The Can Wall has really progressed. You’ll notice how far down the end Can Wall stack on the right goes down into the ground, and that’s because in some places the tire wall had to go down as far as 6 rows below floor level to reach ‘Undisturbed Earth’ , which is necessary for a solid Rammed Earth Tire Wall… and No… it’s not a ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’… rather a Volunteer Intern emerging from the bowels of the…
Category Archives: Green and Natural Building Construction
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 27 & 28. ‘Weekend Overview and Bike Ride’
This has been the Earthship Volunteer Interns daily trek for the last 4 weeks while on this build… This is my kind of commute! I took a walk to the build site to do a weekend overview of what’s been going on… I’ve started on my bike ride in the other direction on the Island from last week’s excursion. I’m passing some colourful methods of transportation…
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 26. ‘Freaky Friday, Airlock, Black Water Septic’
Despite the fact that this Crew member is doing construction… notice the ummm…. pink shirt? It’s ‘Freaky Flamboyant Friday’, and the Crew like to change things up on the site… Anyone working on an Earthship build with Michael Reynolds will see this image a lot. He’s making sure that every step is calculated to the right level… In this case, it’s calculating the drop needed for the pipe for the Black Water Septic System.
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 25. ‘Airlock Bottle Walls, and Coloured Plaster Finish’
Getting the myriad of jobs done on an Earthship build means you have to get creative with how you get it done, in a way that everyone can still work around you. I took some video which I’ll post when I get back of the anthill of activity, with up to 3 people working in the same 4 x 4 foot space. Here Earthship Biotecture crew is getting the doorway entrance ‘Airlock’ Bottle Walls done.
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 24. ‘Vent Boxes, Structolite, and Retaining Walls
Wednesday June 15, on the Gulf Island Earthship Build: …Previous Post Here’s an overview of the Main House 3 bedroom Earthship. Hats off to the crew of interns constantly keeping the rest of us supplied with the ongoing demand for the various batches of cement needed for this stretch of the build. Other interns are…
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 23. ‘Studio Earthship Overview, Doorway Airlocks’
The East side entrance to the Studio Earthship needs to be plastered… and inside the Greenhouse Hallway planter is almost filled… Crew are continually teaching and giving instruction to interns… The chimney style can wall on the East side is coming along nicely… I’ve been working with crew on the main house Earthship ‘airlock’ doorways. These need to have insulation board inside a double can wall. This can be a lot of ‘fernickity’ work around switch plates…
Island Earthship Build: Week 4. Day 22. ‘Structolite Plaster Finish, Insulation and Island Transport’
Another day of Earthship interns arriving and leaving on the Ferry to the Gulf Island build… More Earthship Biotecture crew arrive to plaster the Structolite finish to the interior walls of the Earthships… Insulation is awful stuff to work with, especially overhead in the ceiling of the main house Earthship Greenhouse hallway…
Island Earthship Build: Week 3. Day 21. ‘Me, my Bike, my Camera, and Off to S. Bay’
I’ve decided to take the day off, it’s Sunday after all, and according to the locals, a bike ride to the South East end to ‘S. Bay’ is in order. It’s not really called S. Bay, but I’ve respected the request for privacy by the locals, and not mentioned which Gulf Island Michael Reynold’s Earthship build is on. So I start my bike ride, and it’s going to be a long one at 20km, up and down many hills. The moss everywhere has inspired me to take my iPod, and tune into classic Jethro Tull’s ‘Songs from the Woods’.
Island Earthship Build: Week 3. Day 20. ‘Earth Berms, and the Saturday Island Market’
Saturday June 11, on the Gulf Island Earthship Build: …Previous Post Here’s an overview of the main 3 Bedroom Earthship house on Day 20. All of the Solar Panels are now up, including two Solar Water Heaters, and the mini Solar Panel that heats them. Here is a side view of the Earth Berm on…
Island Earthship Build: Week 3. Day 19. ‘Greywater Trenches and Hanging Off the Roof’
Friday June 10, on the Gulf Island Earthship Build: …Previous Post After ferocious winds during the night, I awoke to the giant tarp over my tent in a state of disrepair. Thank goodness a fellow intern in the next tent didn’t think twice about climbing the trees and helping me and Jenn out, as we…
Island Earthship Build: Week 3. Day 18. ‘Hanging Out and Through the Looking Glass’
I’ve been working on the roof with these people for 4 days now… this is about all you’ll see of us half of the time. It’s quite a balancing act to hang on to all your tools, lean over the roof edge… and get the Flashing attached… It takes many hands and careful placement to get the heavy glass panels into the perpendicular interior wall of the smaller Studio Earthship Greenhouse Hallway.