July Update – Nothing happened!

July’s update is a little late. Wonder how this could happen when the month’s progress seemed so slow compared to the breakneck progress of last month’s SLIC cob (Structural Lightweight Insulated Cob). We had expected the cob walls to take much longer because of the physical requirements involved and were surprised at the apparent ease and speed in comparison to our expectation of the detailing involved with the bond beam and cabling.

This month we’ve decided to break the update into two sections, the first being a summary of our progress followed by a good healthy rant!

Our progress this month could be compared to educating Gary Lunn on the adverse effects of oil spills off the coast…. frustratingly slow. Detailing of the bond beam, the research on cooking systems, installing the floor plates, installing the posts, sewing the tension cables to the house, experimenting with floor mixes, researching out roofing materials, finding used glulam beams, and tracking down more lumber. With this we have had three tours, a friends weekend workshop, and had the Globe and Mail out to write a story on cob (due out Friday August 3). I guess you could argue that we have actually made progress. Our Rooster Mr. Doo has certainly made progress with the hens this month and has also learned to Cock-A-Doodle-Doo.

June finished with a sigh of relief as the walls reached full height. The next step was the bond beam, a ring of concrete 4 inches thick reinforced with rebar that mirrors the foundation. The intent of the bond beam is threefold; to act as a load displacement on the cob walls, to provide an upper tether for the tension cables to complete the seismic anchoring system to the foundation, and to test the patience (or lack of intelligence) of three crazy people in 37-40 degree celsius heat as they try to untangle themselves from the web of cables and bolts. Embedded in the bond beam are cable loops that mirror the foundation, cable loops to tether the second story, and anchor bolts used to tie the sill plates to the bond beam. We completed this process over 5 days, mixing concrete sand, cement, pumice and water; then moving the mix by wheelbarrow into the house, at which point we transferred into 5 gallon buckets and lifted up to the scaffold for placing. The slip form system was an ingenious system… best viewed than described. The anchors for the slip form turned out to be best clamped by using bungee cord material, allowing for great strength and extremely quick release, (a system we have saved for use in the next house).

Cooking without fossil fuels… and tied to an electrical energy budget… hmmm. It can be done. The best option is the use of a solar cooker on sunny days for items that would otherwise require an oven. But what about a stove top? We have been researching out compressed alcohol stoves (very very clean), and a diesel cookstove that can run off of B100 (pure bio-diesel). It looks as if the Bio-diesel stove is the leader in terms of availability though final conclusions are yet to be imposed. We even learned how to make your own single burner alcohol stove from a beer can…Don’t think that would go over very well if we put this item on Merrily’s (Ann’s mom) kitchen counter.

Bio-Diesel has also been an option for a small direct hot water heater to be used as a back-up for the hot water system. ITR (International Thermal Research) out of Richmond has been exceptionally interested in what our use will be, as they are a researcher and manufacturer of heating equipment. Presently they are testing their smaller Hurricane II ( 35,000 BTU) marine heater on B100, for our project.

Ann and Howie spent a day ripping used 2X12s into 2X6s, a wonderful father/daughter job! This experience was interrupted with the two of them bathing our dog Boo after he rolled in the intestines of something dead… (our best guess). Quite a site to see the two of them laughing hysterically after Boo shook and Howie exclaimed, “Great, I just had a S**T shower”. Back to work…These 2X6 floor plates sit on the sub floor, and act as both a screed board for the final floor mix (denoting finished floor height), and as a nailing plate for the wall framing to nail to. Calculating all the lengths and their positions was very easy with the CAD drawings on the laptop. The plates are glued to the existing floor substrate with copious amounts of water, clay slip and a 60/40 mix of clay/sand. The image of the plates on the floor without the roof on is spectacular; pictures on the website show this floor layout.

During our “friends weekend” we installed all the inner posts. This allowed us to build the sheer wall. The result of using clear rough cut Doug Fir 2X6, between Doug Fir 8X8 posts, 2X8 upper locking cap, and four pieces of ½ plywood with nails at every 4 inches equates to a F@#$*?! Strong wall! The term sheer comes from the determination required to pre-drill and nail into immensely hard end grain.

