Holes in the containers!

It had to happen one day (bis) ...

These rascals of workers have again taken advantage of our absence to get the disk-grinder out and to cut BIG HOLES in the containers !

Sniff, my beautiful, brand new containers! ...

;-D

According to the blueprint, the two entrance doors with their frames and reinforcements (supporting the walls to come, between the entry sas and the storage area on one side, and my workroom on the other, but also to avoid an improbable collapse of the container ... it's Germany and its high safety standards that make the famous "German Quality" !...)

Same brutal treatment for the upper gray container, but with a single gateway (and the same reinforcements !), the small window, and the frame that will receive the large bay window.

As usual (?), double-click an image for a "full size" view and better see the small details.
... Ho really? ... Yeah, it's so convenient ;-)

Wall covering

The walls now fully stuffed with the cellulose wool, Renken's men began to lay the "gypsum" plates, an additional layer on the walls ... which are becoming thicker and thicker !

Ground floor:

Upper floor:

Note the wooden structure (with the blue plastic, and on the floor), on which will be mounted the wall separating Sylvie's paint shop from our bedroom.

Newspapers in the walls

It had to happen one day ...

To discover during one of our end-of-afternoon visit that the house has evolved from a "pile of planks" to the isolated envelope, able to ensure the comfort of its future inhabitants against the rigors of the climate!

In great secrecy, hidden from our eyes by our days busy with our professional duties, some skilled workers have worked to fill the cavities of our walls (and ceilings) ... with some m3 of the now famous "cellulose wool".

A short reminder for those who are not following my explanations ;-): it is made of recycled paper, crushed, mixed with a pinch of boron salt (harmless natural salts, which acts as flame suppressants, anti-insect and -rodent), and which is blown into the walls.

Very good insulating ability, very good "thermal storage" capability , really green, carbon neutral, ... I have not found better stuff for our home.

A small hole at the top of the cavity, a machine to blow this kind of foam, a density control to to prevent that it packs too much over time, the wood washer is put back in position, a big tappet to maintain it pending the final layer of  "gyps-board", ... and voila.

On this view, you see the multiple injection points, behind the green tape at the top of each wall cavities.

Special Message!

After three weekends sweating and suffering under the sun (a little) and rain (a lot), and with the invaluable assistance of our favorite son (we have only one son, it's easy for him to be our favorite!), our "wall" is finished!
Thank you, Sonny!

If you refer to the previous picture, the wall was then at the white birch.

A tender thought to Sylvie, who has toiled without complaint, carrying uncountable buckets of earth to fill-in the "things", and who relentlessly tamped the hill.
She also acted as our steward, going to the small supermarket next street to feed us with a few simple sardine in olive oil on fresh bread (sooooo delicious!)
Kisses, my love!

Interior work and watertight roof

After the spectacular moments of July, construction is now entering a phase more measured but of no less importance: the "details".
Details?
We shall not reduce the value to what is being done, quite the contrary!
For it is all these "details" that will make our home comfortable and give it its soul ...
 
But there is now a multitude of works going on, all orchestrated by Wolfgang from Renken, for the main structural work (to summarize crudely), in close cooperation with the peoples from Macken & Sonhs, responsible now for the "technical" stuff (sanitary, plumbing and heating/ventilation systems).

Today, images of the fellow who came to smooth our brick walls with a beautiful, compact and smooth coat of facing, here in the first floor.

Meanwhile, it dries quietly on the ground floor:

Thanks to him for his great work!

Great news: our house now has a really waterproof roof!
The large red tarp did not prevented a little water to sneak-in between the house and the container (it rained soooooo much in August!...) , but this is past memory now.
 
Er ... well, I confess I was a bit surprised when I discovered this beautiful (?) asphalt surface:

 
Indeed, being covered with a crude oil by-product is not to seduce me ...
But (again a problem of comprehension!) I had only half of the "thing": a high-tech gray membrane (the real one, this time) will cover this black thing and will not pose any pollution problem to my rainwater with oil released by the asphalt simmering slowly under the sun.
This layer of asphalt layer will be the glue of the membrane onto the roof.
Ok, let's go for a bit of squeezed oil, then.

After the rain ...

... a few days without too much rain (finally) !

And the activity starts over again.

Today, we discovered that our top, gray container had lost its two doors!

No panic ! It is planned so: soon, a large bay window will replace them. 
As for the doors, we will keep them carefully, as we should find a new use to them for ... well, we'll find something !

But if our container has lost two doors, its flanks are being covered with a structure that will support the insulation and wood siding.

Some detailed views of the assembly:

The house also include now such structures, it will be covered with an extra layer of insulation (wood wool) and roughcast.

Richtfest

Richtfest !?

For our non-germanophone readers, this is the traditional celebration which marks the end of the structural work.

We therefore invited the major players in this adventure, our courageous neighbors and some friends to celebrate together this event.

Of course, we had not forgotten Madam Rain, who scored her presence by her incessant wet hugs and rain drops as big as my thumb !
But as a French saying goes (adapted for the occasion): "Rainy Richtfest, Happy Home"!

Our bravest carpenter, perched at the top of the scaffolding, recited us a beautiful poem, while "rincing his tongue" (was it really appropriate, with all this water falling from the sky ?...) with the traditional and necessary gulps of schnapps, right from the bottle !

The speech ended with the equally traditional and necessary "breaking of the glass", sacrificing a glass cup on the metal of his carpenter hammer, bringing luck and happiness onto this house.

The crowd was delirious under the umbrellas, fighting against the rain that seemed to fill their eyes with tears of emotion.

Sylvie's gave a little speech to thank the architects, carpenters, masons, the bank, neighbors and friends, all the people who made this project possible, who are giving it shape, and who supported us until now.
Makeshift tables offered the traditional and necessary agappes, while our secret recipe of "soupe de champagne " was ... very popular among the guests!

Thanks again to all those present for their nice gifts and kind wishes of happiness in this house!