Never a Lack

Never a lack of projects here at LanderLand to distract us from completing our Timber Frame Cottage.

Like this one, a pad to set a two person hot tub which has turned into a big landscaping job. In the back ground Satomi has been fabrication a fence of wire fabric filled with stones, Gabion style.

Gabions (from Italian gabbione meaning "big cage"; from Italian gabbia and Latin cavea meaning "cage") are cages, cylinders, or boxes filled with soil or sand ...

Years ago when we were trenching all over our land I had stubbed out plumbing and electrical conduits to this area. Thought some day there might be another building up in this corner. It's a good feeling to finally be putting them to use. A new yard hydrant, hopefully the last, a small electrical sub panel and a yard pole light.

Future site for our Hot Tub

Another trench, not really a distraction but a necessity. However, a lot of unplanned work and $150 in parts due to an improperly sized conduit I install years ago. Opps! At least I had left over plastic gas pipe
so nice to be using that old inventory up and to clear up some storage space.

Trenching for propane for the kitchen oven

No distraction here just slow tile work. I have been putting in anywhere from 4 to 8 hours a day on the shower. Today was 8. We used simple 4 1/4" Dal Tile ceramic tile but added stainless steel edging on all the corners and again cove base tile for the floor and ceiling. These details are time consuming.

45 degree corner tiled

One wall to go plus the floor and ceiling. Love that cove base!

This shower won't quite be perfect, like the drain is not centered and the shell was not designed for 4 1/4"tile. Actually the shower wasn't designed with any tile size in mind. All in all though it's turning out quite nice and we will be happy when it's done.

Honey come look

Our simple pleasures here at LanderLand

Morning glory, how can you call this a weed.

Honey, quick come look there's something on the roof

Should we call him a shady cat?

Not much

Now here's a cool wasp called a Tarantula Wasp. Paralyzes the Tarantula with it's stinger then lays it's eggs inside. Not sure why this one died.

Today it was back on our shower. Began with a row of cove base tile. Always wanted cove base tile. I wonder why the Dal tile ceramic cove base 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" did not lay out with the same spacing as Dal Tile 4 1/4 by 4 1/4 field tile. One would think differently. Fortunately the cove was a little narrower so I only had to space the joints a tad to fool the eye.

Thats 162 field tile and one light

Will see how far I get tomorrow.

Arizona East

Time now to show the East side. Lots of work here. First off the owners did not know how to deal with the electrical. I gave my ideas and then an electrician was brought in to clean up and move electrical panels. Mud now hides it all again with lots of burlap embedded

East in process

A smaller 4 tub mixing station

Electrical prior to panel moving

Let the filling and patching begin

As we left it

All in all we were happy with the progress from our second visit to Arizona. We did end up spending an extra day on site working on the East. Quite a bit more tubs of material was required to fill but this side is now ready for us to return.

Arizona Continued

Our second visit was planned to be shorter with the goal of finishing the west wall and prep the east wall for finish.

East wall before we started

 Check out that overhang.

A plastic trash can, no,
 an Owl house. How cool is that. Never plastered one of those before!

Base coat for the Owl with relief

First coat of Lime on another raised "Wainscoting"

First application of brown Fresco

Completed West

Arizona Part One

What does one do with a hundred photos of a job? Pick a few and call it good. This post is just the beginning.

We first visited the site May 5th where we met the owners, saw the place and shot a few photos for reference to work up an estimate.

This is an off the grid Owner Built Straw Bale, ten years in the works. The inside has been completed beautifully, all earth plastered walls with earthen floors, even the kitchen.

The exterior plasters were a different story, aside from just not being completed, the mixes used were not acceptable for exterior plaster, way to much sand and the clay soil on site was weak.

We were brought in and asked to look at finishing the exterior. It wasn't until we actually started the work that the problems became apparent. Our major concern was the sandy mixes that had been used, a little water and the plaster just washed off the wall. Might have been ok on the North and West with the large overhanges but not for the exposed East and South sides. Also the details around the doors and windows and the electrical boxes were not thought out. Those details alone chewed up a good 4 days of rework. We also noticed the were no window sills on the the South side and the plasters were touching the ground.

Our initial estimate called for two visits. We felt at the time the first visit would be for 9 days with the goal of completing the North wall, and prepping the others as far as we could. This 9 day plan turned into 13 days.

North West View - The Front

South West View - The back

6 Tub Mixing Station

North Wall prior to our finish

This was the one wall the owners had hired a stucco guy to finish. Looks good in this picture but upon close inspection we determined the whole wall had to be recoated. 

All the mud around the doors and windows and electrical boxes had to be removed and reworked with lots of burlap along with 1" to 2" electrical plaster rings added. At least the electrical boxes were metal and not those plastic ones.

Completed North with what we call Art

Raised Accent around the front door

This accent served two purposes. One was to break the 60 foot wall into two halfs. There was no way we could have done a finish on a long wall like this in one day in 100 degree temperatures and no humidity. As it was, just completing 30 feet was quite a challenge. Also, Satomi with her Artistic eye, felt this wall would look stark and needed an accent. We built out a 1 1/2" relief and applied a brown color coat.

Stay tune for more!

Arizona House

We are back home after another intense week of Earth and Lime plastering in Cochise County, Arizona.

Looking good huh?

Actually this is not the house we plastered but one we drove by every day to work. I really liked the simplicity and the minimal upkeep required. A winter house for snow birds from somewhere.

Another road named after my dad!

If you know me then you know why I took this picture

On our last day of work we had a big visitor, the size of my fist.

Maybe this evening I will get around to posting pictures of our work.

Tom

Two More

Satomi and I are making good progress plastering here in Arizona. In one since the weather couldn't be better, overcast and rain has really been great for the lime.

Yesterday we finished the west side so two sides are done. During drying times we have been plugging away on the east. Weather wise on this side the cooler temps and humidity are slowing down the drying times. This, along with the volume of mud required is taking us a bit longer than planned so we have decided to stay an extra day this trip.

That means two more days to go!

Arizona 1

I had promised to keep you up to date as our plaster job here in Arizona continues but every night my eyes are too tired staring at little pictures on this lap top and I quit, tonight is no different.

Vinagroon

Just in case you don't believe me it has rained in Kingston

Dripping wet

Vinagroon's smell like Vinegar, quite harmless

65th

If we all could be so lucky!

Unfortunately Satomi and I could not fly up to Seattle for the party.

Yum!

Now what?

Laughing at that kiss?

Dan with Uncle Dix 

Dale, Nancy and Dona

Master at work!

Ready for the guests

Let the fun begin!

Arizona Bound

Some of you know we had a plastering Job in Arizona back in June on a custom Straw Bale house. Sunday we head there for phase two, another week on the exteriors. This time I will post pictures of the progress. Will give me something to do while hanging out in the hotel room since the fires in Arizona are out. At least I think they are.

Lying Around

Been a slow week here for us. A bit of R and R. Actually a bit of recovery from hitting my head and crunching my neck 6 weeks ago on a job site. Another Chiropractor visit yesterday and so far three appointments for deep tissue massage with a local therapist, a slow recovery. Didn't help that once home from the job I kept working here instead of taking care of myself.

A neighbor lent me his Inverting Table which I used for 15 minutes a day.

Just lying around

Nap time

Ah!