April 6th...Much has happened during the last two months and, I have to admit, I am not doing a great job of keeping the journal up-to-date. It's gotten so far behind that I've decided to skip February all together!

Progress has been a lot slower than I would have hoped and I am now a few months behind schedule. Luckily, I gave myself lots of time for the project so I should still be on track to have all the structural elements built this year, even if the building is not completely finished and functional.

In fact, given that it is intended as a workshop, I will probably 'move in' before it is finished in order to complete the detailing work.

Much of the time has been spent fine-tuning the design of the structure and then getting appointments with my engineer who is so busy that it is not always easy to see him!

Of real note during March was the launch of our local initiative to create a set of authoritative guidelines (Alternate Solutions) for use with natural construction materials and techniques. This document - which we are probably going to call the 'Alternate Solutions Resource' - is intended to provide clear, technical and appropriate information to builders and inspectors when working with methods that are currently not contained within the building code.

On March 25th I did a presentation on the initiative to the South Island Building Officials monthly meeting to elicit the level of interest and support that we might get from our local municipalities. Given that this was a somewhat exploratory meeting, it was a good learning experience.

The responses were mixed. The older inspectors showed little interest in the venture but the younger members seemed much more open to the idea. Having started out calling it 'The Green Code Initiative', we soon realised that this was going to cause a problem, since many of the inspectors assumed we were trying to change the code and were quick to point out that the '...building code is not changed from below!' Hence the new name.

But, all in all, the presentation went well and we are still on track to create something that could be very useful for anyone wanting to build with natural materials. (If you want to know more about this venture and/or would like to get involved, please contact me.)

Work has continued on making compression samples and my home-made re-usable molds have worked fairly well. I am experimenting with various different mixes and additives including pumice for insulation, horse hair for tensile strength and cow manure for durability.

Of minor interest; I started out using WD40 as my mold lubricant, but found that it wasn't completely successful. Occassionally, chunks of rammed earth would still adhere to the metal and tear away when the mold was opened. I am now going to experiment with Cooking Oil spray on the advice of Steve Cowden from Camosun College. Another alternative is Linseed Oil.

Crush tests have been conducted in the Camosun College civil engineering lab (literally just down the road from me) but my early samples were disappointingly weak - managing only 0.6 MPa in the first batch. However, we learn the most from our mistakes and it has been another great lesson for me!

I also purchased the Makita Chain Mortiser in March. Although quite expensive, this tool should make the construction of joints in my timber frame significantly quicker and easier than doing it the 'old fashioned way' with mallet and chisels! A worthwhile investment I believe...