Earthship Texas Week 2

Nov. 2 -7, 2009.
I will be joining a crew of about 15 with 15 other interns to be building a 2 bedroom global model Earthship in between Crockett and Lufkin Texas. So week one of the build has happened without us. Blake and I are joining the crew and interns at the beginning of week two. We will be camping at Lake Ratcliff TX, what turns out to be a gorgeous lake surrounded by trees and deer a few miles from the build site. It is beyond perfect camping conditions, beautiful lake, hot showers and bathrooms, and fellow interns with kayaks, hammocks, great food and beer. Seriously spoiled. Most of the interns are staying here with us while the crew is at the Crockett Holiday Inn but they came by to visit and have massive cookouts. The interns and crew are all amazing people.

The first week I spent making can walls (old soda cans laid in cement), pounding a few remaining tires (rammed earth encased by recycled car tires), packing the tire walls, prepping Veegas (large wood beams that need shaving, cleaning, sanding), and porcupining (hammering nails in various wood elements) to get ready for more cement and can walls. It was a very rewarding week. Hard work but the crew was extra helpful and encouraging. Every evening it was not so bad to retire to camp and watch the sunset over the lake with fellow interns, including an ex-gourmet chef and thus eat amazing group meals by a fire till we pass out, then do it all again.

Photos of the first week of building!

Earthship house 2 bedroom global model
beginning of week 2

mid-weekend of week 2
Basic Building Elements
Tires
Tires, The Primary Building block. This one is waiting to be rammed with dirt.

A whole tire wall with cans and cement as filler. I would guess about 500 tires were used to create the north and side walls. After the dirt is rammed they can weigh about 300lbs and the width is 2-4 ft creating amazing thermal mass to keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Cans
Cans are also a recycled element used in building the house. This reduces use of cement and therefore lowers the cost of the house. This wall is a sandwich of two-inch styrofoam with aluminum can/cement walls on either side. When plastered these walls are nearly one foot thick and have tremendous insulating value.
Lianne making a can wall inside the house.
Veegas
Veegas are wood poles that form the structure of the roof -Look at these studly men!
A small bulldozer helping with the veegas. This was the biggest tool use on the job. Other than that two small cement mixers hand tools, saw and power tools were about it.Brian positions the veega with a rope and Steve sands it clean.

The girls on the veegas, I was to scared to do this.A signature Earthship door being installed by Jonah and Mike ReynoldsMike "porcupining" the top of the door with nails so that cement will not slide off the top later.Chris also drilling screws instead of nails on the top the keep the cement in place.Lathe structure that will be covered in cement for the entryway coverBob pouring cement to make supports that help hold the can wall back, the roof up, and are a part of the interior walls.
building a can wall between the veegas, the porcupine nails help hold the cement in placebeginning the roofPaul, amazon man, on the roof.Highlight picture of the week: Bob's sweet tan in his Utilikilt.
The Doggies on site
Fiesty Saul
Sweet Raven (except when you get in the way of her stick)
Sprocket the best dog in the W.O.R.L.D.
Fun Time
studsUK Rebecca, Aussie Brian, US of A meBlake with Raven in the bus trailer.
Brian is a pro on the Indo board I made
My tent at Lake Ratcilff, Davy Crockett National Forest, TX = beautiful!

more pics on the earthship website here