Last year I attempted to erect the yurt and install an earthen floor. However, I had vehicle problems leaving Colorado where I had been on a hempcrete install, and arrived 3 days late.
Despite this and other complications, we managed to erect the yurt and install a containing stem wall and the subfloor. We weren't able to do any finish floor until the very last day, there wasn't time for proper soil engineering and test lays. The rush job ended up being too clayful and wet and cracked all to pieces, even de-laminating itself from the subfloor. This year, now that the preliminary work is already complete, it is a great opportunity to take our time and do proper structural earth engineering for earth building, specifically earth floor.
Assuming that the yurt area is in the same state I left it in last year, then the sequence of events will be more or less:
1. Collect Materials
- Earth: I still believe that the "Lemon Tree" dig site is the best place to source earth from. One load in the dump trailer will be plenty, it doesn't need to be very full either.
- Sand: The hillside by Arrakis has very sandy loam that will be a suitable less expansive sandy loam to add to the expansive clay loam from Lemon Tree.
- Fiber:
Straw will add more non-expansive additive to the mix and tensile strength. A couple bags of
chicken bedding would do, which is already finely chopped. That or unchopped straw can be chopped with the assistance of a leaf mulcher. Or fine fiber can be added with horse manure, which also comes with organic polymers that strengthen the material.
- a small amount of
diatomaceous earth would also be a good additive to discourage burrowing insects from digging through the floor.
2. Engineer and test mixes.
- Once we have
enough material we will test several mixes in small areas to determine a mix that will be strong and not crack.
3. Lay Floor.
- With the assistance of screed sticks, we'll lay the floor mix down in one or two layers and compress it with rigid trowels.
- Once the floor has been laid down and firmed up a bit it will either get a new thinner, more clayful, less fibrous mix layed over top as a finish coat or be wetted and burnished until it has a smooth surface.
We could also begin the process of oil sealing the floor. But it isn't strictly necessary. We could simply do maintenance on the floor each year at the
jamboree, touching it up and possibly adding a new skim coat.
Some necessary equipment will be sifting supplies, so lumber for building a frame and quarter inch mesh or so for sifting the earth through. There may already by meshes available to use or re-purpose. Some kind of leaf mulcher would also be useful if we intend to chop our own straw. I will bring at least a couple
wood floats for compressing the floor.
If anyone is at
Wheaton Labs and sees anything important about the yurt's state I'm not aware of please let me know. Also if it's possible for any of the material to be prepared ahead of time, that would be extremely helpful. Especially just a big pile of dirt.
~Michael O.
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