T-Brick Shed: 16th Course Down, Two to Go!

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Over the past month central Texas has been experiencing some extreme rain events which causes problems for us on several fronts:

1) The yard where we get our dirt from closes down in wet weather (sometimes for days) because their equipment gets stuck.
2) With a wetter mix of the forms have to stay on longer, so we can't move as fast.
3) Uncovered adobe structures are extremely susceptible to erosion. As the old proverb goes, "People in mud houses shouldn't use fire hoses."

During a run of a few rain-less days my parents had four yards of dirt delivered. This is about three times as much as we could get with our trailer so hopefully it will see us through until we can get the walls to full height.

Over the past couple of weeks working around and sometimes in the weather we knocked out the 16th course. Only two more to go!




Save the mud, drink more beer. We had lot of brown beer bottles left over from saving the bottle window so I started burying them in the wall. The bottle (and its original contents) was smuggled from the UK to me by my father-in-law.

Four yards of dirt. Even with the tarpage, it was still pretty damp.


Rain came earlier (and heavier) then expected


Only one more level of bottles to go.

Even the fresher blocks seem to hold up okay in the downpour.


On Memorial day we came out in the afternoon to do a little work.

Installing the window lintels.


Comments

Colin said…
It looks more like a castle. And if you want to see any of our castles over here, pop in any time!
Glad that you emptied the contents of the bottle before burying it. I wold expect no less.
4 June 2016 at 07:47
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