Post by petebrown on Apr 3, 2020 7:57:51 GMT
An update is long overdue, and with a narrow window of inactivity, it seems like a good opportunity to bring things up to date.
Unfortunately, the images embedded in my earlier posts seem to have disappeared, and I'm unable to reinstate them.
March 2019: Roof
As the primary enemy of straw bales in their raw form is water, installation of the roof allowed me to order the bales, confident in the knowledge that they'd now be adequately protected as I went about constructing the walls.
August 2019: Straw
The workshop was shrouded in tarpaulins for the previous few months and wasn't exactly photogenic. Here she is, decked out in her winter pyjamas.
Most noticeable externally was the installation of a rainwater tank which will service the needs of the workshop bathroom as well as those of the surrounding trees, shrubs and vegetable plot.
Under the covers, the straw bale walls were erected quite quickly, but I definitely underestimated the work involved in constructing the timber framework that fills the gap between the top of the bale walls and the rafters above. As if this wasn't time-consuming enough, the remaining task was to surround this structure with wire mesh and pack it tightly with straw. As the photos below show, there was still some work to do to complete this aspect of the project.
The cost of transporting the straw bales was significant, and I adopted a cautious approach by ordering far more bales than I thought would be necessary for fear of requiring a second delivery. The supplier was very generous and loaded an extra 20 bales onto the semi-trailer free of charge. Needless to say, there was an enormous stack of spare bales occupying the workshop floor space. I anticipated that happy day when I could dispose of the surplus bales and my views of the interior spaces would be unimpeded by the straw mountain.
November 2019: Endless Details
Tony is a very helpful and energetic neighbour who seems to know everyone in our little town; he was therefore well-placed to co-ordinate an effort to dispose of the mountain of surplus straw bales stacked in the centre of the workshop. Thanks to his involvement, they were gone within a couple of hours once buyers had been found and a pickup date agreed upon. A convoy of local orchardists and gardeners descended on the workshop on the designated morning, and as I slid the bales down a ramp I'd hastily constructed out of one of the window openings facing the road, they were quickly loaded onto an assortment of trailers and tray-back vehicles before they were whisked off to new homes. The congestion I'd experienced for months was gone, and an unimpeded view from one end of the workshop to the other materialised as if by magic!
There was a prodigious amount of work involved in stuffing gaps with loose straw - either between adjacent straw bales, or between bales and adjoining timber posts - and in covering the posts that border door and window openings with wire mesh. There's a danger of cracks developing in the render due to differences in rates of expansion and contraction wherever different materials meet, and the wire mesh alleviates that concern to a large extent, much as rebar does in a concrete structure.
Because the double-glazed windows and doors are horrendously expensive, I practiced avoidance behaviour over the previous months and was yet to commit myself to confirming the order. I carefully measured the window and door openings a couple of times, and all that remained was to double-check my measurements against the overall dimensions provided on the manufacturer's quote one last time. I knew I couldn't postpone this step much longer but it was still making me nervous!
One of the remaining tasks on the "to do" list was to build a timber structure above the top-most bales at the gable ends, stuff it with straw and cover it with wire mesh. Aside from that, there were any number of small, finicky jobs on the horizon as I continued to inch towards the point at which I'd be ready to engage the rendering experts.
February 2020: Inch by Inch
With all the straw now in place, wire mesh fixed over the junction of posts and bales, the supporting framework for doors and windows installed, and innumerable other details dealt with, it was if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It was at this point that I could look forward to the first of three coats of render being applied to the walls, inside and out.
While I waited for windows and doors to be delivered and the rendering contractor and his pump to become available, there were other jobs to occupy me, the first of which was the construction of a balustrade around the deck. It felt like a pleasant diversion after the months I’d been surrounded by a veritable mountain of straw bales and endless rolls of wire mesh.
March 2020: Doors and Windows
I had a long wait for doors and windows to be fabricated and delivered, and it was great to finally have them in place.
I've more or less completed the balustrade that runs along the edge of the deck on the northern side of the workshop, and the decking planks have been secured, except for a gap along the base of the straw bale wall sufficient to allow render to be applied to the wall below deck level.
The rendering contractor indicated that he'd spray the first coat of render this week, but with heavy rain forecast, the big day has been delayed.
I've allowed myself time this week to enjoy the view out of the corner window, and the experience is everything I'd hoped it would be. It's wonderful to be surrounded by deciduous trees, particularly as the autumn colours appear, and when the leaves fall and more distant views materialise, I know they'll be a constant, pleasant distraction.
