Getting Ready for the Women In Their Power Cob Workshop

Today is the first day of the Womens Cobbing workshop here at my cob house site on Mayne Island.
Yesterday I awoke to rain hitting the roof of my trailer, the first rain since April. It has been an extraordinarily hot and dry summer so far. It seemed ironic it decided to rain just as the workshop is set to begin. It will be perfect if it stays slightly cooler than the temperatures we have been seeing lately, but dry. That is my wish for the next few weeks.

We have someone on the island preparing and delivering lunch to us everyday. Donna kindly offered to lend me her shelter. I had initially asked her for it as we needed some shade from the intense sun we have been experiencing. However, yesterday it was in order to keep dry, lol.
It was great to get it set up on the deck.

Lindy arrived from Texas yesterday, and it was so nice to meet her. Our other participants went straight to their B and B, so I am excited to meet them this morning.

Lots has happened since my last post here, but I have been adding pictures and updates to my facebook page, Pams Cob House.

The building inspector came on Thursday and gave us permission to move ahead with building the cob walls. This was great news as Rudi has been working so hard building the drystack foundation.

Here in BC the building code requires we have a concrete footing with rebar in it. We also had to bolt upright posts to the footing. These posts run up through the drystack foundation and the cob walls and are all connected to a wooden ring that runs around the top of the wall. This is for seismic protection and strength.
Building the drystack around these posts was a challenge as you can imagine, but I was lucky to find someone who could do it for me.

The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity as the straw was delivered, and the sand arrived.

 I found some recycled windows while I was over in Mission and was so lucky to discover that Mayne Island Home Hardware have a truck that visits the mainland every week and they will pick things up over there and bring them back to the island. What a gift. I met them in Langley, where there were six arched windows I found on craigslist, and we loaded up all my fourteen windows and they drove them back to Mayne for me. I am so grateful to Amanda at the Insurance office here on Mayne, as she told me about this service. That is the beauty of a small island community, everyone is so helpful and supportive.
Yesterday on site we wanted to arrange for a bobcat to come  and do a huge mix of cob for us so we could concentrate on building the walls and not just doing the foot mixes. Fred Bennett, who delivered the sand, suggested he bring the small excavator instead of the bobcat, and this offered us a solution to another problem we had.
Inside the drystack foundation, we have to infill up to the floor level and this is a huge job. When Fred brings his excavator, he can take down a section of a soil wall and put it straight into the middle of the floor area. This wall has to be removed anyway as it is in the way of where we need to put three post footings for upright posts that will support the roof.

So we asked Rudi to leave a section of the foundation unfinished to allow the machine to deposit the fill into the inner space. This will save us so much labour and I am so grateful, I can't wait until Monday to see what occurs. Once this huge job is finished, Rudi will return to finish the last piece of drystack.

Today we plan to visit the Mayne Island Farmers Market, Thrift Store and Recycling Depot and mix some cob manually.

Huge Rocks are a Surprise Discovery as Work Continues

As my neighbour  Evan was moving the stumps down to the bottom of the lot he made an exciting discovery. There a lots of big rocks hiding in the earth and under the salal.  He carried a few up near where the house will be and I will get my wheelbarrow and move some of the smaller ones myself.
This is exciting as I was needing some stones for my foundation as parts of it will be above ground to prevent any splashback from the rain hitting the cob walls.  Aren't they magnificent?

This is where the house will sit. The smaller logs will be cut for firewood.

I discovered this little chap as I was disconnecting my extension cord from the electricity pole.

Before heading home on the ferry I went to the Spring Water Pub for dinner with Carol.  Sweet scented lilacs greeted me as I walked onto the patio. They filled the air. Childhood memories just poured in.

Cob Houses

Here are some lovely pictures of cob houses for those interested in seeing what they look like. The first one is just around the corner from where I will be building mine. It was built by an amazing woman called Kate. She inspires me. Her house is so beautiful and inviting. I can't wait.

I Got My Dream Property

Hello, well the first step to realizing my dream of building my own cob house is accomplished. I found this very special property on Mayne Island last September.
As of June 17th 2011 I take possession and I am so excited and grateful.
There is a small trailer on the lot, with a big deck and an outhouse, all I need for a summer retreat until I gather materials and money to build my cob house.

Here is the trailer and deck seen from below.

There is such a great deck for enjoying the view and fresh island air.

This is one of the potential building sites for my cob house.

The bottom part of the lot, with such lovely trees and sunlight.