Construction of our laminated ferrocement roof continues. Pictured are the five most important tools (besides the infinitely malleable human hand) we have for this stretch of work: 1. A good wheelbarrow (it's cheaper than a chiropractor); 2. A cement mixer/cocktail shaker like this beauty; 3. A ladder; 4. A cement elevator for when #3 won't get the job done (see #1 for details); and 5. A couple of members of management to do whatever it is that project management does...
Yes sir, this website contains only exciting, action-filled photos like this one of a pile of sand. Your humble correspondent, however, gets excited at the delivery of 3 yards of exceptionally clean, finish-grade, #4 masonry sand. The finer sand means a smooth finish coat of ferrocement for our roof. Three miniature donkeys (one donkey must surely be named "Hoe-Tee" if you're inclined towards terrible puns) watch impassively.
Prior to laying down a smooth finish coat of meshcrete, we need to clear the roof of all the sand and gravel which has collected there. In response to an excellent suggestion from my mom, I am using the leaf blower instead of the broom, which is a big improvement. The whole-house fan is seen in the background. It has a humidistat and is set up to control the moisture level in the house and aid overall ventilation.
A quick look at the newest member of project management. Whiteboy is 85 pounds of Shar-pei and returns to the family after 6 years of doing guard duty for my mom. He sticks pretty close to me so he's likely to be seen here regularly.
This is what we get when we combine the objects in photos 1 and 2 (minus the animals) with some Portland cement and water. Notice how smooth the finish coating is with the finer masonry sand. This week I am on my knees and filling in low spots, smoothing out rough seams, reinforcing weak spots and generally doing finish work, hence this week's theme of getting crusty and dusty. We enter the coming Labor Day weekend ready to make significant progress on our ferrocement roof's finish coat.
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