Day 95: South wall plastering

Today we applied the first of three lime plaster coats to the exterior of the south wall. This is known as a scratch coat. It has this name because it is usually scratched while still wet to create grooves for the next coat to latch onto. We do not have to scratch the plaster because the sprayer leaves a nice bumpy surface for the next coat. Thanks to Trevor, Raphael, Joshua, Georg and Ben for making the day go smoothly. Here is a pic of the plaster next to a sliding patio door.

We also installed the utility room door today.

I’ll close with a couple pics of Trevor’s daughter Zephyra showing her plastering technique. She visited today with mom and grandma. Thanks for reading. I enjoy reading your comments.

Day 84 & 85: Final grading and plaster preparation

Joshua, Justin and I ran a successful test of a Tirolessa plaster gun on Friday. We shot the northeast corner wall with a coat of NHL 3.5 lime plaster from Saint Astier. Here is a vid of the gun in action.

Steve completed final grading around the home on Friday and Monday. Here is a pic of the home from the southwest.

Some of the other tasks started or completed Friday and Monday:

• Trevor waterproofed the utility room retaining wall built Thursday
• Justin and I completed application of weatherproofing on all windows
• Joshua and I installed diamond mesh metal lath to the exterior of several more windows
• I trimmed excess foam insulation around the interior of several windows
• Erik completed all rough electrical wiring inside the home
• Marty and Trevor filled slots containing electrical wiring and plumbing pipes with mortar to provide a uniform surface for plastering
• Justin and Marty installed a vent pipe for the bathroom ventilation fan

I’ll close with a pic of Cindy cutting down scotch broom with her new electric hedge trimmer over the weekend. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment.