I'm Collecting Water!

So, I've been quite bad about blogging. I find that whenever I'm actually doing things I don't have time to write about it, and when I do have time to write it means I'm not doing much and thus don't have much to write about. It took me a little bit of time to get back into the groove of things--finally, helping a couple friends on their projects helped me get started on my own. I worked pretty hard for a week, got my catchment set up and then left to visit family. It began raining right after I finished, so when I return I should have a happy amount of water waiting for me. I cannot even imagine how that will change my life.

The start of the gutters.

Cistern and pipe-run hole.

The slitted 4" hdpe pipe.

Finished gutters.

The hanging tape for connecting the gutters.

Milla backfilling around the cistern.

Almost done connecting the downspouts!

Connected downspouts!

Milla is the champion of silicone!

Water catchment!

Connecting the PEX to the cistern.

Backfilling the pipe trench.

Eventual box around water on/off switch from cistern.

PEX hooked up to cistern outlet.

Back in New Mexico!

So I finally arrived back to Taos on Friday after a 5 month west coast sojourn. I had forgotten that sunshine existed so what a nice surprise this 70 degree weather is. Soon it will be time to get back to the house. The first order of business is to exterminate the mice that have taken up residence in my humble abode, and probably destroyed most of my stuff which I naively left laying around. I say probably because, though I've been home for two days, I haven't actually gone up to my house yet.

Aussie Article About My House

The Owner-Builder in Australia contacted me about doing an article for their magazine. I wrote about the process of building my earthbag house and it just came out in the February/March 2012 edition! Check out the link below. Unfortunately, you have to subscribe to it either online or in print to be able to read/see it (there's lots of cool photos, all of which are on this blog too). I love how it turned out and it was beyond exciting for me to not only write a synthesis of this wondrous last year, but to have it published too!

 http://www.theownerbuilder.com.au/current_issue.htm

Trash

After 6 months, this is the only trash I hauled out, not including kitchen garbage. It's pretty spread out, but could easily fit into two large, black garbage bags. It's mostly scraps from the poly strapping and plastic sheeting. The metal scraps are going to stay--I'm sure I can find some use for them. The bottles in the background are an assortment from this summer--I'm going to use them for the bathroom wall.

So, How Much Did It Cost?

Throughout the summer, I kept track of my expenses here.

$9513--Not all that accurate as it includes costs that aren't really valid, such as the cost of my tent.

$8068--The total cost of materials and labor. It still includes some things that maybe shouldn't be there, like the water tank. I've broken it down to smaller expense categories as well.

Hardware:$663
Windows and Doors, Including Frame/Lintel: $1075
Labor: $950
Backhoe/Tractor: $1300
Wall Material: $425
Roof/Ceiling Material: $2390
Foundation Material: $1050
Plumbing, Including Cistern ($740): $888

Having broken it down, I would say it cost $5743 for materials--excluding labor, excavation and the cistern. Given that it's about 500 square feet, that translates to $11.5/sq. foot! Including the above excluded, it would come to $16/sq foot. I haven't finished it yet, so costs such as the gutter, indoor plumbing, including the water pump, solar panels and sand to finish the plaster, amongst many other things, have yet to be added in.

A Friend's Pictures

Me plastering.

The moat and the house from the east.

House from the back.

Winter garden--straw bales and plexiglass--in the foreground.

Today

Today's my day off. Probably the first day off that I am not figuring out something on the house or buying supplies (though I am going to swing by Home Depot) in memory. So, I was pretty determined that I wasn't going to blog either. I've needed a bit of space from my house, in the same way that if you spend 180 days straight with the love of your life you might want to go for a walk by yourself or, god forbid, spend the whole day apart. That would be the reason I've just been posting pictures lately and not writing much, if at all.