Backyard Project: Sorting, Recycling, Reusing - the Waste Materials

It is time to sort through the construction waste materials.

Josh took all larger pieces of plywood to use on his next job site. It is useful for making the form work. He didn't have to buy much more plywood for the form work because he reused a lot from the construction of the Green Shed.

All of the smaller pieces of plywood and all painted wood was piled up to be taken away in the garbage trailer. It is all the wood with glues and chemicals that are not safe to burn.

The garbage trailer also took away plastics used to wrap supplies, hold glue and cover curing cement.

I presume it will go to the local landfill where the trailer will be weighted and we will be charged according to that weight.

The left over blasted rock in the background will be used to edge paths.

I used some of the broken pavers as stepping stones in some of the garden beds but most of them, along with the waste concrete, was stacked under the Green Shed's Contemplation Room, there if we ever need it. Because of its weight, it would have cost a lot of money to dispose of in the landfill and there wasn't enough to warrant a dump truck taking it all the way to the quarry for recycling.

Taylor tackled the remaining waste wood pile. He and Josh had reused it so many times on the job the remaining pieces were just smallish off cuts.

I measured the sizes of our 2 fireplaces to find out the maximum length of wood each to take. Taylor then used these 2 numbers to make the best cuts in the remaining wood. Here he is making 2 stacks with longer pieces on the right and shorter pieces on the left.

It was pointed out to me we would be paying for Taylor's time to cut this wood. I pointed out how much it costs to have a pickup truck load of firewood delivered. Also, I was not comfortable with paying for this wood to go into a landfill when we could use it.

Josh used the forks attachment on the Bobcat to move the bundle of long pieces up to the patio area and put it as close as he could to where it was needed.

Ron then moved each piece and re stacked it beside the chimney. Notice the air holes he has left to help keep the wood dry.

The last couple of trees that fell during the winter storms have been cut up, some of it in suitable lengths for firewood. This called 'hucking' the log. These lengths are left to dry out for a bit or not (there are different schools of thought on this) then Ron splits them. He dumps them behind the propagation table and it is my job to crawl under and stack the wood. It will be protected behind the glass and the bottom part will allow air to circulate.

Locating the firewood stack here is another function of the Propagation Room and it solves the previous problem of there being nowhere to stack firewood near where it was needed. The fireplace is inside the house to the left. 

Plus I love the look of stacked firewood as a design feature and for other reasons.

When a tree falls or needs to be cut down for safety reasons we now have a standard order for cutting it up. If it is still standing we ask to leave about 15 to 20 feet standing and hope it will become a wildlife tree. The tree above fell over and its root area will be left as is because the disturbed soil stimulates all sorts of soil organism and plant activity. 

Next the widest part of the trunk is hucked into lengths to later be split for firewood. The next section of about 15 feet is left lying on the ground as a nurse log to support new growth in the forest. The next part is cut into 5 inch rounds and I use these for making 'gardener's paths' to give access into the middle of the wider garden beds. Depending on the length of the tree there may be another section for firewood. The last part of the trunk I use the small sections as edges for garden beds. The branches are cut off and left insitu to protect young plants in the undergrowth eventually rotting down to feed the soil. 

When I explain what I want to the most obliging forester it reminds me of giving the butcher the order when cutting up a whole animal.

Ron is stacking the shorter lengths of construction waste firewood under the inside of the propagation table. I didn't want to be able to see it from the outside thinking it would not look very attractive but he has done such a neat job I think it looks lovely.

So that is the story about managing the waste materials from the Backyard Project construction site.

Backyard Project: Soffits, Gutters, Downspouts and Fascias

Cutting metal soffit panels to size for the garden Sheds.

Soffits protect the ends of the rafter beams from the rain without which the beams would rot out.

We have gone with vented soffit rather than a solid material with vents. Either way ventilating the space above is important to prevent moisture build up which would result in moulds growing and wood decay. In this rainy climate, moisture management is critical for the lifespan of the building. This is looking good with no exposed wood and a tight fit.

Another team has installed all of the caps on the end walls. I wasn't sure about the flat metal. If I had been home at the time I would have asked to see what the corrugated metal looked like. But it is done.

Fascia metal has been attached covering the exposed wood.

This interesting truck arrived in the driveway. I knew what it did because I had watched it at work when my Green shed was being built. That is a big roll of flat metal.

The metal comes off the roll and is fed into this forming machine. It can be programmed to make differently shaped gutters/eavestroughs.

 The Mighty Exteriors crew arrived.

Here is the crew to make the downspouts. I like his plastic cowboy hard hat. It makes his tool belt look like a gun holster. He had steel-toed cowboy boots on too.

'A downspout, waterspout, downpipe, drain spout, roof drain pipe, leader, or rone (Scotland) is a pipe for carrying rainwater from a rain gutter.' (Wiki). And these are the tools needed to make them fit the gutter/eaves trough.

A downspout is fitted up into the end of every slightly down-sloping gutter. The crew also went around the house and put downspouts where we had water chains that weren't working very well. Living under trees the building's roofs catch a lot of  'litter fall, plant litter, leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, or duff, and dead plant material, such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes; that has fallen' (Wiki)  that block the entrance to the chains causing the gutters to over flow. Ron has yet to find the perfect system to stop the gutters filling with litter.

Another crew arrives, the same one that installed the covers for the end walls, and installs fascia panels to cover the roof bearing beams.

A lot of different crews with specialised equipment and tools are needed to make a building water tight. We have all read the stories or know of someone who was unfortunate enough to have bought a leaky building or condo. 'The leaky condo crisis, also known as the leaky condo syndrome and rotten condo crisis, is an ongoing construction, financial, and legal crisis in Canada...it is the most extensive and most costly reconstruction of housing stock in Canadian history (Wiki).

