Got the door on the storage building

Another day another dollar... errr another course on the east wall (#5). Alexis and her Mama were here all day today helping me. They got the site picked up and the storage building cleaned out while keeping me in energy drinks and water. I'm getting stronger and was able to work almost 8 hours today although both Alexis and I feel like dish rags as a result. We came back after I got cleaned up and had a pizza picnic on the slab savoring the moment in the woods on our land... thank you, Lord!
David Musser came and helped today and we got the storage building finished except for some trim and a paint job. Alexis and her Mama will start painting it white on Monday. Tomorrow we start moving "stuff" from our Monteagle storage facility to our new storage building now that it is secure.

Slowly but surely

Today I got another course laid on the east wall (course #4) and turned the corner on the north wall like I did on the west wall. I'm hoping that with all the window/door openings on the north wall that it will go relatively fast (less blocks to lay). My St Andrews friend Joseph Mansfield convinced me that I should go up another course so my ceiling will be 8' 8" instead of just 8'. He pointed out that even 8" more would contribute to a feeling of spaciousness in every room. It will cost more but maybe I can turn lemons into lemonade if I think about it a while. Suggestions would be appreciated. As you can see by this picture the south wall is not going to be masonry. It will be a conventional stick built wall because of all the windows and doors for my passive solar design. Using blocks would have been a nightmare with extra long lintels, etc.

Plodding along

Alexis and I had a late morning appointment in Winchester so we didn't get started on the house until 2:00 PM. Even with this late start we got quite a bit done. Maybe it was because my mother-in-law enjoys watching me work... I think this perceived rarity fascinates mothers-in-law. Anyway I got another course bored and glued on the east wall (see below) and all but two or three blocks glued in the 6th course in the west wall. Here is a shot of me cleaning up my block laying tools at the end of the day:

Window frame #1

Well, the pressure was on today... my mother-in-law was at the job site all day so I couldn't slack off. Actually, we got a lot done including the frame for the window in the dining room (see picture, below). The window will end up being about 6" higher than shown but I had to have something to lay the blocks to so I had to put the frame in low for now. With the exception of gluing a few blocks on the west wall, we're up 6 courses and ready to move to the east wall and begin the long run that is the north wall. Alexis and I are starting to get excited... we are building a "very, very fine house" and when we're finished we won't have a MORTGAGE which is the BEST part! From the picture I can see that the second & third blocks from the corner on the 6th course need some adjustment... I'll rasp them down first thing tomorrow and get that corner level.Another view:

We got a late start today

Alexis and I had a lazy morning and didn't get to the building site until about 1 PM. Nevertheless she got some "square foot" gardening done and I got some blocks laid. I've decided to lay 6 courses all the way around first, pour the rebar holes with a concrete slurry and then go on up with the final 6 courses (12 X 8" = 8 foot ceiling). We just barely got the tools and the dogs put away before a deluge hit us. Here is a semi-wet shot as we were leaving. 6 courses on the west wall and "coming around the corner."Canine version of Larry, Mo & Curly (aka L to R: Mosby, Boone & Baxter):Mosby (L)... Buddha (R):

My block laying speed is picking up

Today was Alexis' first day of summer vacation from her teaching job. She was able to help me at the building site and I think her being there made things go smoother. I got courses 4 & 5 laid on the west wall. My work is certainly not pretty but it's REALLY solid. Like I've said before the stucco will cover up the cosmetic uglies. Here are two pictures of today's work (the first picture is looking south from the NW corner of the house) It looks like the first two blocks in course #6 aren't perfectly level so I'll have to rasp them down:
This shot is taken from the SW corner looking north:I'll take my "alligator saw" and cut the end of these buttress blocks off so that this 16" masonry south wall will be plumb (most of the south wall will be a traditional stick-built 6" wall because of all the windows for my passive solar design).

I'm beginning to pick up speed

Today I was able to pick up some speed with my block laying. Since my tools were stolen, I had to go back to the AAC block guy in Ringgold, GA and buy new stuff. Getting a replacement drill bit with a shorter shaft has made all the difference in boring the 3" holes in the block straight and true plus the "alligator" saw that I rented cuts through these concrete blocks almost like butter. Today's bag of glue (adhesive powder) was a little different than the stuff I've been using and REALLY grabs. I'm sure it's stronger than the block itself and barely an 1/8" thick. The following picture is out of focus but you can see the NW corner and west wall that I worked on today (I'll have to be up on scaffolding in a day or two). I've almost got 4 courses out of 12 laid on this west wall. Like I've mentioned before all the "blemishes" will be covered by the stucco.
Boone and Mosby enjoying a dog's life: