresh baked bread, covered in butter, with sides of honey and homemade peach jam for a mid-morning snack. We loved it! What a welcoming neighborhood!

In the afternoon, our forms passed inspection and the concrete truck rolled in. We took turns shoveling the concrete, magging (leveling the concrete into the forms), and working the surface to a smooth finish.

Friday evening, after a long week of work, we drove up to Slickrock trail, climbed up some rocks, and watched the beautiful sunset.

Week 3

All day Monday, we ripped recyclable and resuable materials out of the trailer: sinks, cabinets, tiling, light fixtures, copper pipes and wire, plates, doors, and of course appliances. We tore a few windows out for a future green house project. We stored appliances for the future homeowners and took other reusables to Wabi Sabi. At the end of the day, the trailer was gutted and ready to load onto axles.

Tuesday morning, we gathered to discuss our independent design projects and were treated to donuts by Emily. Eric Plourde guided us through the basic elements and steps of developing a plan for clients. We will meet with the homeowners, Eric and Nancy, to deliver our final plans in mid May. The projects include: 1) rainwater catchment, 2) greywater filtering and use, 3) permaculture landscaping, and 4) solar hot water heater for an outdoor shower- to be installed at the Community Rebuilds campus house.

Behind us, Darren and his crew were adding the tongue and axles to the trailer. They had a clever system of ratcheting the trailer sideways by using a roller and rail. We said over and over "I can't believe they're going to be able to drive this outta here". Around one o'clock, we watched as the trailer left the site. We soon followed in cars to watch the final disposal by Grand County Solid Waste at the debris dump.

Returning to the site in the afternoon, we marked out the dimensions of the straw bale and earthen plaster home we will be building. We busted out the Pythagorean theorem to ensure our corners were squared- 3-4-5- a blast from our geometry past.

Tomorrow morning is groundbreaking. Later this week or early next week the concrete foundation will be poured!

Bureau of Unknown Destinations

An NYC gallery has come up with a way to experience a place with few expectations- because you have no idea where you are going:

http://unknowndestinations.org/

Day 8: Demo start.

Today is Friday, the truss group was allowed to sleep in an extra hour, thankfully.

We gathered at the build site to start tearing apart exterior elements on the trailer. I got pretty excited to slam the plywood skirting off with a sledgehammer. After realizing that I was beating up my back, I switched pace and built a little brochure box to attach to our Community Rebuilds sign. The box was made from the former newspaper box attached to the trailer. We also started digging holes to determine the course of the sewer line.

Since the semester is getting busy in a hurry (redundant?), I will be posting pictures weekly from now on.

Thanks for reading! Please leaves questions or comments on our building, the organization, or anything I write.

-Lauren

Day 8: Demo start.

Today is Friday, the truss group was allowed to sleep in an extra hour, thankfully.

We gathered at the build site to start tearing apart exterior elements on the trailer. I got pretty excited to slam the plywood skirting off with a sledgehammer. After realizing that I was beating up my back, I switched pace and built a little brochure box to attach to our Community Rebuilds sign. The box was made from the former newspaper box attached to the trailer. We also started digging holes to determine the course of the sewer line (turquoise).

Since the semester is getting busy in a hurry (redundant?), I will be posting pictures weekly from now on.

Thanks for reading! Please leaves questions or comments on our building, the organization, or anything I write.

-Lauren

Day 7: Finished the trusses!

On day two we arranged all our cut board in piles on the deck. We assembled one truss, then screwed in guide boards to act as a mold for the next 17 trusses.

When a truss is assembled on the floor, we staple all the joining seems (powerful staple guns that often jam), then add plates over the joints. The plates are somewhat like metal velcro- a really disturbing texture to grab haphazardly with your hands. We add one more staple to the plate to hold it on, then pop the truss out of the mold.
We lift the truss onto the rollers and nail the same plates to the other side of the joints.
Lastly, we run the trusses through a press (in the background, below) which presses the plates into the wood, making one strong, unified truss.
We made 24 trusses total, all pressed in one day! Two different sizes: 18 through the center of the roof, and 6 for the sides that have a shorter pitch.

Woman boxer and painter from Durango, CO

I enjoyed this woman's attitude toward training oneself, in this case, she is an undefeated boxer. Also, her attitude on expression. An inspiring combination.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16880075