Past Photo Updates
November 17, 2009 Update
Summers
long gone, and fall is on its way out. After a very short summer, we've
been blessed with a beautiful and mild fall. Our goals have remained
the same and we continue to focus on what is put before us each day; no
matter how tough or how easy each day might seem to be.
As the
days get colder and the daylight gets shorter, we are turning our focus
on specific tasks that will allow us to live here full time, 24/7,
365. We now are completely self sufficient for power and are now
trenched for full plumbing in our Guest House which we will put online
in early spring. We have a light scratch coat of stucco on our
Guest House as well and are now in the process of doing framing
and finishing work on the inside.
Matthew
& Josh helping Kelly haul pickets. Matthew really enjoys driving
the tractor. I can't wait until he is old enough to run the tractor
himself.
I'm seeing someone about 4 feet tall spending many hours on many weekends during the summer cutting grass.
A far too familar scene with Kelly...yet again he is finishing cement. This time it is for the wind tower installation.
Jake (Audrey's Dad) & Kelly assembling the blades on the Whisper 500.
An excited Matthew helps tighten the bolts on the nose cone.
After
some very tense moments, the tower goes up. This was extremely scary
from the standpoint that there is close to a 1000 lbs of weight on the
end of the tower and no bracing. We chose to cross and lateral brace
the tower after we erected it so that alignment would be easier. It was
a good choice, but caused us to have to be extra careful erecting the
tower so that the legs did not buckle from the various stresses.
Final adjustments are made to position the legs.
After
a very long two days of stressful work raising and wiring the tower, it
is a beautiful sight to watch our new turbine flying backdropped by
another gorgeous Saskatchewan sunset.
Two weeks after erecting the tower, we got our first taste of Craik wind.
Our
turbine survived the wind gusts that exceeded 90 km/h, but
not without a few casualties. The heavy vibration wore the sheathing
away from the split nuts that wired the windings to the tower. The 16'
mast also made us uneasy as we watched the turbine withstand over
800 lbs of lateral force against it. We lowered the turbine (and
discovered our 4,600 lb Ford Explorer doesn't have enough weight or
traction to handle the job) and almost dropped the the tower from not
enough traction. We rebuilt the mast 8' shorter and rewired the tower
in such a way that the wires could never touch each other again and
then tilted the tower back up. Shown above, Kelly adds a access ladder
to the tower for future maintenance.
Kelly
backs up and assesses the situation. We chose to build a moveable wall
to mount the equipment on to. This will allow us to move the system
more readily to the studio once we have the mechanical room finished.
To wire the entire system took almost a full day to complete.
The
finished system! This might not excite anyone else, but what it means
for us is that we will never have a electrical bill while living out
here in Craik. The complete system cost us about $15000.
Currently in Saskatoon our electrical bill is around $2000 per year
Most people do the math and say that means it will take 7 1/2
years to recoup our costs...but in reality...the whole system was less
money than what our local electric company would have charged to plow
service to our studio. Last time I checked...no matter how you do the
math, this is a smart investment in our financial resources.
This
is the weakest point in our whole system. Our battery storage bank
buffers large power draws on the system as well as provides backup
for when the wind isn't blowing. These batteries cost $650 each but are
worth every penny. They should last 10 - 15 years before requiring
replacement. They are sealed AGM's which mean they require no
maintenance, do not outgas, and can never spill.
Part
of the brains to our system is the 4000 watt inverter. There are many
systems on the market and everyone claims that theirs is the best. I
can't say if ours is, but it does what we need it to do and it does it
very well. We can plug-and-play up to 3 inverters together without any
re-wiring. It senses phantom loads and shuts down if there are no
substancial loads present...It also senses if we turn the generator on
and automatically switches to to that power source without a blink or a
surge from any of our lights. After spending months researching what to
buy, we bought one of the most expensive inverters on the market an we
feel we chose wisely and definitely got more than our money's worth.
This
is the programming panel for our inverter. This allows us to monitor
the system from another part of the house as well as set up all of the
perameters for the system such as battery type/ voltage regulation,
charging perameters, etc. It is either a daunting scary little box for
the average person or a very cool little toy for a techno geek...I tend
to be the latter....Actually, I'm getting giddy just looking at the
photo :)
Our
Whisper 500 is a 3 Killowatt wind turbine. Because of the winds here in
Craik, before lowering the tower we were actually seeing close to
3.2 KW of power being produced consistently. This put a major load on
our system from the standpoint that we don't have enough storage
capacity to handle that much power. Since our wiring incident, we
lengthened the wiring which in turn gives us a more controlled balance
on our system. Doing so gives us no noticable transmission loss
below 2 Kilowatts, but forces the turbine to max out at about 2.8
kilowatts. This makes the charge controller pictured above run much
cooler with less chance of getting a surge it can't handle. The Whisper
500 comes with a very neat feature in that once the batteries are fully
charged and we don't require any more power, the excess power diverts
to a "dump load" which essentially shuts down the turbine. It is very
neat to be walking through the yard and listen to and watch the turbine
shut down and start up automatically on its own.