Ann spent six days mastering her way through the install of the majority of the diagonal tension cables from the bond beam to the foundation - sewing the building as we have politely referred to it. Pre-chiseling the cob for all anchors, cables, and clamps to ensure the cable lies flush on the wall, we learned that superior tension is acquired from using a large pry-bar over the come-along (hand winch) We also practiced how not to swear when the pry bar slips and knuckles connect with rough cob. Lots of band-aids here.

We have been testing and applying various floor mixes. The floor mixes have varied with amounts of clay, sand, horse manure and straw. Our plan of attack for these floors is to put the main mix (1 ½ inches) overtop of the existing sub-floor, allow it to dry and once the roof is on, go back and apply a final layer of mix with pigment. The process we are performing involves pre-wetting the existing floor then liberally applying clay slip to work it into the sub-floor. Next, we apply a mix of 70% sand/30% clay with fiber added; this works out to 12 to 13 wheelbarrows sand and 5 of clay. As it is very hot (27 – 30 degrees C), we are covering the freshly laid floors with tarps, and re-trowelling once every day for three days. The final pigment layer will be used to fill in remaining cracks. The secret is the more fiber the better, and it seems a mix of manure with lots of chopped straw is best.

A flooring mistake… this month has seen its share of rain, wonderful for the garden… but not the most wonderful addition to the freshly placed living room floor. The day that it had dried to the point of not requiring any more intense burnishing… it rained for a week… creating a beautifully coloured mud puddle with the $50 of pigment gracefully resettling in patterns incapable of being made by a human. As it dries… Ann will be able to refine her methods.

After this update had been written we experimented with the cracking in the floors on the advice of a good friend, who’d suggested that leaving the cracks in the floor would be wonderful. We experimented by adding pigment directly on the floor, letting it dry and then filling the cracks with a contrasting coloured sand (kids red play sand on the natural clay floor, and white silica sand on the black floor). Holly smokes! The coolest floor ever!!! The sand filters into the cracks and locks the fractured clay together like paving stones… and the effect is a marbled floor! As the boiled linseed oil is applied it will harden and seal the floor including the loose fill sand in the fractures. The varied colours, patterns and textures arrived out of working with what we had. Rather than fighting the cracking we experimented and the result was an absolutely stunning result. This is so cool! Moral of this story is, “Work with nature and life is easier and more beautiful”.

What does 40 sweltering degrees Celsius in the shade feel like in a cob building?… 21 beautiful cool degrees Celsius. During our heat spell when we hit 40 degrees Celsius in the shade, (for those of you who have seen the site there is no shade), the cob workshop stayed a comfortable room temperature both day and night; a refuge during the winter storms… and again for summer heat waves!

Just as the month came to a close we received the recyled glulams. Be carefull when buying used items for a sustainable project as there are people out there who will take advantage. We had tracked down glulams from an unnamed company on the island, at a price of $3600.00 for 100 feet of beams. Ray, (our local recycled wood supplier) said he could sell them to us for a about $10 /ft. When we approached this unnamed company that we had shit ourselves at the price and asked if there was an addition error… their remark was… “I hope you were wearing a diaper” Needless to say they didn’t get our business and we finally purchased all of our glulams and an additional 40 feet for $2600 cheaper.

I guess next month will cover the topics of roof membranes, framing, the second story, light clay infill of interior walls, plastering, plumbing, electrical, brown coat, etc, as for now we still need to source out another 60 2X12s for the roof at 16 feet long. If anyone knows of any… we would be glad to purchase them. Looking back on the month I guess we did accomplish lots, and as August comes so does pretty much the rest of the house. Here’s to August’s goals!

Here is our second half of the update; a rant on the pattern of complexity leading to complacency and helplessness.

A pattern – complexity breeds loss of connections

As I have slowed in my old age (38), I have come to notice a pattern this year. As I have paired my life down from a more complex lifestyle to a simpler one, with simpler items of focus, simpler tools, simpler (and less) stuff and a realization that I am me.

Why do we have to build complexity into our lives, and what are the consequences. What happens when simplicity becomes the guiding focus in which all things are viewed with? We have a culture that views simplicity as something bad, as something less interesting, less knowledgeable, and less cultural.

