Straw Bale Cat House - Lessons Learned

As mentioned in my Straw Bale Cat House post we recently completed a temporary straw bale shelter for the cats. As also mentioned in that post I made a lot of mistakes and learned several lessons. So many, in fact, that I thought the topic warranted its own post.

Some of the mistakes were related to the design itself, while others happened during the build. So far it doesn't seem that any of the mistakes were fatal to the structure, but I'd certainly do things differently in the future.

My very first mistake was in not measuring the bales once I acquired them. In fact, I should probably have shopped around for the appropriate sized bales, but options were somewhat limited and I wanted to find something relatively close that was also cheap. If I were building a house or other permanent structure I would certainly take more care in selecting the bales. 

My design was based on "standard" two stringer bales, which one would expect to be 18" wide, 36" long, and 14" tall. The bales I ended up with, though, were more like 18x42x14. That significantly impacted my design as I had expected the bales to be half as wide as long, making alternating the courses work out evenly. I didn't realize the size difference until I was already stacking the bales. I should have stopped at that point and gone back to the drawing board. Instead, though, I continued, and just dealt with the gaps and odd overhangs as I encountered them. 

Another major mistake was building on a slight slope. Since the structure is temporary I didn't want to disturb the soil any more than I had to. Rather than trying to make the spot level I decided that I could use the slope to my advantage. I reoriented the structure so that the roof was running in the direction of the slope, giving me even more roof slope than my original design. I also reasoned that the slope would help carry water from the roof away from the base of the building.

If any mistake turns out to be a fatal flaw I think it will be this one. What I didn't expect, but should have, is that the slope caused the bales on the high side to shift. The wall on that side looks ridiculous  because it is so far from being straight. The problem is so bad that after leaving it for several days we found that when we returned to finish working on it the door was more narrow than we originally left it. I suspect that the shifting may not have been quite as bad if the door had been in a different location.

This leads to me my next mistake, which was not pinning more bales and/or courses. I had prepared a few pins in advance, which I planned to use for the half bales by the door. In hindsight I should have prepared many more and used them generously. I especially should have used more on the high side to help prevent it from leaning. I did put a few in once all courses of bales had been stacked, but it would have been better to thoroughly pin as I went. 

Not levelling each course of bales as I went was also a mistake. I should have taken the time to do this, as well as making sure each wall was plumb. I was in too big of a hurry to get the bales stacked, though, and so skipped an important step. I regretted doing this as soon as I started working on the roof and realized that my roof was going to be uneven. By this point I was unwilling to restack the bales to correct, so just dealt with it. I think it'll be fine for this structure, but not if I was installing a different type of roof covering.

The roof itself was designed to cover a 12' x 12' area, providing 18" of overhang on the ends and 9" of overhang on the sides. I planned for plenty of overhang to protect the bales from rain and snow so they can be reused in the Spring. The finished structure, though, was not the size I had planned because the bales were larger than expected. I should have redesigned the roof, based on the actual dimensions of the building. Instead, though, I went with the original design, which has left some of the bales protruding out past the roof edge. This is, obviously, less than idea. Although the cats like it since it gives them a convenient way to get onto the roof.

Another issue with the roof is the design itself. I feel like the roof is overly complicated for such a simple temporary structure. In hindsight I wish I had simply added another course of bales to the high side and then spanned the opening with 2x4s on which sheets of OSB would rest. This would not have covered the bales completely, and certainly wouldn't have provided any overhang. I think it would have been sufficient to support a tarp, though, which could have extended out over the edge of the bales. It would have been much simpler, less time consuming, and less expensive to construct. In hindsight I wish I had gone with this and used the savings to buy a larger and better quality tarp.

The overly complicated roof design had another major flaw. Even though it was complicated, it was also minimalist. In other words, I used the fewest rafters possible, to save money and effort. The result is a roof that is much too weak to put any real weight on. I actually have some concerns about its ability to handle any snow load. The inability to put weight on the roof made it difficult to adequately secure the OSB to the rafters in some areas. It also was going to complicated the application of plastic sheeting and roofing felt I had planned, which is a major reason I decided to just cover it with a tarp instead.

Not having a good tarp on hand when I started this project was also a big mistake. I have several old tarps, in varying condition, which I used to cover the structure. None were big enough on their own, though, which made it tough to get everything covered. At one point we had several days of rain and when I went back to the building site I found the tarps had separated in the center, allowing water to just pour inside the structure.

This also caused me to leave the OSB on the roof exposed for several days, during which more rain came. I had taken great care to keep the OSB in the dry prior to that, but then made the mistake of letting it get soaked by rain after installation. I had hoped to reuse it for another project in the future, but now I'm not sure it will be suitable for that. This was probably my most costly mistake, especially since I ended up buying a new tarp anyway. In the future I'll be sure to have a tarp capable of covering a structure like this, and if I don't have one I'll buy one before starting.

Since I ended up covering the structure with a tarp I have unused materials on hand. Had I planned to use the tarp from the start I could have saved myself the expense and trouble of buying the roofing felt and plastic cap nails. I'm going to try to return them, if they are in satisfactory condition. I was storing the felt inside the structure, so it may have gotten wet. I know that the box the nails are in got wet because they were in the bed of the RTV while we were working and there was a misting rain. One of the boxes with screws in it literally fell apart, but I'm hoping the nails didn't get so wet. If I'm able to return those two items the refund will cover the cost of the tarp. Otherwise it a sunk cost until/unless I find another use for them in the future.

As you can see I made plenty of mistakes on this building. I am certainly not happy with how it turned out. It looks sloppy and I seriously doubt its longevity. I am glad to have gotten it built, though, so we could relocate the cats. Since it is intended to be temporary I hope that the longevity doesn't become an issue. If nothing else it was a wonderful learning experience. You can bet that I'll never make these same mistakes again, especially not all on one building!

Edit: Having said all of the above, I don't want to make it seem like I'm completely unhappy with the structure. Yes, there were a lot of mistakes and both my planning and execution were lacking. It really was a great learning experience, though, and will be valuable because of that. Also, this is the first time I have ever attempted to build something so large myself and my first time building with straw bales. As many problems as it may have, I'm proud of the building and of the accomplishment it represents.

Straw Bale Cat House

As mentioned in previous posts, we recently constructed a straw bale structure to serve as a temporary home for several cats. The structure is only intended to be used for a few months, until we can build the permanent building. Once the cats have been relocated to the new building we will disassemble the straw bale structure and re-use the material for other projects.

I designed the structure using SketchUp, which I've found works wonderfully for such projects. The design is very simple. The plan called for a 10' 6" x 9' footprint, which provides 45 square feet of interior space. Things didn't quite go as planned, though, but I'll get to that in a follow-up post. The plan also called for 5 courses of straw bales, providing a height of 5' 10". The roof is 7/16" OSB supported by rafters spaced 4' apart.

Since this building was intended to be temporary I did not want to go through the effort of installing a foundation. I didn't want the bales to sit on the bare ground, though. I ended up deciding to put down plastic sheeting under the first course of bales, then folded it up on the outside and across the top of the bales. This should, I hope, protect the bottom course from both ground moisture and run off.

For the next course I had to make half bales to go on either side of the opening for the door. To make pins I cut some small diameter trees (less than 1") and sharpened one end. I then drove these through the bales, into the course below, to tie everything together.

After the fourth course I placed a sheet of OSB across the end of the structure opposite the door. This serves as a make-shift loft and provides an additional 12 to 15 square feet of space. The final course of bales were then placed on top of the OSB, which helps to hold it in place.

The rafters were constructed from 12 foot long 2'x4's. I used 12' rafters to provide 18" overhangs on each side. The bottom 2'x4' of each rafter was placed across the bales at the appropriate position, and then drilled so that length of rebar could be driven through to tie them to the bales of straw. I then attached a 2 foot length of 2'x4' to one end to provide a 1:6 slope for the roof. The other 12 foot  2x4 was then attached to the top of each rafter structure, providing support for the roof.

For the roof I used sheets of 7/16" OSB. After installing the OSB I had planned to put down a layer of plastic sheeting, which would then be covered by 30lb roofing felt. Due to time constraints, though, we ended up deciding to forego the plastic and felt and simply cover the roof with a good quality tarp.

I was concerned about wind lifting the roof off of the structure, so decided to secure it to the ground with treated 2'x4's. I screwed one end to the rafter on each corner, and then attached the other end to a short length of 2'x4' which had been sharpened to a point and driven into the ground.

I still need to do some work to box in the ends of the rafters, but for now the structure is sufficient for providing the cats with shelter. I'm sure there were easier, and probably also cheaper options. Using straw bales, however, provided me a chance to experiment with using them for building. They should also all be reusable once the structure is no longer needed, at which point they will be used for mulch in the garden.