In
addition to having an electric brake on the base of the tower itself,
we also chose to install one inside. This allows us to "Turn Off" the
wind turbine whenever we leave or don't feel comfortable with the wind
speed.
After
being stretched in so many directions trying to establish our lives
here in Craik, we are moving forward in finishing off our guest house.
Applying stucco is a huge and labourous job so we do it as we can
between other jobs on the go.
The scissor lift on the right was
a questionable purchase at the time but now we don't know how we lived
without it before. It seems like everything we do is at least 10 feet
in the air around here!
As
part of not only finishing the inside, but also winterizing and sealing
the walls, Audrey paints primer on the inside walls. This essentially
becomes our vapour barrier and also stops any air leaks that push their
way through the stucco.
After
one winter of trying to use our small little antique stove, we realize
we needed something with a bit more staying power. Keeping with our
passion of reusing discarded materials, we purchased about 450 bricks
from someone who tore out an old fireplace. We were told that the fire
place was built with the house...and NEVER used. It seemed only fitting
that we allow them to be used for what they were purposed for :)
We
made a loose plan of attack and began building a masonary stove for our
Guest House. Just like the large stone fire places we will be building
in the Studio, the brick of this stove will collect the heat and
disapate it over the course of the day giving us the ability to get
some sleep at night instead of stoking a fire every hour.
Audrey and the kids couldn't resist! They had to break in the new stove with roasted marshmallows!
I think we've said it before...but, "life doesn't get much better than this!"
August 9, 2009 Update
Summer
is quickly passing us by and our lives have been in whirlwind mode.
Since going to 1/2 time hours at Kelly's work place in Saskatoon, we've
been living Wednesday night to Sunday afternoons in Craik and then
commuting back for 2 1/2 days stay in the City to restock on sleep,
building supplies, work, laundry, and meal plans for the next week.
We are finding that by living in two places at once absolutely
everything you need is always at the other house :)
Aside from that, we continue to build and are now at the point that:
- All of the last of the foundation has been poured
- All of the outer closed walls on the 1st floor have been stuffed and are ready for stucco
- We've begun framing in the south facing walls that will contain glass or doors
- We've begun production on the glulam beams that will create the structure for the roof.
We've
also had many ups and many downs. 4 months ago we watched Audrey's Aunt
pass away from cancer...and now again, this past week we attended the
funeral of her uncle who pasted away of cancer quite suddenly. It
was yet another reminder for us of why we are doing this, and why there
are no shortcuts to how we do it.
We watch both in horror and
disgust at the new housing developments exploding throughout the
suburban sprawl. We heard of contractors boasting about development
companies they work for being able to start and finish multiple houses
in less than a week. We look at the incredible percentage of new homes
that are prefabricated this or prefabricated that and are dazed
and confused looking through weekly flyers to discover that every
single building product is being advertised as "green". It is gut
wrenching to see a product containing known carcinegins being promoted
as "green" or "environmental" because it saves trees that are
incidentally "green" and "renewable resources".
The last 10 cu metres of cement are poured in the foundation. This will become one of the walls of our small cold storage room.
The exterior walls are now stuffed and window and door rough framing has now begun.
One critasisim we get from a lot of people who have looked at building straw bale is "I thought you had to have the roof on
before you stuff the walls with bales". In a perfect world, that would be great, but we had we had very few options
for where to purchase bales in the local area so we took what we could when we could get them. In retrospect,
That was one of the smartest choices we made as the One and only supplier we could convince into baling for us no
longer is farming, and the one other supplier in the area passed away this year.
Just
because a farmer has a square baler doesn't mean they'll want to
go to work for you or even support your crazy endeavors.
What we
have discovered by accident though is that bales in a wall will dry
very fast after being rained on compared to being left
in a stack. The amount of loss we've had while the bales were in the stack is heart wrenching.
Because of the shape of our structure, the outer walls need to be wired in with stucco mesh.
The inner walls are compressed like a pie shaped wedge and do not need tension to hold them in.
An overhead 3 photo collage of our house and studio to this point.
Please excuse the wide angle distortion on the right circle.
Yet again, we are truly amazed at what we just consider common sense. No offense to smokers. We have a lot
of friends who smoke, but they have sense not to smoke in the middle of a big round straw house with tons of loose straw
laying everywhere...especially after a three week drought.
