Joshua Stevens

"when you coppice feeder roots die"

I thought the whole grand idea with coppicing was that the top gets cut but the roots keep growing larger and larger nearly forever, so you have super vigorous regrowth when the tree is cut in its cycles?? If coppicing kills the roots, would that not give a different result?

Do nitrogen fixing trees actually feed neighboring fruit and nut trees?

Lots of people out there advising planting them for that purpose. But, does it actually happen?

Do they only do it if they are pruned hard/coppiced?

If so, what is the mechanism which causes them to shed nitrogen when they are pruned? Does the pruning cause root nodules to explode in the ground?

I guess Ive seen many pages, videos and blogs claiming nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs should be added to the orchard, but very little if any actual evidence or explaination of HOW this happens, or how it works.

Id love if it were true, but it does makes sense a plant will only make nitrogen for itself, not all its neighbors.

Thanks
Josh

Kieran,

Thanks for all the great advise, sounds like you did a great job!

Here are a few links to our youtube channel and blog where we document our progress.



https://mrchickadee.wordpress.com

We were very much on a budget for this build, and almost all was done for free+sweat.

We just finished the daubing yesterday, but will update the videos as we can.

Thanks
Josh

Kieran,

Thanks for the advice, we will try to follow as we can. As to your question, we don't have any added insulation, just traditional wattle and daub, (saplings or lathing woven in betwixt vertical pieces filling every timber frame panel then daubed and plastered on both sides keying the daub together through the cracks in wattle)

We are curious how these walls will work, such as insulation, condensation and so forth...its an experiment but an OLD way of building, so a gamble. In retrospect light clay would have been an easier and more efficient method of infill but I learned of that too late for this build, perhaps our next.

What Lime did you use for your plaster? How did you mix it?

THanks
Josh

Bill,

I started by posting under COB, then someone told me to try here under plaster/finishes…only echoes…i don't understand? This is a forum with lots of people doing cob buildings no? Perhaps they are all busy?Or no one every renders their cob…which is also hard to believe…maybe its not my day

Really? Not one person on Permies has any idea about applying lime plaster? Im shocked…….and disappointed….

We are finishing the wattleing of our timber frame walls and are about ready to start making the Daub/cob to press onto the wattle. My research has provided the recipes for the daub and lime plaster, but unfortunately not the exact sequence for applying each…

Can anyone tell me specifically how long to let the daub/cob dry before plastering?

Do we need to mist the daub walls before applying?

How long does the plaster then need to dry before lime washing?

How long do finished panels need to be protected from rain and other weather after finished?

Thanks all
Josh

We are finishing the wattleing of our timber frame walls and are about ready to start making the Daub/cob to press onto the wattle. My research has provided the recipes for the daub and lime plaster, but unfortunately not the exact sequence for applying each…

Can anyone tell me specifically how long to let the daub/cob dry before plastering?

Do we need to mist the daub walls before applying?

How long does the plaster then need to dry before lime washing?

How long do finished panels need to be protected from rain and other weather after finished?

Thanks all
Josh

[youtube]My wife and I are currently wrapping up our first year on our 40 acre homestead in Eastern KY. We have so far lived in a Wall tent and are finishing our first building, (a timber frame workshop) which will be home until we get a house constructed.

Living so close to nature, in all its ever changing glory we have felt first hand the extremities of -30 this winter to +90 this summer.

We wish to design a home that uses no AC to cool in summer, a mass heater to warm and cook with in winter, and is built with as close to 100% natural, local, and sustainable materials as possible.

I started reading JRR Tolkien at the ripe age of 12, and have always loved hobbit style houses. We are leaning in the direction of an earth bermed home to accomplish our energy and shelter needs but are unsure of the best building method.

I have read Rob Roys book on underground housing, and though nice I don't agree with the concrete slab and plastic covered wood roof. He states a persistent problem with carpenter ants in his own houses and is unsure how to handle them…

I posted a while back on the idea of a cement block and clay brick barrel vaulted method/idea for an earth sheltered house, and though it seems viable, I do not like the cost and unsustainablility of that idea.

I have seen pictures of Viking houses built underground, as well as other (scottish) stone age buildings, which employ rock foundations and wood covered in sod roofs. These seem neat, though I am unsure how the comfort level was then? DId people mid mold and condensation in a home in those times? Or were there just bones, hides, and filth littered on the floor, and no one cared because you only lived to be 24 anyway? lol

But seriously, we are thinking maybe some blend of the (50 dollar and up) underground plan and a timber frame sheathed in Hemlock to be most ant retardant would be an option?

We have also considered a timber frame which has a level underground (such as a basement) but open to a roof (well insulated) would give most of the elements needed in our climate for a comfortable living area without AC and negate the issues with trying to waterproof a wooden roof…

I should note, on our site we have at our disposal all the clay soil, sandstone rock, timber, creek gravel, sand we can use. We have a local feed store who stocks OLDCASTLE brand type S (we believe) hydrated lime. We would be tickled pinkish if we could use only these natural and local things, but understand we may have to go and buy a few things.

I would welcome any ideas and comments. Ive seen such great ideas on clay/lime and other floors I'm excited to hear what might be possible. I will try to post a few links to our current builds to any who may enjoy.
Thanks
Josh[/youtube][youtube][/youtube][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcLaVZMqQdM[/youtube][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPaVWd3SKl4[/youtube][youtube][/youtube][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcLaVZMqQdM[/youtube]

Thanks for the book ads allen, though I'm sure they are great, at this time I only want to know about clay mortar, and was hoping someone has done this and can give me a simple process to test and evaluate and mix clay mortar from local clay soil. Or a recipe? Otherwise Ill just start experimenting with 1/1 clay to sand and test a bunch of bricks…in a fire…i guess….