Construction Update

Though I haven't described it much (and haven't taken the photos I should have, nor downloaded the few I've taken), Phil has continued to work on the top layer of the north and west walls. Before he did that, he had to grout cells, and that took many days. Grouting done, he went to set the lintel over the window and realized it wouldn't offer the stability or load support he needed. (Something like: it has rebar embedded, but the rebar is smaller than desired; plus, the lintel is fully formed, so rebar leading up to it cannot overlap, creating extreme weak spots right at the corners of the window: no good.)

Last Thursday, Phil managed to get the several hundred pound lintels raised up to the 12' wall and put in place. That was when he fully realized that his plan was not going to work.

Friday he had the undesirable task of cutting away a few blocks, already hardened in place and grouted, in order to drop the lintel one block down. This will allow a complete bond beam above, which is perfect. But moving the several hundred pound lintel over, and not dying while he did so, then moving it, on an angle, down into place ... I expect Phil never wants to do that again.

After three days of rain and a half day to let the precipitation dry, Phil went to grout the lintel. The mortar had to be extremely stiff, lest the heavy lintel squirt it all out. Finally, though, that task, too, was done, and he could lay block.

The bond beam of one wall is laid, but not mortared. "This is taking a lot longer than I expected," Phil said today. "But now I know what to do on the other walls."

When he knocked off work for today, he went over to check on the cows. He had mentioned yesterday that he thought Bianca might give birth soon, which is good because her due date is Saturday. She gave birth today successfully to another heifer. Yay!