Odin and Mitra Get new Stucco in their Bedroom

My relationship with my house began in 1983, when I was a boy receiving an odd gift from his estranged father and seafarer.

I spent my summer break with my father in my "new house and farm", and became familiar with the land, the village of Fazenda and the Island of Flowers.  The trip made quite and impression on me.

Above the original stucco can be seen intact.

As my father took a break from the familiar Atlantic Ocean and  began sailing the Pacific, he stopped visiting the house regularly and my little house fell into disrepair.  Above is my boyhood bedroom and my boys future bedroom as of 2007.

I employed the help of friends to aid me in removal of the old stucco that was full of fungus and vegetation.

The bare stones were exposed and allowed to dry.

My father had painted on my bedroom wall a picture of his journey to the island. 

 I did my best to preserve it, but as the old stucco dried it fell from the stones taking this rare treasure with it.

I continued cleaning the walls and finally came to the decision to put new stucco in place and begin a new bedroom for my boys.

The beautiful stonework of 1950 Flores would disappear again in exchange for a new coat of modern stucco.

I was fortunate to have a great team of wwoofers staying on my farm this summer who helped me with the difficult task of generating concrete.

The  remote location of my home requires a zipline to send all the building materials to the site.

The rough coat is applied and allowed to dry.

Next the smooth coat is applied.

After allowing 30 days for curing, most shrinkage cracks have formed and can be sealed to prevent water seepage from the mountainside the the stone walls embrace

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After sealing the cracks the entire wall is painted with a waterproof sealant.

Finally the color coat is applied to the primer coat.

My boys requested a 'Fire Theme' for their bedroom.  Next I hope to add the orange and yellow accents.  But first I must install the raised wood floors, windows and doors.

Summertime Construction Upgrades

This summer we are working steadily to build my boys a proper bedroom.

They are now old enough to sleep alone and be responsible for their toys.  Also, I would like to have some privacy in my bedroom and be able to crank up the amp on my Electric Bass without concern for their little ears.

This project began last year and can be viewed here.

Above the wall that divides their bedroom from the rest of the house is nearly completed.

I was fortunate to have an amazing crew of hard working wwoofers to help transport the building materials necessary for construction to continue.

The Zip-Line had some minor modifications and is functioning well to get the building supplies across the valley to my house. 

Above, Maria catches some rest while waiting for the next delivery of sand to unload from the Zip-Line.

I employed Ricardo from my village to help with the heavy lifting and stucco work, a skill that I have yet to master.  When I toss the concrete on the wall, it just falls off.  Ricardo is a full time fisherman that does construction on the days that the sea is too rough for fishing.

In this photo, the Stucco work is finished and the wooden beams are installed for supporting the storage area above the boys bedroom.

A view from the other corner shows the boys bedroom and the windows and doors that will allow fresh air and light to stimulate their senses.  After 30 days of curing, we can paint the stucco.

After a few days of work, we all enjoy a nice hike to our neighbors farm for a luncheon and party.

On the weekend we all get together with friends and eat grilled foods with amazing Portuguese wines.

Transporting Building Supplies

We were lucky to have a strapping young lad stay with us for a few weeks.  We put him to good work helping to fill bags with sand and gravel and then send them down the zip-line to the concrete mixer.

Odin and Mitra had a great time wheeling the line back after the load was removed at the other end.

Frank was a huge help in bringing the concrete blocks (CMU) from their drop off location to the building site.

Thank you very much FRANK!!

Returning to Zone 0 aka Ground Zero

After expanding the farm for the last five years, I am finally satisfied that Zones 2 and 3 are producing well enough to feed us through the winter!  This summer I turning my gaze again to Zone 0.

The first step was to install a new zip-line to get materials to Zone 0 from our Zone 4 drop-off point.  The limitations of our summer-only dirt road dictate that heavy construction be done in the dry summer months only.  I asked my good friend Augusto to build me a new and improved post with a return wheel to bring the empty wheel and hook back after sending down a batch of building materials.  He used a recycled trike wheel as the base of his design that includes a brake to control the speed of the descent down the mountain.  Odin and Mitra love to help operate the brake!