Concerns About Building with Earth Rammed Tires

I have been a big fan of Earthship Biotecture for several years. In fact, it was my interest in Earthships that led to my interest in other forms of alternative construction methods, which in turn led to an interest in natural building. I own, and have read, all three volumes of Michael Reynolds' Earthship series of books. I've also had the opportunity to visit and tour the Earthship at Blue Rock Station near Columbus, Ohio.

Even as I began to explore other alternative construction methods, I maintained an interest in incorporating earth rammed tires into my plans. I even have a pile of old tires that someone in a nearby town was giving away for free. I figured that it was a good idea to go ahead and start collecting tires, since I would surely be using them in a project at some point in the future.

On the surface of things, what is not to love about the idea of building with a waste product that would likely spend years in a landfill if not put to better use? It seems like the best of both worlds, the tires are being reused, rather than going to a landfill, while at the same time preventing the need for new material to be manufactured for the building process, and saving the homeowner money.

I have began, however, to worry about the potential health and environmental impacts of using tires in this way. Like most topics, information exists to support both sides of the argument. Those who believe building with tires to be completely safe, including Michael Reynolds, say that the tires are not an off-gassing danger, and that by being packed with earth and covered in plaster they are protected from the elements that would eventually lead to decomposition and cause leaching. Those concerned with the safety of earth rammed tires, however, often point to the studies that conclude that tires should not be used in gardens or landscaping applications where edibles plants may come into contact with them. In these situations it has been shown that the tires do leach a toxin that can kill certain plants.

Personally, I don't feel there is sufficient evidence to support either case at this time. In situations such as this, where I feel the evidence does not provide a clear answer, I tend to go with my gut feeling on the subject. When it comes to building with earth rammed tires my feeling is that it is not a risk I'm willing to take. When we build our home, one of our priorities will be reducing our exposure to toxins. I find the idea of surrounding myself with a material that isn't safe to be used in a garden a bit unsettling. This does not, however, mean that I plan to abandon the use of earth rammed tires completely. I am still planning to experiment with them as a foundation for one of the small structures we plan to build. I will just likely limit this to structures that we will not be spending large amounts of time in, or that will house animals.

I would like to make it clear that I am, in no way, trying to dissuade others from building with earth rammed tires. Since I feel there isn't sufficient evidence to prove either their long term safety, or danger, I would not feel right making a recommendation to anyone else regarding this matter. The intent of this post isn't even to highlight the debate over the safety of earth rammed tires, but is simply my way of explaining my changing views on the subject. I will continue to be interested in Earthship Biotecture, and may very well attend an Earthship workshop in the future if one is ever available in my area.

Field to Fork Festival - 2013: Root Cellar Construction

As mentioned in my Field to Fork - 2013 post, I attended an all day Root Cellar Construction workshop on Friday as part of the festival. This was the first time the festival offered an additional day of half-day and all-day workshops, and I think it was a nice addition.

The Root Cellar Construction workshop was led by Daryl Pifer. I was already familiar with Daryl, as I have followed his blog about construction of his straw bale home, and attended his straw bale workshop at the Whippoorwill Festival just a week earlier. During the straw bale workshop he mentioned the root cellar he constructed for his own use, and indicated that it was built using dry stacked concrete blocks, which I was very interesting in learning about.

There were approximately ten to twelve participants in the workshop. I was very glad to see a good turnout, because when I had talked to Deborah, the festival organizer, a few months ago she told me I was the only one to pre-register up to that point. I wasn't really looking forward to building an entire root cellar as part of a two man crew.

When we arrived at the build site, we found the tools and materials waiting for us. The site had been excavated by a backhoe a couple of days before, and the block, bags of concrete, etc were all stacked nearby. After a quick round of introductions, and a summary by Daryl of the plan, we started work.

The first task was to level the base of the site, and, in a couple of spots, expand it somewhat. Since everyone was well rested and eager, this took very little time to complete. Once the base was fairly level we begin taking measurements and setting stakes in order to get a rough idea of the boundaries of the structure. Unfortunately the excavation was not large enough for the original design, so it had to be adjusted somewhat. The original plan called for interior dimensions of 8' by 6'. Instead, Daryl decided to go with exterior dimensions of 8' by 8', which actually provided more interior square footage than the initial design. Had the plan included a concrete floor and/or footers, this would have had to have been done in advance. Rather that concrete, we used gravel for the floor and as a base for the foundation.

