Natural Living School

Straw Bale Workshop 4/26 - 4/29. Call 530-277-8127 for details.

Laying out the #4 rebar, (1/2). Depending on the load, the rebar can be laid out in one line down the center of the trench or in multiple lines, like on the outside edges of the trench. In most cases if the footing is 12 or less wide, one rebar line placed 2 from the bottom is adequate. In our case, the trench ranges from 18 wide to 22 wide, so a minimum of two rows on the outside edges are needed. The perpendicular rebar is set at 16 on center. This rebar will hold... up our vertical rebar that will be tied into the stem wall. They are bent at 90 degrees and overlap the perpendicular rebar by 3’. They are laid out at 18 OC. There will be additional horizontal rebar tied to these vertical rebar which will make up the rebar pattern inside the stem wall. As you will see soon. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #naturalbulding #naturalfoundation #cob #cobhouse #strawbalehouse

The pea gravel goes on top of the landscaping fabric that’s folded over. We cover the rubble trench foundation with pea gravel mainly because that’s what the conventional builders use under their footings. So when the inspector comes, everything looks normal. They don’t need to know the ancient drainage system that’s under the concrete footing that will help the home for hundreds of years. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #nauturalbuilding ... #naturalfoundation #cobhouses #strawbalehouse See more

The landscaping fabric goes over the open trench. The fabric will keep out silt and leave the drain rock clean so water can travel freely. The overlap of the fabric should always flow down hill. This way the silt doesn’t get in between the fabric. I alway make sure that the landscaping fabric has plenty of room to fold over itself after the drain rock and drain tube are in. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #naturalfoundation... #naturalbuilding #sustainablebuilding See more

The water test is the way to make sure the water drains out of the rubble trench foundation. When water can’t leave, it causes settling, which leads to cracks in the foundations.

Here is the rubble trench foundation. One of the oldest ways to build a foundation. It allows water to come and go. This keeps the foundation from settling. The slope is 1 per 4’. Or 1/4 per 1’.

The Paradise Project. AKA: Eugenia’s house. Here are pics of us lining out the building and digging the footing. Engineer required 18, 12, and 22 footings. The East was 12, the South, Center, and North walls 18, and the West 22. The main reason for the difference in footing widths is the load that’s being transferred to each footing. The major load of the roof is bearing on the South, Center, and North wall. So why 22 for the west? Well, it’s because the foundat...ion will be raised on the West wall. Therefore the west wall will also be holding static load from the infill. It will be easier to understand as the foundation unfolds and you can see the pics. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #rebuildingparadise #strawbalehouse #cobhouse #naturalfoundations

Join us this Fall, Winter, and 2020 Sprint! https://naturallivingschool.com/2019-fall-winter-and-2020-/

Join us anytime in October for hands on experience in straw bale infill, heavy clay infill, and cob. Available Monday’s - Thursday’s. Free to all that join us. Bring a lunch and snacks, we will provide you with hands on experience. Call 530/277/8127 to reserve your spot.

Straw Bale infill workshop. October 5th-8th. $200 for the the week, includes 3 meals a day Monday-Thursday. Check in Sunday by 5pm. Check out by Friday at noon. Includes daily yoga/meditation and natural building classes. Hands on experience in straw bale infill, heavy clay, and cob leveling coat. Contact us at 530-277-8127 Or email: [email protected]... #naturalbuildingworkshop #strawbaleinfill #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode

October 5th-8th Paradise CA $200 for 4 days Includes 3 meals a day Daily yoga, Meditation, & Natural Building Classes ... Contact us at: [email protected] #strawbaleworkshop #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #heavyclay #lightclaystraw

Here is a video after the footing pour. Most important lesson learned is make sure to have a place to dump the excess. Luckily for us, there was a big tree that was removed, so we where able to use the extra material to fill in that hole. Other than that everything else went smoothly. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #naturalfoundation ... #naturalbuilding #cob #cobhouse #strawbalehouse #sustainablebuilding See more

Here is a video of the layout of the vertical rebar. This vertical rebar will be tied into the stem wall. #naturallivingschool #naturalbuildingtocode #naturalbuilding ... #cobhouse #naturalfoundation See more