The first job is to build my boys their own private bedroom.  The original stone house had two dividing walls inside to create two bedrooms and a kitchen.  Those walls were built of wood and decomposed into the forest many years ago.  I prefer concrete construction for a host of reasons.  Before building the concrete block wall, I built an iron reinforced concrete base to be sure that the wall does not settle and crack in the future.  Above, the form wood has been removed and the base is ready to built on.

Next, the blocks are built up layer by layer to create the partition wall with a door and window.  I am no mason, but I can keep the wall fairly straight and true.

After the first block work is done, I made a second iron-reinforced  concrete beam that tied into the exterior walls.  Breaking out the original stones was tedious, but by allowing the iron to enter into the huge stone walls creates a very stable interior wall.  The beam will act as the lintels over the window and door also.

After the concrete is poured and the form wood is removed, the new beam can be seen clearly.

The second Zone 0 upgrade is the installing of a bathtub.  At the moment we have a great outdoor shower, but it can be a bit drafty in the winter months. 

The first step was to build a reinforced concrete slab to take the full weight of a water filled bathtub and its occupant(s).

 I made a wooden form to allow for the drainage system to be mounted below the tub and then filled in the remaining space with concrete.

After the slab set, I built a concrete block wall to house the tub and help support the weight along the rim.

The next step is to tile the bathtub and the bathroom floor.  

Sowilo (Phase IIA)

The foundation has set and now Phase II begins.  Phase II involves building the  concrete columns that will support the solar panels and rotating axis.

The north column stands nearly three meters tall, so a pedestal is required to strengthen the structure and minimize bend or cracks.

Also do to intense winter wind loads and the fact the uppermost solar panel will stand four meters above ground level, it is crucial that the structure cannot topple and land on our roof.  This iron reinforced bench will add 1700 kilograms of weight as a counter force.

I decided to us natural stone as a functional form, rather than wood or blocks.  

The bench should seat four people, one at each of the cardinal directions.  This will be ideal for watching the sun rise from the ocean.

It takes a little more time to select and align the field stones, but I want this to be Art as well as Engineering.

The bench is nearly at the final height and ready for the capstones.

Only one more course of stone and then I can back-fill with concrete and place the capstones.  Then on to Phase IIB!

Sowilo - Harnessing the Power of our Star (phase I)

Our off-grid home is powered by a Hydro-Turbine.  In the winter months we get more than 500 watts of output non-stop.  During the late summer months we start to get less rainfall and therefor we get less wattage.  As global warming shifts our system of winds and ocean currents, we anticipate drier summers.  As a result we are adding an additional 1,000 watts of power to our  system.  In the winter we will have more hot water and heating during the day and we will maintain our current standard of living in the summer when the rains stop and the sun beams down.

The tracker is designed to maximize yearly output of solar power by following the sun's path from East to West daily at  a constant 23 degree angle.

The first stage of the project is to accrue all the building materials and get them to the site.  Not a simple task without a 4 wheel drive truck.

All the sand and gravel must be bagged up and then hand carried to the top of the hill.  Thank you Stan and Ben for your help with this morale breaking job. 

Once at the top of the hill, the bags are sent down a steel cable to the location of the work site.  In the photo above you can see the bags of materials in cue to be launched on the steel cable directly above them.

Once the sacks of sand, gravel, and cement are all on location, the mixing process can begin.  In the meantime, the bags make a comfortable resting spot for the boss-man.

Next the foundations need to be dug to support the structure.

Ben and Cbass take charge with mattock and shovel and excavate the site.

The tracker will sit atop of a retaining wall we built in 2011, directly behind our house. 

After a day of physical labor, Ben, Cbass, and Magnus, take a break to press some wine and sample the quality of ethanol production this season.

Concrete mixing finally commences and the 2,500 kilogram foundation begins to be poured.

The iron is held in place with guide ropes to maintain perfect North-South and Vertical alignment as the concrete is dumped bucket-by-bucket into the wooden forms.

A difficult job is made much easier with two strong and able men alongside Magnus.

The final foundation shape is revealed as Sowilo.  The fitting symbol for this project and what it seeks to accomplish.

Next, the pedestal will be built at the base of the North column.  And then the columns themselves will be poured and finally the metal frame will be attached to the tops of the columns.  Stay tuned...