After completing the walls, I roughed in the interior plumbing using plumbing channels and then covered it all with 3/4 drain rock. The following Spring, I finished off some rammed earth walls for windows and a sliding door.
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Posts by lakestone
Forming Rammed Earth Walls
Took me a whole Spring, Summer, and Autumn to build my Rammed Earth Walls. Shoveling 600 tons of sand and gravel and man-handling 40 KG bags of cement ain’t for the weak of spirit. I had good weather though, despite being unbearably hot at times. I drank three or four liters of liquid a day. […]
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Tractor Love
My tractor has been a real work horse from moving tons and tons of aggregates to lifting heavy beams and planks. Best purchase I made, but needs respect. Tractors don’t like hilly terrains.
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Preparing Footings
The footings were very unique for this project. Over 30 cubic yards of concrete, three times what most houses use to create a snowshoe imprint to handle the weight of the Rammed Earth Walls.
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Choosing the Right Mixer
Before buying a mixer, I tested a drum mixer. Didn’t like they way the drum mixer worked. I decided on a Mortar Mixer. Much more efficient at dry mixing.
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Training in Thailand
Before building, I took a course with Clifton Schooley in Thailand, a Vancouver Rammed Earth Guru. Met some interesting people from all walks of life.
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Compacting Building Site
Preparing building site with 1000 lb plate compactor to keep my GeoTec happy.
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Excavating the Land
The initial excavation was done by the “pros.” However, I wasn’t exactly pleased with the end result. The following year I had to rent a small Kubota for a week and fix everything up. Nevertheless, the pros hauled out a lot of dirt and trees?! Wasn’t suppose to be any land fill on this site?! […]
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Clearing the Land
I cleared the land with my truck, a chainsaw, and a variety of clippers, and cutters. Went to the dump about 20 times.
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Land Purchased
My offer was accepted, June 2013. I was able to get a very good price for the land, but I’m not sure I want to live in Lake Cowichan year around. The town of about 3,000 people is a nice town, as small towns go, but it is 30 km from the town of Duncan […]
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