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Cordwood House Build!!!

 
Sarah Houlihan
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Location: Central Maine
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We finally started clearing for our cordwood house.  We have a lot full of huge rocks, tree stumps, and clay.  Very difficult and time consuming to level and dig a foundation, but resource loaded for the build.  Clay for the cob, rocks for the base, smaller rocks fot the floor tiles, and plenty of tress all around for cordwood and all the furniture and interior work we could ever want.  It is funny that we got this lot cheap because it wasn't "suitable" for building, but in reality, we hit a goldmine.
I will attempt to update on this thread as we go, but the full build with all the info will be at homesteadhouligan.com if I'm a slacker.  
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clearing full of clay
clearing full of clay
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big rocks
big rocks

homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
Dakota Brown
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posted 8 years ago
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How exciting! Love the look of cordwood exteriors.   Congratulations on your start .

"She paid for who she is with her life, but don't we all?" ~Alice Walker

 
Travis Johnson
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posted 8 years ago
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I have not seen you post much on here and was wondering how you made out over the hard winter this past year. I suppose I should have been more active in finding out. Glad to see you are making progress.
 
Sarah Houlihan
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It was a long, hard winter.  We ended up makking out pretty well.  The early arctic blasting we got was kind enough to find all of the drafts in the house and we were able to seal the place up tight.  
We have been so busy plotting and planning the build that I hardly kept track of anything except the build.  But now that the gardens are in and the excavator is working, I finally have a chance on a rainy day to do some catching up.  We are making good progress, slow and steady.  Everything seems to be coming together well.  Besides all the rock and clay we found at the dig site, we also had a neighbor offer us some wood off his lot that he just wants out of his way.  Lots of cordwood that is nearby, but we don't have to cut so many of our trees.  We will only need to buy roofing, plumbing, hay, doors and windows.  And whatever else will pop up of course, but we have most of the other materials we need.  
If it would only rain on the days I have to work, then we could pick up the pace a little!
Thanks for checking in!

homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
Sarah Houlihan
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Finally done clearing the boulder infested site.
Now to dig the foundation.  Apparently there is so much gravel where the foyndation goes that the Man says it will be easier to dig by hand.
No wonder we get in shape living out here!
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homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
Sarah Houlihan
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So the foundation vs boulders war rages on.  I have decided to try something different.  It starts with an all seasons room to cook and store wood.  Next year the addition grows to???
I am also learning how work with boulders.  Using a machine is too expensive, but I'm a small female so...
Im learning levers now and rock splitting next.
The new addition will be built into the lanscape behind the current house so that the boulders can be incorporated rather than moved with a machine.
The addition is coming along wonderfully so far...
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homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
Travis Johnson
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I am glad to see you are making progress, and your kids look happy doing it. I really do think of you often, and always wonder how you are making out.

 
elle sagenev
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I like to see I'm not the only one excavating with small children nearby. I am interested to follow your progress.

Come join me at www.peacockorchard.com

 
Sarah Houlihan
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Thanks, Travis.
Work got put on hold for a bit, but we're moving forward!

homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
Travis Johnson
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You and Elle make me smile, just because you both have Excavator's and like to dig. I think if you two ever got together you two would dig a pit all the way to the Indian Ocean!

I do like what you are doing. I always liked Cordwood Homes and Rubble Trench Foundations, although if you are in good gravel, it does not sound like drainage will be an issue for you. That was nice to discover! I would have swore that you had ledge rock, as in Maine, typically when you get big rocks like that atop of the ground, it is because the glaciers had no soil to push the rocks down into, and so ledge rock is not that far down. I am glad to see that was not the case for you.

I see we both are in central Maine so we cannot be that far away. I live in Thorndike. Maybe someday we could meet up.
 
Sarah Houlihan
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The only reason the ricks are at the surface is because my boyfriend dug them up with the excavator.  There are a couple at the surface.

homestead houligan: one who lives on any homestead and tends to break the "rules" or practices of a traditional homestead. ex:using practices such as permaculture on a homestead. homesteadhouligan.com

 
She said size doesn't matter, so I showed her this tiny ad:
Escape to gardens and natural buildings (for free-ish) in Montana
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
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