Earth House Update and Apology

Well Gang, I have to apologize for the delays and technical glitches in trying to bring you the tour of the "Earth House" in Winnsboro, S. C. that I bragged so much about.   I'm not sure what the deal is - but - as I posted a while back, I've been having trouble uploading videos and even pictures!!!  So ....  I've admitted ... well, not defeat but a temporary truce.  I'm going to continue working on the videos because I really wanted you to have a tour of the "Earth House" we recently discovered.  But - we're going to "truck on" and try to fill you in with some pictures that I did manage to capture from the video. Because it has been so long, let me brief you on where this is.

Most of you know that we live in the fantastic metropolis of  Ridgeway, S. C. (population slightly over 400) and often travel from here to the upper part of the state to help with some family matters.  Our route takes us on S. C. Highway 34 over to I-26 and then on to the 'upstate.'   About 12 miles from Ridgeway we take a left turn on Hwy 34 and head toward Newberry, S. C.  Right at the junction of Hwy 34 and US 321 there is a unique art studio called the "Painted Picket" owned by local artist and Architecture Instructor, Christy Buchanan.  We put up some pictures of the studio last time but, again, could not get the videos posted.  Anyway - on the left side of the studio is a structure that is a project of the Architectural Drafting program at Midlands Technical College - the "Earth House."   On the right is a picture of Christy.  She is an extremely articulate and engaging young lady and is obviously devoted to "Green Construction."  I didn't get a chance to talk to many of her students but the picture on the left shows a group of them excitedly inspecting a huge solar panel designed and built by one of their colleagues.  I didn't get to spend much time with it but what I saw was extremely impressive in design and workmanship!!! 

As I said earlier, these photographs are actually captured from the video I was trying to post and I'll try to go back and get some more so you will have a better idea of how this whole thing is laid out.  For now, though, let me say that Christy refers to it as "stacked hay" construction.  The picture to the right (sorry about the quality) shows a portion of the wall and a glimpse of the 'sleeping loft' on the second floor.  Originally, Christy had planned for the 'hay-bale' walls to actually be 'load-bearing' but because the pace of construction was slower than she had hoped (to allow all of the students to keep pace with each other) and because they added the sleeping loft they decided to add several 4x4s as support columns.  Although you can't see it well in the picture, the hay bales are 'faced' with a net-type wire and will eventually be coated with a stucco-like surface.  During the tour Christy noted that one section of the wall had experienced some mold development due to a leak in the second floor deck but that it was actually an opportunity to show the students how segments of the walls can be cut out with a chain saw and replaced with little difficulty. (Although I thought it was kinda cool because the hay is a great medium for growing mushrooms!)

When you enter the structure you immediately notice about a ten to fifteen degree drop in temperature due to the insulating properties of the hay.  The first floor of the structure is quite spacious right now with a large 'living room/den' area at the front.  As you continue into the house you pass the area where the kitchen will eventually be and space for a good-sized bathroom.  The window units are well constructed and will utilize materials designed to maximize insular qualities - and - the hay allows for creative "carving" so that the sills and recessed windows can be used for plants, seating or decorations.  The back deck was constructed with cement (there were lots of 'reasons' for everything that was done but I forgot most of them!!) and overlooks a beautiful slope that descends about 200 feet to a creek at the far end of Christy's property.  They plan to install a "zip line" later on.  Many (if not all) of the support columns for the upper deck and porches were cedar tree-trunks that were removed during clearing of the land.

The upper deck (that ultimately leads to the loft area) will really be attractive and will offer a fantastic place to enjoy the sunsets in the evening.  But - it is also being designed with a unique "membrane" that will allow for extreme watertight integrity and will enable them to grow whatever plants they wish on the second level.  In the picture to the left you can see the section that will ultimately have the 'membrane'  (it's the dark part) and the doorway leading to the loft.  To the left (you can't see it in the picture) is a section with plenty of room for seating and a wonderful place to enjoy the South Carolina springtime.  In the picture on the right, Christy is showing where a collection system will be installed that will allow them to capture virtually all rainwater that falls on the structure and to channel it into cisterns for use in their agriculture projects.  As time goes on this project will continue to refine the use of ecologically friendly methods for everything from power to water utilization; from agricultural innovation to structural creativity.  This particular project might be viewed by some as a rather 'elementary' effort by a bunch of young people just finding their way in this new century and new world.  But I'm here to tell you folks, these kids are really GREAT!!!!!!  They (and their dynamic instructor) are paving the way for a whole new world and we should be supporting them 100%.  Again, I apologize for the technical glitches I have encountered (or created) and I hope to bring you better quality material in the near future.  We are still working on new and exciting trips so, hang in there with us.  See ya.