With the stakes in place we next added several inches of gravel. With three people shoveling, two wielding buckets, and another pushing a wheelbarrow this was completed quickly. While we were moving the gravel, a couple of others were spreading them. After the workshop I was talking with the instructor and he suggested that when I build my own root cellar I might consider digging actual footers, and doing a rubble trench before adding the gravel base. I think I might very well do this, even if I only end up making it a relatively shallow footer.

With a base of gravel to work on, we next arranged the first course of block, using the stakes as guides for the position of the corners. Several rounds of measuring and adjusting were required to get everything squared up. This included measuring not only across both directions, but also measuring diagonally.

Once we had everything square, we next had to level each block. We started by levelling one corner block, then proceeded to level the next, while also ensuring it was level with the one next to it. This was a fairly time consuming process, which was made worse by the fact that no more than two people could work on it at once. Before finishing with the first course we mixed some concrete which was then poured into the holes of each block. Short, approximately 20' long, pieces of rebar were then inserted at strategic points, such as the corners, etc.

Daryl explained that if we had a concrete floor we would have used mortar on the first course of blocks, which would have made it easier to get everything level. Even though the first course was fairly level, we went ahead and used mortar on the second course to ensure everything was nice and level from that point on. Interestingly, though, we did not use mortar between the blocks, only below them. The second course went more quickly than the first, but still took a bit of time. Before we had it finished we had a couple of visitors to check on our progress, and I'm sure that, to them, it didn't look very promising.

Once we started on the third course of blocks, however, everything changed. The next two courses went up very quickly. I served as the primary block distributor, and tried to make sure the block layers had the correct block, whether a normal or corner block. There were at least two people positioning the blocks at most times, with a couple of others going behind them and ensuring the blocks were level. Sometimes leveling was as simple as turning the block around. Other times it required scraping off tiny debris from the blocks themselves, or adding a small amount of mortar.

The remaining courses of block would have gone up quickly, but after the fourth we had to stop and do another step of the process. Dry stacking concrete blocks requires the use of surface bonding cement, which helps to bind the blocks together. This gets applied to both the outside and inside surfaces. normally this would be done once the blocks were all laid, but in our situation there wasn't enough room between a couple the walls and the hillside to do this. Instead we had to work from the inside, and reach over the wall to apply the SBC to the exterior surface.

The remainder of the process was much the same as that for the third and fourth courses. After every couple of courses we would have to stop so the surface bonding cement could be applied to those hard to reach exterior walls. This continued until we had completed ten courses of block, which gave us the desired height. With the walls completed we finished applying the SBC to the other exterior walls, as well as the interior. It was while we were finishing this up that people started calling it a day.

There were still a few remaining steps that we didn't get to, but Daryl described them so at least we know how to finish up if build our own. The plan was to add additional lengths of rebar, inserted from the top, in the locations where the shorted pieces were added earlier. Those holes would then be filled with concrete, so that sections of the wall had solid codes of concrete, reinforced with rebar. Anchors were also to be mounted in this concrete, that would be used for attaching 4x4 beams around the entire top of the structure. These beams would later serve as anchor points for the above-ground pitched roof that was planned. For the blocks that did not get filled with concrete, I wonder if adding sawdust would be a good solution for adding insulation. I am considering trying this when we build our root cellar, although I may reach out to the instructor first to ask why he chose not to do this.

I made it a point to try my hand at nearly every task, so I would be sure to know how to do each step in the future. The only thing I did not try was applying the mortar for the second course of block and using it to help achieve level. I'm confident however, that I can figure that out.

I have to admit that when I first signed up for the workshop I worried that I would end up feeling like the  boys from Tom Sawyer who were tricked into paying for the opportunity to whitewash the fence. That was not the case at all, however. I actually found the work to be enjoyable, and learned a great deal. I am confident that I could build my own root cellar now. Without the hands on experience I doubt that I would have ever felt comfortable trying it on my own, even if I had plans to work from. This hands on experience alone made the workshop well worth the investment. After having completed this all day hands on workshop I am also much more likely to sign up for similar workshops at other venues. I'm probably not quite ready for a week long natural building workshop, but an all day workshop on building a cob oven or applying an earthen plaster would be something I would be interested in now. If all day workshops are offered at the 2014 Field to Fork Festival I am fairly certain I will be attending one of them.

