We've got walls

Jerry, working rebar

 September 19, 2012
Tanner and Jerry finish a week of completing the first floor walls for our eventual home.  I joined them in a celebratory beer atop the land that looks onto our home site.  A more vivid vision of what our home will become, began to emerge before our eyes as we enjoyed the sun departing into the western sky.

September 20, and 21, 2012
The stacked block was then secured with bracing, making our house look like it was a rocket headed for it's first space mission.  Hoping to have a great day pouring concrete, Tanner, my dad Steve, and Jerry collaborated to create a tool to help aid in the concrete pouring process.  Jerry and Tanner talked about designing a metal tube attachment for a sawzall.  This tube would be placed over the rebar, causing vibration that would help the concrete to fill into all of the crevices inside of the Faswall block.  Their idea was presented to my dad and he promptly went home and made one to be tested out.  On everyone's approval he went home and made a few more.

All of the blocks stacked, braced for concrete fill

Over the weekend, Tanner had finishing touches to complete for pouring day.

September 23, 2012
Tanner works with a headlamp, long after dark, using spray foam to fill cracks in the block for pouring day.  Poor guy!

September 24, 2012
6:00 AM  MST
Tanner is out, getting things ready for the day.  7:10 AM  Jerry and Kyle arrive.  All three are busy getting things prepared.  7:40 AM  My dad arrives with treats for the puppies as well as another tool to aid in getting the concrete into all of the tight spaces within the wall, and begins helping Kyle with rebar.  Everyone has a task and hard at work at it when the concrete pump truck arrives at 8AM.  He gets settled in as the concrete truck rolls in.  Everyone is looking alive and ready to move!

Ready at sunrise

 Jerry operated the main source of the concrete, Tanner worked the rebar with the sawsall tool~it worked like a charm, Kyle worked the rental tool~which would double check for any air pockets within the wet concrete walls, and dad was on the ground level shoveling and working the wall beneath the windows.  Dad and I also worked as gofer's for anyone who needed one of many sawsall batteries replaced.

Steve, salvaging some concrete for us.  Thanks DAD!!

K-Fed, using a tool which vibrates the rebar, working cement into air pockets.

front view

Dad, moving concrete from one window sill to the other.  

Concrete splattered husband, working sawsall on east facing window

Jerry, pouring concrete to wall beneath our firewood chute

 Very patient puppies, forced to be in their pen for their need to lie underfoot!

concrete splattered Tanner

South facing view

 Concrete poured, boys were fed by the live-in yurt cook, yours truly.  After lunch everyone worked to get the scaffolding down from the inside of the structure.

The new sawzall tool worked like a charm, until the machine itself was too far covered in cement....will have to keep you updated on whether we can resuscitate it or not.

West facing view

Once the day was done, Tanner, Kyle and I had a beer and reminisced a little bit.  I realized that today, September 24, is three months to the day since we raised our yurt.  My head is spinning at all that we have been able to do, and when I say we, I mean my husband.  He has worked his arse off to get to this point, and he is loving it!  I know that our home will be lovely in every way, I will never want for more.  We are exhilarated by all that has happened in the last few months, and it'll only get better as we go.  I couldn't be happier with our yurt, and with the exception of laundry, our round tent is as cozy and efficient as anywhere else we've been.  I am so happy to be living this life!!

Cheers!