With the help of Darriel we are installing a stone walkway. Also new is a home made rain chain composed of recycled lighting stuff acquired at the Community Forklift

Some earth moving behind the complex to open up a back yard and beat back the evil wilderness.

Rooflet over entry

An extension was added to the roof over the entry to keep the door area dry. Just in time for Irene.

Window Boxes

We made some window boxes out of left over oak flooring. By some coincidence the plastic boxes at Homey's were a precise fit. Clean living I guess. Just back from the Natural Building Colloquium in Bath NY. Another great event this year.

Tidying Up a Bit

We are getting close to being done for now. A couple of coats of lime wash with cement colors on the ecohouse gave a nice color. The living roof is planted with sedums. The entry has a slate floor, wood steps made from spalted silver maple are in place to treatment space and ecohouse and some shelves for books and the kitchenette are up.

Sedums and growing medium

I visited Emory Knoll Farms two days ago and bought four flats of their special mix of sedums for this (Maryland) bioregion. They are such pretty little plants and resilient too. They recommended a growing medium produced at Stancill's Clay pit. Terry and Emlyn Stancill were generous with their time and knowledge.

Living roof preparation and fresco over lime plaster

Dragonfly

a nice waltz

Find more songs like Josefin's Waltz at Myspace Music

Entry Floor and Steps to Ecohouse

The slate floor is done. Grouted and sealed. We left the piece in the geographic center of the floor loose so we can make or buy something with a compass rose on it to go there. There were a few odd cuts of silver maple left that had been neglected and some spalting took place which gave them a pretty nice look. They made for perfect steps to the Ecohouse.

Slate Floor and Living Roof prep

We installed a Vermont slate floor last week. Mixed colors in a repeating pattern. Now we are finishing the living roof. The drainage layer uses broken up cinder block and leftover cement mixed with perlite that was then broken into little pieces.

Bamboo floor in Ecohouse

Flooring and a Wood Stove

Kappy and I went to a local quarry Tri-State Stone where they also sell Vermont slate flooring single sizes and patterns. We found a nice mixed color pattern that comes in 10sq.ft. boxes. We needed 18 boxes and that is exactly how much they had of this style. Good luck I'd say. Today I installed the flue for the Jotul woodstove and made the first fire.

Spring 2011

We are beginning the final phase of construction. Things left to do are: slate floor in the middle space, pine floor in the ecohouse, living roof over the bathroom and some plaster details. The buildings weathered the DC winter with no problems and has served Kappy's breathwork practice quite well.