Earthineer Day at Blue Rock Station

Andrea and I recently had the opportunity to visit Blue Rock Station, near Philo Ohio. We had been planning to visit for some time, so were very excited when it was announced that the owners, Annie and Jay Warmke, were hosting an "Earthineer Day" for members of the Earthineer community.

Our day began with a 7 hour drive, which left us arriving about an hour later than we had hoped. Most of the group had already arrived by the time we made it, although fortunately we hadn't missed anything other than conversation. After a quick introduction, and a briefing on the privy, the tour began.

The center piece of the tour is the 2200 square foot Earthship, which serves as the Warmke's home. This was my first visit to an Earthship, so I was very excited. I felt very at home inside the Earthship. I can't quite describe the sensation, but it just felt right. In fact, the Earthship felt much more homey, to me, than most traditional stick-frame houses. In addition to the Earthship itself there were several other interesting features, including the rocket stove, sun room with brick floor, and a large larder.

Several other structures were also featured on the tour. Since the Warmke's offer regular straw bale construction workshops, there are many small buildings throughout the grounds. Some of these buildings are used as sleeping quarters, either for the interns or for overnight visitors. There is also a summer kitchen, shed, barn, and shelter for the animals.

In addition to the many buildings on the site, there is also plenty to see for those interested in animals and plants. The animals of Blue Rock Station include chickens, llamas, goats, dogs, and cats. The small patch of willows, the wetland garden, and raised strawberry beds are among the plant life of the farm. We didn't spend much time discussing either of these topics, but I am sure that either Annie or Jay would have been happy to go into more details had we asked.

After the tour we took part in a group exercise during which we helped to fill in a living roof with soil. The exercise clearly illustrated how much a group of people working together can accomplish. We had two people filling coffee cans with dirt, a line of 4 people passing them from the dirt pile to the ladder, one person on the ladder, and two on the roof spreading the dirt. I'm not sure how long we worked, but the roof was covered in a surprisingly short period of time. Not only did the work go quickly, but, with so many people doing different jobs, there was ample opportunity to switch positions in the line in order to get a break. It seems that the benefits of being part of a community is a subject that keeps coming up. Its becoming clear to me that, while it may be possible to build a homestead alone, it is certainly not the most efficient way to do it.

After the group exercise we made our way back to the Earthship and ate. The meal was a pot-luck, so Andrea had made some homemade bread as our contribution. In addition to the bread she took some herb butter, garlic butter, basil oil, and herb oil. The arrangement looked very nice, presented in a basket she made, which was lined and covered with towels on which she had embroidered flowers. The bread seemed to be a big hit, and I had to brag on her presentation just a bit.

 After the meal we were able to just sit around and talk or explore the grounds. We did explore a bit, but mostly just enjoyed visiting with the others. Topics of conversation covered many subjects, such as renewable energy, beekeeping, raising goats, and raw-feeding of dogs and cats.

Before leaving Andrea and I looked at the various books that the Warmke's have written and ended up buying four booklets: Building a Tire Foundation, Building a Plastic Bottle Greenhouse, Building a Vaulted Straw Bale Wall, and Restoring Health to Cats and Dogs. I had wanted to buy the book on building tire foundations for a while, but had been waiting until we visited to avoid the shipping. I was able to not only buy the booklet, but also see an in-progress wall being constructed of rammed earth tires.

Even after several days of reflection, I can't decide what my favorite part of the visit was. I enjoyed meeting several fellow-Earthineers that I had not met before, as well as getting to chat with a couple that I had previously met. I really liked getting to see the Earthship, and other buildings, first hand. The straw bale privy was interesting, as it was my first experience with a composting toilet. I also left Blue Rock Station with several ideas that I want to consider implementing here at home.

One of the first of these ideas was the self-watering system that the Warmke's use for the animals. They  collect rainwater from the roofs of the animals' shelter, which gets stored in barrels. These barrels are connected to watering containers, so that, as long as there is water in the barrels, there is water available for the animals to drink. I can see this being a real time saver, and is the type of efficiency we need to keep in mind. I was also very interested in the vaulted straw bale cabin. I've looked into straw bale building before, and we actually plan to experiment in the future with a small straw bale structure. I had never seen a vaulted straw bale building, though. I can see some distinct advantages to the design, especially in a small structure. I look forward to reading the book on the topic that I picked up. One idea that I saw at Blue Rock Station, which I had already been considering, was the use of the exhaust from the rocket stove to heat a nearby bench. The idea is that a bench, or bed, can be built of material that serves as thermal mass, such as stone, concrete or cob, which will store the heat from the stove. By running the exhaust from the stove, through the bench itself, even more heat can be collected, making it one of the warmest spots in the house, even when the fire is not burning. Another idea, which Andrea and I both liked, was the covered deck, which wasn't connected to the house. We always picture a deck as being a physical extension of the home, but after our visit to Blue Rock Station we realize that isn't actually necessary. The deck was close enough to the home to be convenient, but by being separated was able to have a much nicer view.

