Summer Workshop, June 2003
The large June 2003 workshop group was enthusiastic, diverse and insatiable for natural building know-how.
Even though the workshop concentrated on mostly on earthen plasters, with a brief demonstration of earthen flooring, we stopped often for long discussions of topics such as straw-clay walls, mechanization ideas for saving labor, and the integration of natural home techniques.
Tom Hirsch amd Larry Kinney of Harmony Home Construction, an environmentally aware home-building company based near Traverse City, Michigan, brought a half-dozen crew members with great energy. They've got four straw-clay homes under construction this Fall, and are incorporating techniques they learned at this workshop.
The workshop group
The group begins by learning to make clay slip.
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Tom Hirsch of Harmony Home Construction.
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Douglas Piltingsrud discusses the admixtures -- casein and linseed oil -- that improve earthen plasters' weatherability and breathability.
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Johanna & Lou refine the color of the finish plaster mix using iron oxides, the same as potters use for their glazes. Then they duplicate it for more batches.
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Wetting down the wall before plastering.
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Professional plasterer Doug DeVries, shows Mary Kay & Adam how it's done.
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Mixing casein slurry with a bit of lime putty helps it to 'bloom' and disperse more thoroughly into the plaster.
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