building
digging down to the 'native soil' to take soil samples.
August 1st... Stuff seems to have piled up since I last updated the journal on july 15th. I feel as if I haven't got nearly as much done as I would have liked, but there has been some progress. I did get some soil samples taken a couple of days ago but with disappointing results.
The 'native soil' underlying my site is great clay with which to build, but it is buried a bit too deep beneath the organic topsoil. We dug four sample holes around the foundation and hit clay at varying depths: 12 inches in one spot, 19 in another, but 29 inches in the remaining two.
Since the rubble trench will only need to go down two feet, this probably means that we wouldn't get enough usable soil out with which to build the rammed earth stem walls, never mind having material to plaster with!
So I think I have two choices: I can either source the soil I need from elsewhere. This may mean buying it but quite likely we can get it for free from building sites wanting to get rid of clay-rich fill. The second option is to dig a pit some distance from, and slightly below, the site. We would be able to get all the soil we need from here, and the pit could be used as a sump to collect rain water draining out of our rubble trench.
On a different topic, during the last two weeks I have been drafting architectural plans and elevations for my engineer. This is proving to be a frustrating but very educational process. Lots of unforseen details are coming to light which need to be carefully considered if the structure is to work well.
One of these is the sequence and pattern in which the bales are stacked in order to retain an effective running bond where walls intersect. Easier said than done. I will post the results of my designing once they are finished!
August 4th... I just met and had an interesting conversation with Mark Boysen, the 'Sustainability Coordinator' for Saanich District. Mark seems interested in the project and I'm hoping that we may be able to collaborate on ways of promoting sustainable building systems in the region.
The 'native soil' underlying my site is great clay with which to build, but it is buried a bit too deep beneath the organic topsoil. We dug four sample holes around the foundation and hit clay at varying depths: 12 inches in one spot, 19 in another, but 29 inches in the remaining two.
Since the rubble trench will only need to go down two feet, this probably means that we wouldn't get enough usable soil out with which to build the rammed earth stem walls, never mind having material to plaster with!
So I think I have two choices: I can either source the soil I need from elsewhere. This may mean buying it but quite likely we can get it for free from building sites wanting to get rid of clay-rich fill. The second option is to dig a pit some distance from, and slightly below, the site. We would be able to get all the soil we need from here, and the pit could be used as a sump to collect rain water draining out of our rubble trench.
On a different topic, during the last two weeks I have been drafting architectural plans and elevations for my engineer. This is proving to be a frustrating but very educational process. Lots of unforseen details are coming to light which need to be carefully considered if the structure is to work well.
One of these is the sequence and pattern in which the bales are stacked in order to retain an effective running bond where walls intersect. Easier said than done. I will post the results of my designing once they are finished!
August 4th... I just met and had an interesting conversation with Mark Boysen, the 'Sustainability Coordinator' for Saanich District. Mark seems interested in the project and I'm hoping that we may be able to collaborate on ways of promoting sustainable building systems in the region.