I look forward to visiting Blue Rock Station again in the future. I hope that we have the opportunity to attend one of their Green Skill-Building Workshops at some point. I may eventually attend one of their straw bale workshops as well, especially if we ever decide to build more than a small structure from straw bales. For anyone in the area, I can't recommend a visit to Blue Rock Station enough. I found our visit to be very inspiring, and left with several ideas and increased motivation to continue down the path to increased sustainability.

Book Review - Building a Tire Foundation (Blue Rock Station Style)

One of the books we picked up during our recent visit to Blue Rock Station was Building a Tire Foundation (Blue Rock Station Style) by Jay Warmke. I was very interested in this book because I would like to use earth-rammed tires for the foundation of some of the small buildings we have planned. I actually considered ordering the book from the website, but decided it made more sense to just pick it up when we visited, because I knew we would do so eventually.

The book is relatively short, at 36 pages. This doesn't mean, however, that it is short on information. The book provides step by step information for building a tire foundation for a 12' x 8' rectangular structure, although, it should be relatively easy to adjust for various dimensions. Topics covered by the author include site preparation, tire selection, laying out and leveling the tires, filling the tires, construction concrete half-tires for the corners, installing a wooden sill plate, and creating a french drain around the structure.

I learned several things from the book which I expect to really help when I attempt my first tire foundation. The first thing that I learned, which I probably would have done differently, is to lay out the first course of tires, and then make sure each is level, and that they are all level with each other. This seems like such an obvious thing to do, yet I'm not certain I would have thought of it. The next, and probably biggest, thing from the book I think will be helpful is Jay's approach to filling the tires. I always wondered what the best way to pound the dirt into the sides of the tires was. Jay's suggestion is to push the dirt into the sides of the tires by hand. Then, when you begin pounding the dirt in the center of the tire with a sledge hammer, it also compacts the dirt in the sides as well. Lastly, the tips for constructing the corner half-tires were very helpful. This may not be applicable for our buildings, as we are considering round or oval shapes, rather than the traditional rectangle shape, primarily to avoid corners. Knowing how to handle the corners, however, in case we decide to build a rectangular foundation will certainly be helpful.

This book was well worth the cost to me. However, it is very specific and is going to be of little benefit to anyone not planning on building a foundation from earth-rammed tires. Also, I expect that much of the information presented in the book can be found online, although I like having it combined into a single source. I also like knowing that the information comes from first hand experience. I know that Jay has a lot of experience with earth-rammed tires, from the construction of their Earthship home and the many small straw bale buildings constructed on their farm using tire foundations. I have seen the results of Jay's process first-hand and have confidence that it works.

2012 Berea Solar Tour

Today we took part in the 7th annual Berea Solar Tour. The day began at the Berea Welcome Center, where we visited a few vendors. After leaving the welcome center we visited 6 of the tour sites. There were 13 sites on the tour, but there was just not enough time to visit them all. We chose the sites that were most of interest to us, some of which were quite out of the way. Had we focused on those closer to town, we probably could have visited 10 or 11 of the sites.

Berea College Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) House

The tour of the SENS House was very interesting. The house itself features various designs elements and technologies that we are interested in, including passive solar design, solar tubes, solar hot water, grid-tied pv system, rainwater catchment, a gray water system, and even a composting toilet.

In addition to the house, there were several other features of the property that I enjoyed. We were given a tour of the garden, and discussed the raised beds, cold frames, and composting. My favorite part of the tour, however, and the feature that made the SENS House a must-see stop on the tour, was the Natural Building Shelter.

The Natural Building Shelter was built using a different natural building method for each wall. The methods used include earthbags, straw bale, cob, and cordwood. Both the inside and outside, other than the cordwood wall, have been finished with a natural plaster. The roof features a small cupola with windows, which is an idea I would like to experiment with in our building projects.