We took a few days to finish up some projects that have been bugging us being not completed. Again, to go with our small scale
testing
of everything we do, we finished putting up the eaves trough on the
south side of our garage. We've calculated that 1/10" of rain
equals
1/8th imperial gallons / sq ft of roof. Although that doesn't
sound like much, A small rain fall this past week equated to 160
gallons
of water for us. That means that same rain fall would
have produced 630 imperial gallons (2520 litres) of collected water for
our house
off of less than a 1/2" of rainfall.
Refinements on our water system included a pressure system and indoor tap in addition to our indoor shower.
This means we are fully livable out here for 8 months of the year. If we did decide to make the move to full time
living out here, it would be a bit more difficult, but we could be sustainable 12 months of the year.
As we finish the wall structure of the house, we are beginning to transition ourselves into constructing the main beams
that make up the roof. Here Audrey and I run 24 2x8x16' boards through the planer on both sides. Notice all the wood
chips on the ground. We should consider getting a gerble or something, eh?
Audrey works on routering the scarf joints. After much research, we've found that of all the styles and ways of joining
end boards together, this style of overlapping glued joint (that has been used for centuries) is still by any standard
the strongest and most reliable way to join end boards together.
We spent a part of last year researching environmentally safe structural glues that were readily available.
We were able to find a structural epoxy made by Polymer Composites Inc. out of California that fit our bill. There
are no fumes or toxic vapours. It washes up with water, has a tensile strength of 8500 psi, and smells a bit like
peanut butter when mixed. It is expensive, but as we are learning about all things and our health...Things that are
cheap...come with a very high price! Sometimes that price is deferred but it is always there.
The
epoxy is thixotropic meaning that it has the consistency of somewhere
between peanut butter and mayonnaise. It is incredibly easy
to spread
for being an epoxy and yet can be applied vertically or even upside
down. As a side note...if you do drop any unmixed resin on
the ground, clean it up right away. I stepped in it, one of our friends then stepped in it, then finally our long haired cat
laid in it. Four days later, the cat is still sticky!
A pic showing one of the scarf joints. This type of joint will result in 90 - 95% original strength over this area
where
as a more common, cheaper and faster and more popularly used
commercial finger joint will only render 20 - 25% structural
strength in the same joint area.
Showing the butte of our beam. The varying grain mixed with the epoxy makes for a far stronger and more sustainable
wood beam than 9x9 timber for the roof.
After the glue has set for 3 days, the excess squeeze-out and variance in plank widths is removed with a planer.
On
a side note, somehow we ended up with a
slight 3/4" camber in our beam after the third lamination.
We need to figure out how we did this because we actually need to increase this to 1.5" - 2" on the remaining beams.
by slightly curving the beam you decrease deflection in the final assembly when full load is applied to the beam.
Audrey then filled any voids or knots and Kelly does a final planing.
Our calculations showed the finished beam should weigh between 500 - 600 lbs when complete. This was confirmed by some
unorthodox
testing. We know the loader's safety valves release at 750 lbs and that
the tractor will "tip" forward with approx. the
same amount of leverage. Lifting the beam to rotate it proves it is under this weight, but heavy enough to make the tractor
quite "light weight" in the back end.
After close to 40 hours worth of work, Audrey stands proudly in front of her accomplishment.
With one 8" x 12" x 38 ft long beam built, we just need to do this another 23 more times and we'll be set to go.
Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, We don't have to pay for gym memberships, we've both lost 20 lbs a piece (Jenny Craig and
Slim Fast eat your pre-packaged cardboard dinner hearts out) We can honestly and truly say "We built our house"
and best of all...we love working together. It doesn't get any better!
June 15, 2009 Update
Sorry
the updates have not been more regular, but since this past
winter we have been in a holding pattern of building beams and
errecting them so the progress continues to look the same.
Spring
always brings about changes. Not only is it a change of season, but it
is a time of budding excitement as the earth is renewed and births are
abundent. We too have found ourselves in this place as our hearts keep
moulding and forming around this little 10 acre plot of land we are
slowly calling our home.
May brought about many changes. After
giving notice 2 years ago at his work place, Kelly is now down
to working 3 days a week in the city which will allow for much
more time builiding on the studio and house. He jokes that he can't
wait for Monday to come. Working at the sign shop is much less
physically demanding work :)
After waiting almost 3 years for
trees to be planted around the perimeter of our land, we were blessed
with a donation of a hundred 2-3 year old trees along with about 130
Pine and Spruce trees. Needless to say we've been spending more than a
few weekends planting trees.
We started putting in a fence that
will eventually surround our property. We always try our best to
minimize chemicals and poisons used in the building process as well as
around the yard, but also try to balance that with common sense and
practicality. We wanted a rustic looking rail fence that would stand up
over time and so have decided to use treated lumber to build it with.
