Nick Alexin

Welcome Zach! I love this idea of a small edible ecosystem. Something that has been percolating in my mind for some time since I had a small suburban lot. Currently sold it and looking for a new home to start something exactly like your book describes! Or at least from what I've been able to gather from the description. Thank you so much for the hard work going into the book and I look forward to reading and applying it!

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and the great info!

I'm starting to like the idea of grinding down what its there to level and then filling in the cracks and then putting on some sort of earthen floor to seal it. The limecrete is really neat! The wood is also a wonderful design. I'm looking for speed and cost effectiveness as I'm hoping to have this done before winter to enjoy some blacksmithing to keep me warm...err hot really.

I'm going to look into renting a grinding machine and see the cost of some sort of grout to fill in the cracks with.

I did some probing into a badly damaged part of the concrete and took some pics.

Thanks for the quick reply and suggestion Michael!

I like your idea, however I have a feeling that the concrete is much too cracked and broken in most areas of the garage. The concrete that Dale ground down looked quite intact.

Why would it take so long for to remove the concrete and put in a cob floor? Also I was under the impression Cob is relatively durable. The anvil will be on a heavy base full of sand, the majority of the energy will be absorbed by the steel, anvil, and base. I won't be doing any heavy work just hand work like knife making and so on.

More pics

Here are some better angles! I apologize for the first few pics!

Hello fellow Permies!

For my first post I am going to give all of you a scenario where I would like to replace a broken not so level concrete floor in an old farm garage with an earthen floor of some type. Probably a cob floor as I have a little experience making and using cob.
The building is a 24x24ft old garage. Possibly as old as the house which is approximately 100+ years old as I've been told. The inside of the garage must have had rooms in it as there is foundations for walls that have been removed. (pic provided)
I plan on using this space as Blacksmith workshop/man cave.

My experience level is quite low with A: Removing a concrete floor (none) and B: Using cob. I've had a quick half day class on making and using Cob while taking a PDC in Oregon.
So my thinking is that I would tear out the concrete and level the ground then put in the cob and then level it out?
I've added some pics to help you guys get an idea.

I will post more pics when I clean out the garage and give all of you wonderful individuals a better idea!

Thank you very much for any input!