I have to admit that I'm a bit envious of the students who live in the SENS House. I'm not suggesting that I'd be willing to go back to college to have the opportunity to live there, but if I were a student at Berea College, I would, without doubt, be eager to have the opportunity to live in such a unique house.

HomeGrown Hideaways

When we showed up at HomeGrown Hideaways we were immediately greeted by a couple of friendly dogs. Jessa, one of the owners of the farm, was inside making lunch, which gave us the opportunity to see the beautiful interior of the home.

Since natural building is one of the topics I am most interested in, much of the tour focused on the natural building projects around the farm. The first stop was the earth bag fence. Rather than being built with the long, tube-like earthbags that I've seen before, the fence was built using old feed sacks, filled with dirt. Jessa said that earthbag building is one of the most physically demanding building methods that she has tried. The only reason they built the earthbag fence is that they had been requested to host an earthbag building workshop. Rather than finishing the fence using earthbags, however, they decided to finish by adding strawbales on top of the earthbags, which were only a couple of feet high at this point.

After seeing the earthbag/strawbale fence, we toured the cottage which is in progress. The cottage is a  modified geodesic dome with cob infill. Unfortunately the structure is far from being complete, so didn't really provide the feel of being inside a cob home. I would love to go back and visit once the building is complete, or, maybe, attend a future workshop and help with the cob infill myself. One aspect of the dome that is very interesting is that because the walls are angled, it means the windows are angled as well. I'm curious to see how well this works out.

We finished the tour by checking out the mobile chicken coop and tractor. The coop was built on the frame of a small trailer, which allows it to be easily moved. By moving the chicken tractor against the coop, they are able to leave the doors open and allow the chickens to choose whether to be inside the coop or outside in the tractor at any given time. Andrea has been researching coop designs lately, and I think she picked up a few good ideas from Jessa.

The Jeantheau House

The Jeantheau House is a modern residence that utilizes many technologies to make the building more sustainable. The home includes many sustainability-focused features such as passive solar design, rainwater catchment, grid-tied pv system, solar hot water, geothermal central heating/cooling system, and trellises for growing vines in the summer to cover the east and west exterior walls. There is also a greenhouse and solar composting toilet, several garden beds, various berry bushes, and fruit and nut trees.

Of all the homes we visited on the tour, this one is the farthest from the type of home we would like to live in. The house would be, however, a great house for anyone wishing to decrease his/her environmental impact without giving up their modern lifestyle and conveniences. Even though the house isn't my style, I did take away several ideas that I want to at least consider implementing.

The first idea that I really like is the way the owner had constructed the trellises for growing vines on the east and west walls. Rather than having permanent trellises, he ran bailing twine vertically between supports at the base of the wall and the roof. When it is time to cut down the vines, he simply disconnects the bailing twine at both ends and disposes of both the vine and twine, which makes cleanup much easier than with other trellising methods.

The second idea that I really like is the way in which the rainwater is initially diverted. I've never really considered a roof-washing system before as part of our rainwater catchment process, as they seem overly complicated. The system used in the Jeantheau house, however, is very simple. The water is initially caught in a 55 gallon barrel. Once the water level rises to the top, a rubber ball seals off the bottom of the downspout, allowing the remaining water to be fed into the cisterns on the property.

The final thing that I saw at this house I want to look into is the solar composting toilet. I have read a bit about such composting toilets in the past, but this was my first time seeing on in person. There appear to be several real advantages to such a system, most notably the ability to clean the holding area out from the outside.

Egrets' Cove

Egrets' Cove is an intentional community, consisting of 4 cabins and a community building. Unfortunately we had to cut the tour of Egrets' Cove short, because we were running short on time. Even without being able to receive the complete tour, however, we were very impressed. The lifestyle the inhabitants live is inspiring, and makes me wish that we could surround ourselves with a group of like-minded individuals as these folks have.

During our tour of Egrets' Cove we saw the community building and two of the cabins. The community building houses the components for the shared pv system as well as the washing machine and freezer that are shared by the residents.

The first cabin that we saw was a recent construction, with an interior that isn't completely finished at this point. The building itself is a strawbale structure. There was a green roof, which I was able to climb a ladder and look at. Unfortunatley, however, there wasn't a whole lot to see. We didn't spend a great deal of time in the first cabin, as the owners were not available, and the lady giving us the tour didn't have a great deal of information about the home.

