We had thought it would be easy – but due to sickness, finances and a number of other issues, it is now going to be very difficult to get a bathroom sorted for hot showers before winter…
We have running water (mostly) for doing dishes, though the main plumbing for waste water needs to go right where the north verandah will be. To make things easier and cheaper in the long run, the verandah had to be next!
The verandah is planned to go the length of the house and be suspended concrete on rammed earth walls, allowing access underneath for storage, (possibly) chickens and growing as well as the composting toilets. ENgineering had to account for many things including the idea to have trafficable glass above the composting toilets to allow extra heat and also people view the products without going down under the verandah.
After setting up the rammed earth forms for two fo the planned walls, the new engineering plans arrived with different details. The previous design used a thicker wall, where as this design used thinner walls with a concrete footing underneath. We moved the forms and dug out the bases for the footings under each of the first five walls.
I only planned to do a couple of walls, however my eldest two sons dug a trench, then my 3 year old son wanted to help dig yet another. He kept going & going until we had finished that trench. As a joke I said “should we do another” – he didn’t see the funny side and said yes. I couldn’t be out done by a 3 year old so all 5 trenches were finished.
Next came the trench mesh. Engineer had specified a 5 bar mesh, however we only had some left over 4 bar strips, so we made the footings wider and used two lots of the 4 bar.
My 3 year old still had energy so he laid one lot of mesh and then put the chairs under.
The next morning we had visitors coming at 11am so thought we would just do 2 trenches with concrete before tidying and getting ready for them. As we had prepared and wet the mixes the night before, we had laid the 2 trenches by 7:30am. May as well do the other 3?!
My 9 year old doing his first screed – amazing for first go!
By around 9:30 we had all 5 trenches finished, left over concrete made into (yet another) bmx jump and the tools cleaned. Meanwhile my wife and daughter had been cooking up a storm for the visitors whose daughter had a birthday the day before.
We had just enough time to prepare and tidy for the guests and just enough energy for the water fight that developed. To say I am proud of this family & the effort they put into building and blessing people is an understatement. Incredible what work can get done with a team who are motivated!
Next Up: The rammed earth support walls.