'Build it tight, vent it right' is a building industry saying/motto.

Eco-Threads Exhibition at Coast Collective, Colwood

Eco-Threads is a juried exhibition put on jointly by Vancouver Island Surface Design Association and the Coast Collective in Colwood, on from June 28 to July 9, 2017. 

There will be an artists' reception from 3 to 5 pm followed by a themed fashion show from 7 to 9:30 pm.

All of the work juried into the exhibition and all of the garments in the fashion show have a connection with recycling, re-purposing, or reusing. Some are the result of a studio practice that is kind to the environment while others are about the environment.

The lovely image in the exhibition poster is Bryony Dunsmore's work.

Douglas-fir: Wind Drawing

I am happy to say my entry was juried into the exhibition.

It is about a Douglas-fir tree in our back yard. The middle part is a drawing done in ink by a branch of the tree on a windy day. The different fabrics are from old bedsheets. The middle one was composted under the tree canopy before being drawn on.

The exhibition is one of many being held during the Northwest Weavers Conference being held at the University of Victoria. The conference theme is 'Treddle Lightly.' It is completely sold out but the exhibitions and the Merchants Mall are open to the public.

It is going to be a fun weekend.

Backyard Project: 2 Different Roof Systems Serving 2 Different Purposes

He looks like a ghost buster but he is a roof layer - a torchon roofer. 

Nortek Exteriors is back to install the same sort of roof they put on the studio - a torchon roof.

First, a layer of fireproof fibreglass felt is nailed in place. 

For the next layer, a sheet of bitumen is melted and sealed in place with a butane torch. 

While continuing to be used extensively in commercial buildings because it is easy to install and repair and is one of the cheapest roofing materials available, it is a somewhat controversial because it is made from similar materials to our roads. 

The reason why we decided to go with the torchon roof on the studio and garage is I want a green roof. Under the forest canopy, mosses and lichens will naturally colonise the roof while feeding on the bitumen. It will last 15 to 20 years which is a shorter life span than some other roofing systems but it is easy and inexpensive to scrape off the mosses and add another layer of bitumen on top of the old. Though they do last longer other roofing systems need to be removed and put in landfills before the new material can be installed.

The other controversial roofing material is going on top of the propagation room.

The flashing has been installed.

The lumber has been delivered - Kayu Batu - a sustainably harvested hardwood from SE Asia. Some would argue it is irresponsible to use hardwoods from other countries and that would include buying furniture made from hardwood. 

We decided to go with the hardwood because treated like a piece of furniture it will last as a roof for up to 50 years - a better option to replacing local wood decking every 6 to 10 years. We live in a rainforest where conditions are perfect for breaking down and rotting wood. Kayu Batu is suited to these wet conditions and is resistant to mould, fungus, wood rot, insects and fire. It does not require the usual yearly painting or sealing. It can be oiled to keep the rich colour or it can be left to age to a silver grey, which we will be doing. The only maintenance will be keeping it swept.

Josh ordered 10-foot lengths to cover the 10-foot wide deck so there is no waste wood produced during construction.

Josh made a jig to get an accurate positioning of the supporting cross members made of water resistance composite wood.

He is making panels of 3 board lengths.

Installation details in a later post.

2 different roof systems serving 2 different purposes - 1 to provide food for living organisms the other to resist living organisms.

Backyard Project: 2 Garden Sheds' Foundations Take Shape

Off-set Pegs - these are a good sign.

They mean the area is being surveyed for the 2 Garden Sheds' foundations.

The bobcat is levelling out the site. 

It is now raining most days so the site is becoming very muddy and working temperatures are much cooler.

Josh and Taylor construct the formwork for the concrete foundations. 

It is proving to be a challenge because the granite rock is not far below the surface. Some of the formwork has to be shaped to go up and over the rock.

Horizontal bars of reinforcing steel are tied in place.

The vertical reinforcing steel coming up in the middle of the walls is held in place with wooden boards and wires.

City Concrete Pumping arrives with the pump truck and crew.

The cement mixer is not far behind.

The pump hose is put in place over the farthest footing and the crew swings into action.

Taylor removes the formwork.

The newly poured foundations were covered with tarpaulins and left over the weekend to cure. Josh left the formwork up for an extra day just to be sure the concrete footings had enough strength before continuing the work.

Backyard Project: Propagation Room Progress Report

Taylor is brushing coats of sealer on lengths of tongue and groove cedar to be used as soffit on the Propagation Room ceiling. The arbour and pergola are able to conveniently hold the boards apart and off the ground, while they dry.

But at the end of each day, Taylor has to stack the boards away on this temporary shelving he has made under the temporary shelter made using the arbour and tarpaulins. We get regular rains at night and the cedar boards need to be kept dry so they won't warp. In the morning, he takes everything outside again for another coat of sealer, if there is no rain threatening. It reminds me of the days when one hung washing on an outside line while keeping an eye on the weather.

The plumber and his mate arrived and installed pipes from the drain hole in the roof and across to the downspout.

The electrician arrived and installed lighting for the room.

This work will be all covered up by the cedar soffit boards.

So there is good progress on the Propagation Room.

Backyard Project: 1st Post for Arbour and Pergola Raised

6" x 6" cedar posts have been delivered so construction of the pergola and arbour can begin.

First Kyle measures twice...

...then he cuts.

To get your bearings, Taylor is standing in the arbour and the upside down wheelbarrow is in the middle of the pergola.

Taylor evens out the ground...

...and fills in around the footings. 

A metal 'U' shaped anchor brace has been added to every footing.

Kyle and Josh check their installation of the first post.

Yes, they are happy with their work.

The raising and installing of the posts have begun.