I got both windows (commercial glass doors) installed.
The guy who sold the doors to me helped load them in my truck. They still had the metal frames and it took me a while to figure out how to remove the frame. Sliding them out of the truck was pretty easy, getting them to the addition was hard. Mostly pushing while trying not to lose balance.
I unloaded the first door and leaned it against a shelf. The next morning I found it on the ground, the wind had blown it over. I couldn’t believe that it didn’t break! Very strong glass. But it’s also amazing to see how it bends.
Getting the glass in the frame was the most difficult part and that blue plastic chair played a crucial role. That it didn’t break was a miracle. I leaned the glass against the window sill, then lifted it up and somehow got the chair under it. The hardest part was then lifting it up.
I still have to finish framing the 2nd window and I have to wash it. It seriously impairs my view from the kitchen.
And that post by the 2nd window got rid of the sag, it’s looking a lot better now.
The satellite dish has to go too, on a slow day I’ll take that off.
I’m actually almost to the top on the right side, over the window I’ll put double insulation and old OSB.
At the bottom is the drain in case of some flood inside. Wish I’d thought about putting it in the foundation.
I’ll add a 2nd coat of mud and then I’d like to try lime for the finish coat so it’s waterproof. I’d like to color the lime so it looks like the dirt, still have to research to see whether/how I can do that. Need to find my “natural plaster” book too.
I also forgot to add a pipe for the temporary washer drain. I’ll have a real sewer hookup, but until I know exactly what goes where, I’ll just use that blue water barrel outside and run the washer drain through the wall.
Since my longest drill bit was WAY too short to get through the wall, I finally used 2 ft. rebar. It felt like running a jackhammer, but did a wonderful job.
Amazingly, there are NO cracks from the drilling.
Here’s my wonderwasher. For some reason I had two, the other one just finally had the handle break. This one is a different model and isn’t going to last long.
I bought them when I was camping full-time and used them off and on when I didn’t have a washer to use, as right now. Washing jeans and towels is hard, so I’m hoping to have my washing machine hooked up again soon.
My brick making system.
The 10″ straight shovel fits perfect in the forms. I try to make 5 bricks every day and that’s a VERY full wheelbarrow. Usually I mix more mud for the 5th brick, since I need more to work on the wall anyway.
The next day I take the forms off, the following day I carefully lift the bricks up and move them out of the way so I have the space to make more bricks. After 3 to 4 days I can currently use them.
And that saw works great to score bricks to break them to size.
I was hoping to be done by Thanksgiving and that obviously won’t happen. It usually freezes Thanksgiving and the weather turns crappy. I may have to use OSB to temporarily close off that small west wall.
I wish I had another door to put there. Am considering ordering another double hung window. Really need the light for the plants and ventilation in summer.
And, I need some plexiglass for the roof. That’s expensive and I’ll have to check my notes on that.
So far I did everything myself except for the foundation, did that with my nephew. But now I really need help to push the wind generator up on TOP of the roof. I still have the wires going through the kitchen (former garage) to the batteries.
Hopefully I can get someone soon to spend a few hours MOVING heavy stuff around, got to prepare a list.
And I’ll need a backhoe for a few hours for some serious grading and dirt moving on the other side. Am going to have a little dry wash along the sides of my property and driveway instead of having the driveway wash out every time it rains.
But before I can get a backhoe over, I need to move all that heavy crap out of the way and move a bunch of old lumber and palettes.
FUN FUN!
I’d rather make bricks.
