Mud is moving up the walls

There's not much to report these days, as all the progress is so incrimental, there's not much to see day-to-day. I did get out and take some pictures though, just to report in.

Here you can see some small chunks of tile and I think hardi-backer (the stuff put behind tiles) that I found in the trash, and a broken tape measure. I buried them into the wall, just because I could. I love that. Volume in my wall, and not going to the landfill.

Melissa is our main 'cob' maker. Once we mix up a batch, she sits down and mushes the mud into lumps that then get pressed into the wall. (in these two pictures you can also see the holes left from 'thumbing' the layers together. The holes help with drying, and adherance between layers.)



Here's a shot showing how high the walls are from the western outside. And Melissa is pointing to the water inlet pipe that will bring water in to the kitchen sink. Way down below that in the stone wall, you can see the drain pipe coming out.


Here Melissa is pointing to one of the two air pipes (covered with a fine anti-bug screen) that are buried in the wall as part of my plan to help vent the propane fridge pilot light. The ones that are in now will be cold air in, and later I'll put hot air out.

Also in this picture you can see how the butress is shaping up, with the lower part already dry, and now we simply add a tied-in layer on the buttress when we add it to the wall.