Complexity has evolved to ensure that all people in society have their needs, safety and security met, automatic without regard for people’s ability to perform this themselves. The scary thing is that dumbing-it-down and putting both the systems and us on autopilot is making us fall asleep at the wheel.

Take the health code’s view of sewage disposal. The goal is not intentionally meant to make complex systems, but as a result of making sure that it can’t possibly be screwed up, the systems have to match the infinite variables of what people could possibly do to make it fail – thus complexity is born. By making something so safe that we don’t have the possibility to f*** it up we ensure that we can’t fix it as we don’t understand it, and ultimately we create a disconnection from what that system actually links us too. Again with our sewage disposal; in the city people are mostly unaware of the things dumped down the drain, (bleach, chemicals, drugs, grease, oil, food scraps); on a septic system you become more aware but still are disconnected of the leaching from the field to ground water or how the systems are wired (like the new duplexing systems to control field dousing). With our systems, composting toilet, and grey water, we are keenly aware of what we do, where it goes, and what the end result is. When people ask on tours, “How much time it takes to manage the waste system”, we reply, “It would take infinitely more time to earn the money pay for the “approved septic system”. This doesn’t even consider the full environmental consequences that our kids will have to deal with.

Emotional complexity creates the same problem, emotional disconnect. My daughter who’s been in turmoil over the last couple weeks pulled Ann aside and said “How can you be my parent when you haven’t given birth to me?” At the age of seven, this is a complex idea originating from somewhere else. This complex certification of who is and who is not a parent (or who can be one) in itself promotes a complex emotional discourse intent on creating a disconnect. The solution is to bring simplicity into the answer, that children make people parents, and that love, teaching, caregiving and responsibility make the parent not birth. It would be truly sad to say that all adoptive parents, grandparents, foster parents, and step parents are really nothing more than baby sitters.

I am sure that my psychology professors would have scorned me on the next observation. One’s view of self follows the same pattern. The more complex view of who you are, what you are, why you are, what you don’t want others to view you as, what you feel others expect of you, lends to more scrutiny and chances of cognitive dissonance about your own sense of self (especially if something changes like job or lifestyle). A disconnect from sense of self due to this lends to a wonderful relationship with prescribed drugs and intervention. A much simpler view with general awareness of yourself, but with a focus on other more important things (community, building a cob house, weeding a garden), leaves less options for one item to push your “self” into turmoil. As Liz, a student and now good friend noted “If your ego is not your amigo, say adios!” If you can’t say adios, then your view of self is too complex.

A building that is sealed, wrapped and detailed to ensure that moisture can’t get in (or out), with products protecting the footings and foundation, under the siding, inside to protect the insulation, around the windows, at pony walls… all to protect the owners for about 80 years seems complex. The complexity has given people the perception they can’t build their own home. The more complex the systems, the more disconnect people feel about their abilities. The solution is to build a simpler home, with tried and true materials, where detailing becomes simple and intuitive and common sense prevails. We have seen hundreds of people inspired with the realization that they CAN build, that they don’t have to have a big house, and that simple is beautiful, efficient, comfortable, warm, dry, safe, healthy, functional, AND affordable.

The food production and distribution that keeps the stores filled is complex (not to mention Martha Stewart’s recipes). With the increased complexity comes people’s disconnect from where their food comes from, how to actually grow it, and whether they can actually cook. The solution is to simplify our food wants, grow locally, and grow your own (or join a cooperative, or volunteer your time with the local grower). Teach your kids how to store carrots, how to dry tomatoes and fruit, how to plant and replenish the soils.

The understanding that nature has evolved from living and just being a part of it, to the development of ecologists that viewed the interconnection of the living systems, and culminated into a complex science of micro studies looking at isolated systems that lose their connection to the whole. Don’t get me wrong, I love science, but what I see is that education has become a competition to seek out niche study areas, and has led to science having such a small focus that a disconnection with nature has occurred.

Sustainable EQUALS simple: Anything more is an ad trying to sell something for profit. Sustainable emotions, sustainable ego, sustainable building, sustainable nutrient/food cycles, all thrive off of simplicity. The complex problem seems to be the appreciation of simple.

Break the pattern…!

