Screened Pourch

Patrick O'Brien co-owner of The Salamander Co. shows up to work on the screened porch. It will be made of rough cut cedar.











Pat & Ivy work on the railing.














We get it framed up and put on the roof rafters.

Kiva Fireplace

Mark Saxe arrives to lay out the Kiva fireplace. In addition to building fireplaces Mark does stone caving and teaches classes in stone work. He can be found at saxstonecarving.com









Random, one of Mark's employees shows the fireplace layout to Suzie

















The fire box is built in one day.














The first portion of the fireplace is constructed by the second day.

Looks like a house

The house starts to take shape as we close in. The electrical and plumbing inspections come this week. After that we will call for the framing inspection.











The main electrical line is pulled into the house and the breaker box is hooked up.















We work on plaster preparation details.

details

We are working details now. Here is the glass block window in the master bath.











Shower is framed in and ready for cement board then tile.













Last window is installed in the greenhouse.

Closing in

We continue to stack the straw walls. Here Ivan uses the persuader to coax a bale into place.











Ivy, Ivan and I spent most of this week squaring off and notching bales with the flesh eaters. We are on the last room just slightly ahead of a Winter storm watch.



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Here is the guest room /office wing. Bales are stacked and windows are in. Note the bottom bale is wrapped in a waterproof membrane. Tops of bales and under windows are covered with plastic.

Tool of the trade

Ivy uses a straw bale needle to re-string a bale into a smaller bale.












These are the tools we use, the straw needle on the left, the other tool is an angle grinder with a chain saw blade attached to it. We call it the flesh eater. The ragged scar on me left forefinger will attest to that.








We use bamboo sticks to pin the bales to each other. Here I get one started on the living room wall next to the picture window.

Million dollar view

Ivan and Eric help to install the picture window in the living room.












Here is the view of Taos mountain that you will see from our living room when you come to visit.












Bale walls are finished in the dining room and living room.