More to come shortly.
Unfortunately, the images embedded in my earlier posts seem to have disappeared, and I'm unable to reinstate them.
March 2019: Roof
As the primary enemy of straw bales in their raw form is water, installation of the roof allowed me to order the bales, confident in the knowledge that they'd now be adequately protected as I went about constructing the walls.
August 2019: Straw
The workshop was shrouded in tarpaulins for the previous few months and wasn't exactly photogenic. Here she is, decked out in her winter pyjamas.
Most noticeable externally was the installation of a rainwater tank which will service the needs of the workshop bathroom as well as those of the surrounding trees, shrubs and vegetable plot.
Under the covers, the straw bale walls were erected quite quickly, but I definitely underestimated the work involved in constructing the timber framework that fills the gap between the top of the bale walls and the rafters above. As if this wasn't time-consuming enough, the remaining task was to surround this structure with wire mesh and pack it tightly with straw. As the photos below show, there was still some work to do to complete this aspect of the project.
The cost of transporting the straw bales was significant, and I adopted a cautious approach by ordering far more bales than I thought would be necessary for fear of requiring a second delivery. The supplier was very generous and loaded an extra 20 bales onto the semi-trailer free of charge. Needless to say, there was an enormous stack of spare bales occupying the workshop floor space. I anticipated that happy day when I could dispose of the surplus bales and my views of the interior spaces would be unimpeded by the straw mountain.
November 2019: Endless Details
Tony is a very helpful and energetic neighbour who seems to know everyone in our little town; he was therefore well-placed to co-ordinate an effort to dispose of the mountain of surplus straw bales stacked in the centre of the workshop. Thanks to his involvement, they were gone within a couple of hours once buyers had been found and a pickup date agreed upon. A convoy of local orchardists and gardeners descended on the workshop on the designated morning, and as I slid the bales down a ramp I'd hastily constructed out of one of the window openings facing the road, they were quickly loaded onto an assortment of trailers and tray-back vehicles before they were whisked off to new homes. The congestion I'd experienced for months was gone, and an unimpeded view from one end of the workshop to the other materialised as if by magic!
There was a prodigious amount of work involved in stuffing gaps with loose straw - either between adjacent straw bales, or between bales and adjoining timber posts - and in covering the posts that border door and window openings with wire mesh. There's a danger of cracks developing in the render due to differences in rates of expansion and contraction wherever different materials meet, and the wire mesh alleviates that concern to a large extent, much as rebar does in a concrete structure.
Because the double-glazed windows and doors are horrendously expensive, I practiced avoidance behaviour over the previous months and was yet to commit myself to confirming the order. I carefully measured the window and door openings a couple of times, and all that remained was to double-check my measurements against the overall dimensions provided on the manufacturer's quote one last time. I knew I couldn't postpone this step much longer but it was still making me nervous!
One of the remaining tasks on the "to do" list was to build a timber structure above the top-most bales at the gable ends, stuff it with straw and cover it with wire mesh. Aside from that, there were any number of small, finicky jobs on the horizon as I continued to inch towards the point at which I'd be ready to engage the rendering experts.
February 2020: Inch by Inch
With all the straw now in place, wire mesh fixed over the junction of posts and bales, the supporting framework for doors and windows installed, and innumerable other details dealt with, it was if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. It was at this point that I could look forward to the first of three coats of render being applied to the walls, inside and out.
While I waited for windows and doors to be delivered and the rendering contractor and his pump to become available, there were other jobs to occupy me, the first of which was the construction of a balustrade around the deck. It felt like a pleasant diversion after the months I’d been surrounded by a veritable mountain of straw bales and endless rolls of wire mesh.
March 2020: Doors and Windows
I had a long wait for doors and windows to be fabricated and delivered, and it was great to finally have them in place.
I've more or less completed the balustrade that runs along the edge of the deck on the northern side of the workshop, and the decking planks have been secured, except for a gap along the base of the straw bale wall sufficient to allow render to be applied to the wall below deck level.
The rendering contractor indicated that he'd spray the first coat of render this week, but with heavy rain forecast, the big day has been delayed.
I've allowed myself time this week to enjoy the view out of the corner window, and the experience is everything I'd hoped it would be. It's wonderful to be surrounded by deciduous trees, particularly as the autumn colours appear, and when the leaves fall and more distant views materialise, I know they'll be a constant, pleasant distraction.
More to come shortly.
Jo whoever he is.