We are not too happy with that choice, but at the amount of work it is
to install, we need it to stand for the next generation and placed in
with a tight budget, we had to make a hard decision on materials to
use. The fence was an absolute must as we have fought with trying to
stop visitors from driving through our trees over the past two
years. Even after picking up broken 4 foot high wooden stakes, people
have argued with us that they didn't run over them??? I don't get it,
but I guess its true what they say 1. Ignorance is bliss...and 2.
Common sense isn't so common.
Recently we awoke with everything
else coming alive in the spring to realize that over this past
fall and winter something has been changing and growing in our hearts.
When we began this project over 3 years ago, it was all about "the
building" and the workshops and Riverstone Studios...but as we grow, as
we build, as we mature along with our children...we are coming to
realize that what we are doing is building a homestead of better
choices for our family. After years of not being happy with status quo
and wanting better for our family and friends, we are doing what many
others only dream about. This year we are raising organic chickens and
ducks that will have a healthy, natural , and good life foraging
for bugs and grass that have not been sprayed with pesticides. Their
diet doesn't include body parts of other animals, and will be treated
with compassion and care throughout their lives into the fall. We
have planted a plot of organic wheat which we will harvest for
the seed this fall to be used again next year for a larger
organic crop. Our children play in a playground we call our backyard
which hasn't seen a drop of pesticide for over 5 years, and they
will be living in a house free of chemicals that their own small hands
have put nails into. For us, its no longer about when the finish
date will be...its about the process of getting there and beyond. Its
not about waiting to someday live...its about living everyday and
savouring every struggle, every muscle ache and every smile as our
eldest son steers the tractor sitting on his father's lap. There is no
place or time we would rather be at.
Audrey warming up the garage. This spring has been strange from +38 to -2 all in the same weekend.
The world's most expensive chicken coop. Do it right once, and never worry about it again!
Our duckies taking a swim (yes...that is our bathtub they are in!).
After getting tired of people with lack of manners and common sense driving over trees we spent 2 years watering by hand,
we've resorted to taking time and financial resources to teach others how to respect our property.
Sometimes I think I'd like to drive up on to someone's front lawn and drive over their cedar's and flower beds
in the city just for something to do so I can look at them through their front window eating breakfast!
You'd never do it to someones manacured lawn, but people can't seem to understand that this is private
property and that we live here!!! YES! WE ARE FRUSTRATED WITH PEOPLE'S LACK OF RESPECT!
Three years ago you couldn't see these trees through the grass,
now there is no mistake our back 40 is covered in forest.
A huge blessing...friends of ours donated 100 hybrid poplars ranging from a foot to three feet high.
We planted about 130 Jack Pines around the property.
Kelly & the boys planting a crop of organic wheat.
Audrey's cherry trees don't have a single leaf yet, but still have blooms.
We now have all the beams placed that we can until more cement is poured.
In total there will be over 100 cubit metres of cement used in the foundation and floors of this building.
The building starting to take shape.
April 1, 2009 Update
...
Kelly placing bales into the walls.
A friend Alex shortens a couple of wooden stakes used for pinning the bales together.
The building starting to take shape.
An overhead view of the studio and house to date.
February 20, 2009 Update
Finally in the middle of our 2nd winter of building, we are at the fun
part of the build process. Bales are going in and walls are going up!
Its hard physical work and the part of the build that people look
forward to helping with. A year and a half of preperation,
planning, and foundation building
has brought us to this point and with excitement and purpose we jump in head first...
Some of the beams can be man handled while others like this one that weighs approx 240 lbs needs to have a
bit more help to get into position.
While Paul and Kelly move the beam into lifting position, Ian, a cinematographer films for a CBC documentary.
Using the front end loader, the beam is lifted and then set onto the anchor bolts previously set in to the foundation
2x10 headers attach the beams together.
By the end of the day, about 25 percent of all the beams are in place.
After a 16 months of trying to keep 'em dry, its time to put them to use.
Paul and Jessie pick through the bales to seperate the good from the bad.
Austin starts placing bales.
The beams are built and spaced to accept 2 bale wide. It's amazing to see how planning and engineering on paper
combine to actually work in real life :)
Kelly & Bridget enjoying the the day while we break for lunch in the straw bale garage.
A shot of the walls beginning to take shape.
Austin uses a wooden mallet appropriately nick named "The Basher" to drive 4' wooden stakes through the bales to
tighten and hold the courses of bales together.
The walls taking final shape. The final course of bales is left off until the outer header is attached
and the bales have a chance to settle a bit.
A shot from the kitchen window looking at the Riverstone Studios gallery area.
About 1/2 of the studio walls are now up.
