Not that much to report. Some seriously huge plant is about to arrive on Wednesday which is a worry as there is no space on site. Run out of money now so have started the mortgage which means from now on we are paying two rents.
Monday, June 23, 2008
23rd June - installation of the post
Not that much to report. Some seriously huge plant is about to arrive on Wednesday which is a worry as there is no space on site. Run out of money now so have started the mortgage which means from now on we are paying two rents.
From the top of the scoffold 21st June
Not that high but enough to give me wobbly legs on the wobbly scaffold.
Disspointing week overall. T. Fleming Homes were late delivering the kit; all the rwong bits came; and they couldn't make more than one delivery. Meanwhile the joiners were not around much - in total 1.5 days all week.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Daikokubashira burnt oak post 2
When wet the post looks very black but as it dries it fades down to a matt finish.
As you can see the grain gets exposed similar to sand blasting the timber. I think this efefct is very successful - it is what I was trying to achieve. The next step is top try and avoid it going very black again when it has a oil or varnish finish.
As you can see the grain gets exposed similar to sand blasting the timber. I think this efefct is very successful - it is what I was trying to achieve. The next step is top try and avoid it going very black again when it has a oil or varnish finish.
Daikokubashira burnt oak post
Blackening the burnt oak post using a propane gas burner (normally used for taking off road markings)
test area
burn the wood
dry brush down
I was surprised about how shallow the veneer of charring was
wet brush the log
More images to follow (blogger allows maximum 5 images per post!)
test area
burn the wood
dry brush down
I was surprised about how shallow the veneer of charring was
wet brush the log
More images to follow (blogger allows maximum 5 images per post!)
Construction continues Friday 13th
Friday morning
Saturday morning
Saturday afternoon
Very satisfying work.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Shou-kashiwa-ban
I've been deliberating and worrying about the finish of our daikokubashira. A friend of mine suggested burning the timber which I've heard of but was concerned about the method of finishing. He then found me a link to a house blog in San Diego (*edit) which has cladding finished as Shuo-sugi-ban. Sugi is of course Japanese cedar so I'm guessing mine might be shou-kashiwa-ban? Kashiwa being oak... (edited by Makiko who thinks haku is a misreading of kashiwa)
Here are a few of pursuingwabi.com's images (they didn't mind) but the post above is really good and worth reading.
The final finish - Brazilian Rosewood Oil - is regarded as ecologically unsound read more here.
Here are a few of pursuingwabi.com's images (they didn't mind) but the post above is really good and worth reading.
The final finish - Brazilian Rosewood Oil - is regarded as ecologically unsound read more here.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My big black pillar
My tree trunk soon to the daikokubashira; 100 years old, died at least 60 years ago and found fallen in a wood near Dunfermline. Courtesy of Scottish Wood.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Cumbernauld Road
Very intersting housing scheme by JM architects of all people.
source and More about this scheme here
Friday, June 06, 2008
How I would lay the foundation if I was doing it again
Specification:
Strips
600 wide by 200mm deep
Celcon Foundation Blocks no cavity
Slab
200mm well compacted type 1 gardcore (no sand or weak mix)
dpm (sheets)
100mm insulation
150mm r/c slab with UFH inside
5-10mm thin screed finish
Strips
600 wide by 200mm deep
Celcon Foundation Blocks no cavity
Slab
200mm well compacted type 1 gardcore (no sand or weak mix)
dpm (sheets)
100mm insulation
150mm r/c slab with UFH inside
5-10mm thin screed finish
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Building Junctions - SANAA museum in New York
I have a problem junction to solve with the neighbours garage. Here is how SANAA did it in NY. Photo by jedisalf from here
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Cranes
Another world.
The one above from Caledonian Lifting Services
Bernard Hunter do a mini crane at 986.40 per day.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Daikokubashira - a big black pillar
大黒柱
Japanese is just so logical. The main column of the house in old Minka is called Daikokubashira literally big (大) black (黒) pillar (柱).
2 A structrual post *hashira 柱, in vernacular houses, *minka 民家, which was considered to be an embodiment of *Daikoku 大黒, one of the seven gods of good fortune *shichifukujin 七福神. Daikoku had come to be associated with the kitchen and hearth and was regarded as a tutelary deity of the house. The post was located in a variety of places in the house: a) most commonly at the interface between the earth floored area *doma 土間, and the living rooms kyoshitsubu 居室部, approximately at the center of the building's cross-section. This location marked the boundary between the public front half of the house,hare 晴, and the private domestically-orientated zone toward the rear, ke 褻; b) on the upper side *kamite 上手 of the large room(s), *hiroma 広間 adjacent to the earth-floored area. In the case of houses with a 4 room cross plan ta-no-jigata 田の字型, the daikokubashira marked the center of the plan where the arms of the cross interesected.
source JAANUS
A not so good example as there are 2! My picture from the Edo Open Air Architecture Museum in Tokyo.
source
An example from JAANUS
Our Daikokubashira is being picked up on Tuesday. I visited Scottish Wood a few weeks ago to discuss cladding for my house but also to see a fallen oak log that might work for the house.
Japanese is just so logical. The main column of the house in old Minka is called Daikokubashira literally big (大) black (黒) pillar (柱).
2 A structrual post *hashira 柱, in vernacular houses, *minka 民家, which was considered to be an embodiment of *Daikoku 大黒, one of the seven gods of good fortune *shichifukujin 七福神. Daikoku had come to be associated with the kitchen and hearth and was regarded as a tutelary deity of the house. The post was located in a variety of places in the house: a) most commonly at the interface between the earth floored area *doma 土間, and the living rooms kyoshitsubu 居室部, approximately at the center of the building's cross-section. This location marked the boundary between the public front half of the house,hare 晴, and the private domestically-orientated zone toward the rear, ke 褻; b) on the upper side *kamite 上手 of the large room(s), *hiroma 広間 adjacent to the earth-floored area. In the case of houses with a 4 room cross plan ta-no-jigata 田の字型, the daikokubashira marked the center of the plan where the arms of the cross interesected.
source JAANUS
A not so good example as there are 2! My picture from the Edo Open Air Architecture Museum in Tokyo.
source
An example from JAANUS
Our Daikokubashira is being picked up on Tuesday. I visited Scottish Wood a few weeks ago to discuss cladding for my house but also to see a fallen oak log that might work for the house.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Kotatasu
A kotatsu is a table with a heater underneath that can provide direct heat when you are seated at it. Sadly they ahve become extraordinarly ugly in modern Japan but there are some nice old ones and some nice new ones - mostly in sushi resturants. We will have two in our house. One as the main dining table (rebar pictured below) and one outside for the chilly scottish summers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)