Interior
The first step towards finishing the interior was
finishing the interior walls! Here, the bathroom
wall is being built. We included the blue bottles
in this wall as we did in the planter walls. At
the top of the wall we also added a few glass
blocks to allow some light to pass through. We
also finished the planter walls, and the framing
for the utility room and inverter closet.
After the insulation was in the ceiling, we put
up a vapor barrier. We paid an insulation
installer and he had it done in one day. I figure
he gets paid to go home covered head to toe in
fiberglass, so why not let him? I hate being
itchy! The vapor barrier is simply 6mil plastic.
It is supposed to, as the name implies, stop
water vapor from condensing on the underside
of the roof and raining back into the room.
Most houses accomplish this by venting the
ceiling space with outside air, which is probably
a better method. Oh well, hope this way works!
After the vapor barrier we put up the ceiling.
We used the cheapest pine tongue and groove
that we could find and got a result that we love.
I wanted to use broken pallets (like I did for
the cabinet doors, pics forthcoming) but
decided that it would take me far to long to
collect and but the pallets. I've seen ceilings
done with pallets and they can turn out great.
finishing the interior walls! Here, the bathroom
wall is being built. We included the blue bottles
in this wall as we did in the planter walls. At
the top of the wall we also added a few glass
blocks to allow some light to pass through. We
also finished the planter walls, and the framing
for the utility room and inverter closet.
After the insulation was in the ceiling, we put
up a vapor barrier. We paid an insulation
installer and he had it done in one day. I figure
he gets paid to go home covered head to toe in
fiberglass, so why not let him? I hate being
itchy! The vapor barrier is simply 6mil plastic.
It is supposed to, as the name implies, stop
water vapor from condensing on the underside
of the roof and raining back into the room.
Most houses accomplish this by venting the
ceiling space with outside air, which is probably
a better method. Oh well, hope this way works!
After the vapor barrier we put up the ceiling.
We used the cheapest pine tongue and groove
that we could find and got a result that we love.
I wanted to use broken pallets (like I did for
the cabinet doors, pics forthcoming) but
decided that it would take me far to long to
collect and but the pallets. I've seen ceilings
done with pallets and they can turn out great.
Once the ceiling was up, I made the tops of the rooms round.
The framing was made on 45 degree angles because it's hard
to frame in a circle. We could have just sheeted over the
framing, and had round rooms with angled tops, but I thought
I could round out the corners. I took 1/8" masonite, reffered
to around here as "bendy board", cut it to fit the taper of the
ceilings, covered it with lath and attached it to the framing
members. I used a string from the center of the room to make
a radius to ensure that the bendy board matched the radius of
the tire walls. If you compare the picture above with the one
below, you can make out how the framing was done, and
how the end product was different. In the bottom picture, you
can see the string.
The framing was made on 45 degree angles because it's hard
to frame in a circle. We could have just sheeted over the
framing, and had round rooms with angled tops, but I thought
I could round out the corners. I took 1/8" masonite, reffered
to around here as "bendy board", cut it to fit the taper of the
ceilings, covered it with lath and attached it to the framing
members. I used a string from the center of the room to make
a radius to ensure that the bendy board matched the radius of
the tire walls. If you compare the picture above with the one
below, you can make out how the framing was done, and
how the end product was different. In the bottom picture, you
can see the string.
In this picture, the scratch coat
is finished. I think I skipped all
descriptions and we don't really
have any pictures of the
process. We used the same
mud mixture as before, but we
screened the dirt to get out the
large rocks. We used plaster
scratchers to get a pretty deep
scratch, so that the finish mud
would stick well. This was a
long job, but the house is really
starting to come together now.
We kept all of the tongue and
groove cut-offs and used them
above the kitchen. We cut them
is finished. I think I skipped all
descriptions and we don't really
have any pictures of the
process. We used the same
mud mixture as before, but we
screened the dirt to get out the
large rocks. We used plaster
scratchers to get a pretty deep
scratch, so that the finish mud
would stick well. This was a
long job, but the house is really
starting to come together now.
