This, folks, is what the "Y" in "DIY" stands for. I get a lot of questions about the workload involved in what is largely a solo building project. That 94 pound bag of Portland cement I have slung over my 49 year old shoulder is pretty typical for the kind of work involved. The key is being able to pace yourself, get into a steady rhythm and keep plenty of beer and aspirin available as needed.
We race down the west wall (well, maybe race is a little optimistic) and continue cladding with our nylon mesh fabric and cement. When the cement cures, we will cut out the mesh fabric that overhangs the windows and the vents in the barrel vault. A load from my mixer (approximately 45 pounds of cement, 90 pounds of sand and a judicious amount of water) covers a 16x4 foot section of wall.
Another day, another section of wall as we continue this week's inexorable progress. As mentioned earlier, the key to staying active is to pace yourself. I get in an average of about 4 hours daily of cement work on a ladder at least 6 days out of the week. After 4 hours or so, fatigue sets in and the chances of a fall or other potential injury go way up, especially if there's no help other than the dogs immediately available.
A look at the west wall in progress. The long sides of the house measure just shy of 80 feet, the short sides 40 feet. At this point we're finished cladding the east and north walls, more than halfway done with the west wall and already have a good start on cladding the interior courtyard walls, which means we're a couple of weeks out from actually starting on our roof.
Once we turn the proverbial corner here, we've just got the south wall to clad and we're done with the exterior cement work. When we finish cladding the courtyard walls, we'll have enough structural support to begin pouring the concrete roof and putting that kind of weight on the walls. Now, if you will excuse me, I have an aspirin with a beer chaser waiting for me...
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