Wood working with car-crank

While digging downstairs on the ground level, the cork and lime insulation at the first floor got nicely dried. No better chance to "take a rest" from digging than... laying the fir boards flooring on the first floor!!! 



I have been using the same technique a few years ago, laying the floor in the room next door. Hopefully a short video-clip can explain the process of this handy trick... I am always pretty stoked of how efficient it is. It's always NOT easy to film and edit WHILE doing some physical labor...
Much respect for those who can arrange to do both things more proficiently than this!

Setting a space column

Sure enough when some time ago I spotted a great building potential in a certain log stuck in the canal, I didn't really know what it was going to happen to it and indeed now... it's filling the space.
It became a space column!!!

Check out all the details of the wood working construction process...

Archeological findings

While the cork flooring insulation is still maturing upstairs, the waiting time it's perfect for opening another big battle field and approach the reconstruction of the ground floor in what it's going to be the "community kitchen"... Digging out and sifting earth from rocks and gravel, a few interesting items came out too.

Useful fishing

During a swift patrol walk to the canal I noticed that something weird was sticking out of the water. So I grabbed the propped harpoon made out of a long rebar, always ready nearby...

Digging a new ground floor

Today I decided to approach another "challenging" task since it's involving besides a lot of physical labor also various delicate planning decisions: the insulation of the ground floor. The digging has started around the most tricky areas...

Reducing demolition debris

When it comes to reducing the impact of a major demolition, it's quite hard to gain any positive effect. On a small manageable scale, hand-sifting debris allows to separate fine sand from gravel and bigger debris that eventually could end up being dumped or reused in a new construction. 

The volume and the weight is reduced at least by half... which is a great result already!

More cork

The process of laying down the cork insulation on this floor it's quite physical and tiring. Using correctly the leverages of the body is the most important task... so thankful that I can work squatting down instead of kneeling all the time!



This a time lapse sequence of a one day of work (doing just half of the surface).
Hold on tight and keep going on...

Getting the right mix

Getting together all the solid ingredients was apparently easy until I added the water and the initial blatant failure revealed the utter mistake of trusting a random g##gle search... The proportion was completely wrong!

Cork and lime floor insulation

This job is expected to be pretty heavy and potentially messy... so minimizing the movements it's going to be very important, working in a tiny space that will have to stay as tidy as possible, clean and dry as well. Here are all the ingredients!

Preparing for the flooring

After setting the supports for the floor, all the preparations are aimed at keeping a mild temperature facing the freezing cold weather that came in these days: it must be at least 6 degrees Celsius for pouring the insulation layer of cork and lime. This is the result... we can start!!!

Cork and lime insulated floor

For this room I have planned to put a wooden floor with underneath an insulation layer made of cork and lime, both natural materials that inspire me a lot... I am really looking forward to try them out! The overall thickness is not going to be that much (due to the very low height of the window). Better than nothing anyway:
5 cm total = 1,8 cm of wooden boards + 3,2 cm of insulation

This is a short sequence showing the process of fixing the supports for the wooden floor.

Another light in the new bathroom

The second light of the new bathroom is now ready and fully working. Check out the details... 

New light in the new year

The wood working that was happening in the very last days, brought a new light into this new year!
This is the ceiling of the new bathroom...