We kept all of the tongue and
groove cut-offs and used them
above the kitchen. We cut them
This is the two end walls where the doors are, the planters, the bathroom and hallway walls, and the
space beneath the windows. The stucco crew was not to pleased with our bottle details, as it made a
lot more work for them but I didn't appologize. It looks great!
space beneath the windows. The stucco crew was not to pleased with our bottle details, as it made a
lot more work for them but I didn't appologize. It looks great!
into matching lengths and then nailed
them in no particular order.
With the ceiling up, we worked on some
of the finish electrical, changing
temporary fixtures for permanent ones
and so on. The finish electrical for the
outlets and switches has to wait until the
finish mud is on of course, but trying to
get each of the outlets to be in plane with
a coat of finish mud that isn't there was
pretty tough.
After the interior walls were all finished
and the ceiling was up, we had the the
stucco guy return and stucco any wall
that was not going to be finished with
mud.
them in no particular order.
With the ceiling up, we worked on some
of the finish electrical, changing
temporary fixtures for permanent ones
and so on. The finish electrical for the
outlets and switches has to wait until the
finish mud is on of course, but trying to
get each of the outlets to be in plane with
a coat of finish mud that isn't there was
pretty tough.
After the interior walls were all finished
and the ceiling was up, we had the the
stucco guy return and stucco any wall
that was not going to be finished with
mud.
These pictures show the floor cleaned and ready for the final
flooring, but there was on step in between: I had to rewire the
refrigerator and the light swithes in the great room. The original
blueprints put the frigde in the kitchen, which makes sense, but
when we measured the space for it, it was going to take up A
LOT of kitchen space. So instead we decided to put the fridge
CLOSE to the kitchen, but in the great room, and build a pantry in
the place where the fridge was supposed to go. Also, the kitchen
area is in the sun all of the time, in the great room the fridge will
not be in the sun and not have to work as hard. Fine. But the
fridge uses DC power and the only place that I had run DC to was
in the kitchen. Also, the electrician had put the light switches for
the great room in a really dumb place, which turned out to be
exactly where we wanted to put the fridge. So, I cut a trench in
the concrete (!) from the inverter closet to the wall where the
fridege was going to go, then I cut grooves in the mud on the wall
to accomodate the new wires and switch box. I was a lot of extra,
messy work, but it had
flooring, but there was on step in between: I had to rewire the
refrigerator and the light swithes in the great room. The original
blueprints put the frigde in the kitchen, which makes sense, but
when we measured the space for it, it was going to take up A
LOT of kitchen space. So instead we decided to put the fridge
CLOSE to the kitchen, but in the great room, and build a pantry in
the place where the fridge was supposed to go. Also, the kitchen
area is in the sun all of the time, in the great room the fridge will
not be in the sun and not have to work as hard. Fine. But the
fridge uses DC power and the only place that I had run DC to was
in the kitchen. Also, the electrician had put the light switches for
the great room in a really dumb place, which turned out to be
exactly where we wanted to put the fridge. So, I cut a trench in
the concrete (!) from the inverter closet to the wall where the
fridege was going to go, then I cut grooves in the mud on the wall
to accomodate the new wires and switch box. I was a lot of extra,
messy work, but it had
to be done. In this picture you can see the
inverter room, the trench in the concrete from
the inverter room to the wall, and the grooves
cut into the mud. To make the grooves in the
mud I just used a circular saw. BAD NEWS
for the blade, but worked! The blue box on top
is the new DC outlet for the fridge. The white
plate on the right is where the switches used to
be (see, stupid place!) and the silver box on the
left is the new switch position. We swept up all
of the mud from making the grooves, added
some water and stuck it back in the holes to
cover the wire. We mixed new cement to
patch the floor, then we were ready for the
finish floor.
inverter room, the trench in the concrete from
the inverter room to the wall, and the grooves
cut into the mud. To make the grooves in the
mud I just used a circular saw. BAD NEWS
for the blade, but worked! The blue box on top
is the new DC outlet for the fridge. The white
plate on the right is where the switches used to
be (see, stupid place!) and the silver box on the
left is the new switch position. We swept up all
of the mud from making the grooves, added
some water and stuck it back in the holes to
cover the wire. We mixed new cement to
patch the floor, then we were ready for the
finish floor.
