Flores Permaculture

The ladder to the sleeping loft is installed now , and the second wall is closed to the wind and rain. Now two walls are completely closed to the elements and the other two are being framed for windows and doors. Elit helps to install the sink in the new kitchen. The south facing wall has a window being installed to allow natural sunlight to enter the kitchen.  Eyal and Elit build a table and benches for the sitting space.

We have been steadily improving the living quarters for our volunteer guests from the  WWOOF Program .  Now we have completed the floor for the lower quarters that are destined to become a kitchen and sitting area. A big thank you to Jose from the Public Works department for donating the wood for this phase of our project.  We have Acacia wood joists with Elm planks on top. The wood is rough cut, but smooth enough to walk on bare foot with great comfort and ideal for napping on or meditating. We built another wall of Cryptomeria Japonica to stop the dominant wind direction. We are now preparing to build the back wall also. The sleeping quarters are upstairs and can fit 4 people. The roof is nearly complete, but still leaks in one spot during a very heavy rain. The long side window faces East so that the sunrise if visible from the Atlantic Ocean in the mornings.

We received the 'shingles' for the outer wall of the clubhouse, now we are waiting for them to dry before installing them.   They are off-cuts of Cryptomaria Japonica, or Japanese Cedar.  Rot resistant and fragrant, perfect for the wind and rain we get all winter here. We used Acacia wood for the joists to support the floor. They are long enough to allow for a porch extension that we had not planned for. The boards are locally milled from our islands forests. After the wood dries a bit more, we will finish installing the boards and close the lower level and install windows and doors.

The roof is finished and the top level used for sleeping is closed and being tested by our two wwoofers, Filippo and Maarten. We added diagonal braces to stabilize the structure. The remaining job is to close the lower level and install windows and doors, then a kitchen and sitting area.

 Our WWOOFER Clubhouse is beginning to take shape. We used four recycled phone poles set in concrete for the corners. The framing is freehand chainsaw milled Cryptomeria Japonica.  It is not straight, but very strong and easy to work with. The remaining five pillars are set on phone poles placed upon large field stones to distribute the load more evenly. Our fist two 'wwoofers' for 2016, Camille and Carole, helped us frame and board the second level.  This will be the platform to sleep on when it is finished.  We tested the strength with five adults and two children on top with no signs of stress on the structure. Next, we made diagonal supports between the posts to stabilize the structure from sway. And we took many fruit eating breaks, chosen from the surrounding orchard, while working to stay strong! The first roofing beam is installed. More to come as we build!