Durham Addition

We've been moving right along on the addition at Carlton Ave in the past few weeks. Here's Greg staining the board siding, and battens on sawhorses. Board and batten is a classic, practical, and inexpensive siding option very common in the country, less so in downtown Durham. The rustic aesthetic is catching on in cities these days though, it seems to be following the local food/urban chicken movement, in line with a growing appreciation for all things rural.

Also, the boards didn't come from Home Depot, but from a charming sawmill about 40 miles from town. So we're supporting a local family run mill as well as getting a beautiful product.

Paul's Cabin

Here is the little cabin we worked on during my straw bale workshop last week in Schoharie County, NY. The building is perched near the edge of a ravine in the woods behind my friend Paul's house. He will use it as a retreat cabin, for writing/painting, and a guest cottage.

The building is not completely finished in this photo, and it likely still isn't. We did this in one week and Paul will spend time this fall on the finishing details.

The walls are framed entirely with salvaged lumber and timbers. The north wall is a post and beam frame made from old barn timbers and the other walls stud framed or something in between. We worked with what we had and improvised the layout to fit the materials on hand. We did buy new lumber to frame the floor and roof though.

The north, east, and west walls are strawbale and plaster and the south wall is a straw-clay infill. The floor and roof are not insulated but can easily be finished in the future.

I managed to not get any pictures of the south/porch side, (probably due to the steep drop-off) but there is a glass door to the porch and two big windows, which admit a lot of light.

Straw Bale

We have room for a couple more folks to participate in the straw bale workshop August 10-12 in Summit, NY. Check out the link and get in touch if you're interested!

Preparing for the upcoming workshop has me reflecting on previous bale projects, so here's a photo from a build I worked on a few years ago. The bales have been installed and we were trimming the walls and filling gaps with straw. The orange helmet is mostly for ear protection because we were using a chainsaw to cut, shape, and trim bales.

Sod Roofed Cellar

I'm pleased that this 9x12 root cellar turned out to exhibit such a harmonious blend of building convention and natural materials. The 8" thick poured concrete foundation walls and slab floor are set against clay plaster and a sod roof. The sharp and shiny flashing contrasts with the urbanite and little funky door.

We will complete the building by lime plastering the gable walls, for durability and interior brightness. The floor of the cellar rests about 30" below grade and sits above an extensive drainage system. It rained last night, just perfect timing to get growth on the roof started after this little drought we've had in central NC.

Root Cellar

We framed the roof of the root cellar today, and had an outstanding day building. The roof is made of oak and pine we bought from a beautiful country sawmill near Jordan Lake, NC.

The heavy frame will be supporting a 12" thick green roof that will be continous with the ground, it should turn out to be a charming little building and our best green roof yet!

Catskill Strawbale Workshop

Today I'm doing final preparation for our one-week cob building workshop in Durham. It starts tonight with a campfire at 6pm!

I'm happy to announce that I'm teaching another workshop this summer, a three day weekender focusing on strawbale construction. Hosted by my good old friend Paul Voightland on his beautiful land in Summit, NY, it's sure to be a fun and enriching weekend.

From August 10-12 we'll be doing strawbale infill, earth and lime plaster, and some carpentry/general building stuff on a cabin in the woods. On site camping and all meals are provided. Get in touch with Mike at mpmcdono@yahoo.com or (502) 381 5004 for more info and registration.

The Planet Roo Arbor

I'm just starting to go through photos from the build at Bonnaroo this year. We did a lot of great work and there will be plenty to post as I have the time.

Here are three shots of the arbor pyramid going up. The poles are great big sticks of tropical bamboo that we found in a barn going unused this year. The purlins and "thatch" are locally harvested Tennessee 'Roo 'boo.