Finally, A Few Compressed Earth Blocks

The concrete turned gray and got hard. My father spent the better part of the last few days of his visit stripping the forms and saving all the wood so we can use it later for the bond beam at the top of the wall. When all is said and done, the grade beam looks like this:
We've still been having heavy rains, so after this picture was taken, I graded around the beam, covering the exposed gravel of the rubble trench and sloping the dirt away from the foundation.

Then I went on a trip to Utah to help start a patio project for my family. As with most family projects, this one ran wild and became larger than originally expected. It is not finished, but the retaining walls are done and the base for the stone patio is set. Here is a photo:
My father will set stones for the patio surface over the course of the summer. No rest for the weary!

Upon returning to New Mexico, I found that all of the rain had spurred weed growth to the point that I spent most of my first week back mowing and pulling. With the worst of the weeds under control, I finally began setting blocks on the grade beam.

According to the State of New Mexico Earthen Building Code, any compressed earth blocks within 4" of the ground need to be stabilized. About 5 or 6 inches of the grade beam will be above grade, but just in case, I am using stabilized blocks for the first course all the way around the building. In order to stabilize the soil here on site, I add 7 or 8 percent by volume of portland cement. The portland is added dry and roto-tilled in with the soil which is then brought up to about 15% moisture content. Code then dictates that I have 1 hour to press the soil into blocks. Before heading up to Utah for the family patio project, I pressed 700 or so stabilized blocks and set them cure slowly under tarps. As with concrete, the blocks will get harder if they cure under moist conditions.

Since sometime in March, Amanda and I have been in contact with the Owlhouse Family (see their blog). They are a family of four traveling around North America, visiting and working on organic farms and other places of interest. Mostly they are finding places to stay via the Word Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms, but there were no local farms so they put out an ad on the Roswell Craigslist. We answered and were rewarded with a fun week of eating, hiking, conversation, gardening, and building. The Owlhouse Family helped out a terrific amount in the garden and also helped lay the First blocks on the foundation.

Above, Brad (the Pater Familias) looks on while I add the finish touches to the First Block. The first course of blocks are set on about 3/8" mortar made from 1 part hydrated lime, 1 part portland cement, and 6 parts sand.

Brad is tapping the last block on this corner into position. Nora is taking a break from seed planting to check out the momentous occasion.

The first corner all done. The other three corners are set up the same way and then string lines are strung between them guide the laying of the rest of the blocks. The strings ensure the walls are straight and, if the corners are set level, level. I'll try to show pictures of the strings in the next post.

Thanks to the Owlhouse Family. Come back and visit.