The Costs of Cob – Leading from the Rear

June started off with us on the Galiano ferry after the sale of Ann’s Wise Island home, with coveted front row seats viewing the water in front of us - that is until the ferry left dock and turned around, at which point we realized we were really leading the rear. There we were, sitting looking out over the waves of where we had been, ironically with our van and trailer laden with all of Ann’s worldly possessions. We laughed as we could see the irony of where Ann had been, and the realization that leading from the rear was probably our future. To our surprise the ferry changed direction again, and placed us heading for home with us in the lead.

The trailer to most would have suggested that we had been evicted from…well…. somewhere unpleasant, as the kitchen sink hung precariously from the wheel barrow, that sat atop of the blue water tanks, that sat upon the roll top desk, with tomato cages clinging to it all somehow, in a trailer with the wheels splayed, attached to a van with the right rear suspension collapsed under the weight, and a flowering red current sticking out of the sun roof. We garnered an array of sympathetic and judgmental looks, as we, evicted Gulf Islanders, made our way to somewhere else. What were their thoughts? An hour earlier our thoughts were “What in the hell are we doing with the old kitchen sink, and how are we going to attach it!” as we jokingly contemplated leaving it on the side of the road, after repacking the van and trailer for the FOURTH time.

Our postal box this month was full. As we received our building permit and consequently placed on the builder’s yellow sheet we received the glossy pamphlets telling us that we could have “Champagne taste on a beer budget”, and that we could “Build our dreams into reality”; high end marketing brochures sent out in the mail to show us what our house is supposed to be, and to tell us we deserve to treat ourselves. Then mixed in with this waste, was more, a mail out from the environment(al collapse) minister John Baird poking fun at the Liberals… political rivalry with nothing more than mudslinging… and still no good action; where’s the tax shifting; where’s the incentives? Finally a pamphlet brought home by the kids from school from “Entertainment Book” with the logo “The more you sell, the more you get!” and rewarding their innocence with soon to be discarded trinkets; educating our kids to be good little consumers. By the way… what is wrong with beer and mudslinging?

We paused a moment to catch up on some of the little things before the second cob workshop. Building brackets for the inner posts, carving arches and chiseling rabits in driftwood that have become our doorways, chasing dump trucks down to gather more materials, filming with the Knowledge Network, firming up our electrical system list and getting two more chickens with the kids. The chickens have been scratching around in last year’s compost eating worms and turning our waste into eggs while adding their manure to the mix. Nature is beautiful.

June 17 was the start of our second workshop. We had visitors from Texas, Monica and Lynn; Liz and Bryan (repeats); Beth, a local educator on sustainable living; and Onami who has visited us three times learning whether we are crazy or onto something great. A lot less testosterone in this workshop blended well to the creativity, accompanied with songs from all. The walls to height with all lintels installed, workshop plastering all but complete, with a high point watching Elke climb onto an archway 3 feet across, six inches deep and four inches thick… we were impressed. A warm thank you to all for the shared skin from your knuckles and to Byran who wrote another fabulous song about our week called the “Subtleties of Splooge”

We also had a student from the last workshop, Ben, refuse a wage, as he offered to come by every weekend to work for free, though really we think he comes to hang with Emily and Parker to receive his education on edible plants. Another student from the last workshop, Colin, did a presentation about sustainable building in Powell River, built a community bench with school kids, and inspired visitors to come learn more. We had another visitor, a student from last year, Graham, who has gone and built his own cob house, and is preparing to head to Dalhousie to get his degree in architecture, spurred on by his sustainable experiences. We continue to be inspired by those who are inspired by us…community is beautiful.

In the Highlands we attended two events. The first was an update on the Groundwater Monitoring Program; we were amazed by the abundant intellect in the group. Needless to say we learned a great deal from this meeting and are looking for ways to incorporate these lessons into our project. The second event was a celebration of the amazing efforts of Highlander Bob McMinn who’s lifelong service to the community was honoured with the “Freedom of the District”. Bob has transformed the Highlands into a place of community, parks and trails, heritage buildings, preserved sanctuaries, and an incorporated district. We also learned, (as we are newly arrived residents), that his wife Nancy was equally wonderful. Gord’s rock moving and trench digging efforts pale in comparison to Bob’s, though this wasn’t the reason we left the ceremony with leaking eyes. The Highlands is RICH with wonderful neighbors, community, leaders and followers - we thank them all and feel privileged to be welcomed.

Some sad news from the BC government filters into a positive update. The BC Government and BC Hydro dropped the ball with their Standing Offer program… small scale suppliers like us won’t produce the power to qualify… we would need to install 244 more panels, above and beyond our original six (at a minimum cost of $317,000). The net metering program still exists, where they purchase excess power, at a proposed rate of about 6 cents per kw; the standing offer program pays about 8.8 cents on what you produce in total, not just the excess. So an investment of approx $320,000 would allow us to collect 8.8 cents per kw. Based on 5 hours of solar gain per day, this amounts to $22/day; meaning that it would take 39.8 years to pay it off. This does not take into account the additional costs of the inverter, or the interest rates on the money borrowed. Hmmmm. Other more advanced nations and provinces are paying between 45 to 80 cents per kw. Still trying to figure out what the government was trying to accomplish.

The day after the workshop, a lively carpooling group arrived at 8 am. The BCSEA board of directors were jovial, enthusiastic, and very photogenic on the composting toilet. The tour was rewarding to give, with the wonderful questions, and the 90 minutes could easily have been 180. The BCSEA is a non governmental organization making a real difference with creating policy and pushing for governmental reform for sustainable energy. www.bcsea.org

It was 2 years ago we met Guy Duancey and spewed that we were going to build a sustainable house. Guy bluntly asked us if we were aware of LEED, at which we gleefully responded “Nope”. Guy gently but firmly said “you have some homework to do”; we were pretty green back then… and we are still doing our homework now. We have become greener than we originally suspected as Ann just this evening pointed out to Gord that his eyes have turned from dark brown to olive green. Symbolic? Not sure how to take Ann’s symbolism, maybe the level of BS has dropped?

Some very interesting facts and figures are starting to appear as we analyze the cost of labour for building. The 230 ft2 wood working shop, with all expenses in and 720 hours accounted for at $20/hr, show that it cost $ 23,000 or $ 100/ ft2, (labour 65%, materials 26%, and professional fees 9%). The house to date is about 1/3 complete; the infrastructures, foundation, lower walls to height, and 480 hours of labour (including all trench digging). With our estimates of additional costs and labour, we are expecting to target $97/ ft2 for the house (solar system, all labour, fees, and materials included). There is also another extremely interesting figure to observe… we estimate the total labour allocation for the house to reach 1440 hours (for 2150 ft2 ) versus the 720 hrs for the 230 ft2 work shop; this translates into 0.67 hrs/ ft2 invested in the house versus 3.13 hrs/ ft2 for the workshop. With our methods of mixing cob and building we suspect we are roughly 500% more efficient! This includes well over half of the materials being shoveled into the trailer each morning from the bottom of the hill and emptied up top. This process has also shown us further ways to improve upon all of theses costs.

The last day of the month was a tour of our progress to date, of all the systems, (including how Ann and I met 2 ½ years ago), led by Angela Evans. Needless to say we were surprised to see such a large turnout, and we hope that all learned more than they expected. We wish to thank all that attended and to thank Angela by not being daunted in the slightest by the group of 30.

As we start to see the completion of the house, we are beginning to plan our winter’s work. Our goal is to search out funding to develop and package our school educational programs complete with teaching guide and workbooks; suggestions on foundations or interested partners welcome. Perhaps we could even accept inspirational/educational carbon offset donations. We are also at the stage where we expect to run into our main difficulty, getting insurance; we will be publicly providing the play-by-play of these challenges. Any interested reporters up for a story?

We have created a set of selected photos that can be viewed as a slide show. They are on FLICKR, and you can either click on this link or cut and paste it into your browser http://www.flickr.com/gp/45339415@N00/HvU024 ; this series of photos will grow. If there is a question you would like to have answered from something you see in the photos let us know as we have the ability to put comments/info on the picture itself, explaining a process, idea or material.

Looking forward to building our next cob structure along with community, healthy bodies, and affordability all at the same time.

Grateful for your support and encouragement,

Ann and Gord