The second cabin that we visited was a more traditional stick frame structure. The lady who lived in the home was present, and was able to give us a tour and answer several questions. There were several features of this house that Andrea and I liked, and that we may want to consider implementing when we build. One of these features was the use of vents below fixed windows, rather than having more expensive operable windows. In addition to using the vents for creating a breeze in the summer, the vents are positioned so they can draw hot air in from a cold frame in the winter. Another feature that I was really interested in was the chest-style freezer that had been converted to a refrigerator. This is a topic I had recently been talking to Andrea about, so it was nice to talk to someone who uses this method. The owner indicated that the freezer-turned-refrigerator used so much less energy than a refrigerator that each cabin was able to have their own, with less energy used than with the previously shared refrigerator at the community building. Also, the refrigerator was located on the back porch, which provided significant energy savings in the winter. Even during the summer she said that the energy usage was still much less than that of the high efficiency refrigerator that had been in the community building previously. One last feature of the cabin that really caught my attention was the alternating tread staircase. I'm not sure if we'll have an upstairs or loft in our home or not, but if we do, a space saving stair design is certainly something that we'll need to look into.

If Egrets' Cove is on the tour next year, I would love to return and see the remaining cabins. It is very encouraging to know that there are local people who are building such communities. I suspect that these people are a rare breed, and that the majority of people would find such an arrangement difficult. If only all communities were so well integrated.

Reedy/Clemons Residence

The Reedy/Clemons Residence is a modified geodesic dome located in rural Rockcastle County. The house, and its setting, are picture perfect and I would challenge anyone to visit without becoming inspired. The home is completely off-grid, with the only utilities being a land-line phone and liquid propane, for which they use a 20lb tank like you'd use with a grill or RV.

The home has many features which allow the small 350 watt pv system to provide all necessary power. The efficiency features include the passive solar design, 12v DC refrigerator and other appliances, and the propane on-demand water heater. Not only does the pv system provide the necessary electricity to power the home, they also have a battery bank which can store a week's worth of electricity. We weren't able to see the battery bank, as we were trying to make one last stop before the end of the tour.

There were a couple of features of the home, which were very different than what you might see in a "normal" home. The first was the spiral staircase to the loft area. The staircase took up an amazingly small amount of space, although it was quite narrow and steep. I did climb the stairs to check out the loft, but I believe it would get old after a while. The other feature that stood out was the lack of a traditional bathroom. The bathtub was visible in the corner of the home, and I assume that the toilet was located behind the curtain that obscured the area near the tub. As long as Andrea and I were the only people in the home, a setup like this might work for us, but I'm not sure either of us would be very comfortable with the arrangement when entertaining guests.

Similar to the Natural Building Shelter of the SENS House, this geodesic dome has a cupola. In this home the cupola serves several purposes, such as providing light, providing ventilation, and reducing the risk of leaking that apparently is a problem in some traditional geodesic domes. Seeing this cupola convinced me that we need to strongly consider incorporating one into our home design.

The Reedy/Clemons Residence was one of my favorite stops on the tour. Tammy and Timi, the owners, were great to talk with. They built the home, with the help of friends, over the course of five years. This home is yet another piece of evidence I've seen for the necessity of being part of a close community, or at least, surrounding ones self with friends who are willing and able to provide help and support. Timi said that the work done on the dome actually resulted in the formation of a "garden group", which is a monthly event in which they gather with several other friends to help out with projects around the home of one of the members. This seems like a great way to, not only connect with people, but to also help friends.

If the Reedy/Clemons Residence is on the tour next year, we will be certain to make it one of our stops. I would like to hear more about the pv system and see the battery bank. The primary reason, however, for stopping back by will be simply to say hi to Tammy and Timi and see what is new around their home.

Disputanta Cob

I have been wanting to visit Disputanta Cob for some time. I drove by there a few weeks ago, and was very excited to see one of the cob structures from the road. Unfortunately, however, we were late getting to this stop. We hoped to be able to still tour the solar powered cob cottage, but were unable to do so. The owner's ill mother lives in the home, and just gotten settled back in after being displaced all day for the tour. I was able to check out a smaller cob cottage that is still in progress, which was nice. I was also invited to make arrangements to come back another time for a tour of the solar power cottage. I would love to go back sometime, so will very likely take her up on her offer.

The 2012 Berea Solar Tour was a wonderful event. I wish we could have toured more residences, but, I am very happy with our choice of sites to visit. I definitely plan to attend the tour again next year. While I'm sure that we'll visit a few additional homes, I am just as sure that we'll be revisiting some of the sites we visited this year.