Monday, April 15, 2013

Long over due: Running water, a finished wall, and even some cupboards that need doors!

Busy, as usual. Working on some of the interior of the kitchen, plumbing the kitchen, and as usual breaking our hill down with a pick axe and moving dirt for the final burial of the rear of the house. It keeps us super busy, but unfortunately, a little too tired for my comfort level. Fit though.

I move at least a ton of dirt sometimes.

I wanted to save this blog entry for the grand announcement of RUNNING WATER!

It was a lot like the wiring of the solar power. Multiple trips to town to buy tiny things that we couldn't work without. Tiny problems that we would have never been able to account for. But unlike the solar power, the reality of the plumbing was that running water is pretty cool, but our “temporary” system worked so well that it this was much less of a priority for us. In fact, a bigger priority was to get the massive amount of plumbing tools and parts out of my living space, rather than getting the sink going! We still need to get our water heater and shower. These will be much more exciting than a sink that only has cold water. But that said, done it is. I even let the cat drink from the faucet to celebrate, like the constant drip she had in Chicago, but this is over, no more sink water for el gato.  

 

Here are some pictures of the plumbing laid out before installation. This was for the spacing as well as to determine if we had all the parts we needed for this particular part of the set up. We probably didn't, and we probably went to town three times before we did...
 

   

   


 


Like all earthships our cistern water that comes from our roof water enters the house, is filtered twice (a third drinking filter is installed, soon), and run to sinks and shower. It then drains into indoor planters, these are yet to be built. We also built our first drawers! This cabinet is not finished, it needs doors and some trim, but the drawers are done. And the wall! We were plastering like crazy for the past month and a half. To finish a wall in our kitchen so we could get some cupboards up. Doors coming soon, probably, possibly. We are now working on the lower counters so that we can build our CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS, that'll be in the next month or two, we hope.  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
 


Like all our plastering ventures, this one ended far after the sun set.
   

 

Finishing things up isn't easy, but so so worthwhile...  

   
  
 

   

   

    

   

 


And now we're going to start working on the lower cabinets, so here's a footing we did this morning..!

Here's temporary planters Dain and I made for the greenhouse yesterday. We're going to get some herbs growing in here this summer.  
   

This is a trellis that I am building...
 


The hill we've been digging out.
 

Here's the back of the house, plastered and ready to be completely buried (up to the attic).


It's not all work. Local tourism with V. Harris. Here's Dain and Vanessa.  

 


Car commercial.



An old friend and new neighbor, Andrew arrived.




And I can't help but say that this is the most beautiful cow patty I've ever seen, glowing, iridescent, a true fare well to this long over due blog entry.