a short stint at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE in BC

"O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE is a sustainable learning community and demonstration site located in the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia." The work there is based on Permaculture principles and focuses on "Natural Building, Sustainable Food Production and Leadership." 

A beautiful view of the labyrinth from my window

My amazing accommodations!

After a Christmas vacation with Logan's parents in Victoria, BC, I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks at O.U.R. Ecovillage while Logan studied carpentry with Greg Lalish on Marrowstone Island. I did a "skill trade" in which, I traded my plastering skills for food and accommodations. I was really happy to do this because I wanted more experience plastering and I felt especially fortunate to spend time and get to know the community living and working there at that time.

I completed several projects in this short time.  

Earthen Floor

The mix before and after troweling

First, I helped install an earthen floor.  It's true, winter is not the best time for this project, but since the owners really want to move in this March, they wanted to make it happen. So with a wood stove and some fans, it was almost dry when I left. Ayla came in to help with this and a woman named Ann was leading the project.  The earthen floor mix is similar to earthen plasters, with sifted materials, but it has more sand than plasters usually do, to add to its compressive strength and reduce shrinking. 

Ann and Ayla installing the earthen floor

The day after we installed the floor, we went back and compressed it, which made it shine.

Compressing the floor

The floor almost dry... Wall on right is rammed earth

Tadelakt

Next, I was able to put my new Tadelakt skills to work... There was a repair job needed in the Healing Sanctuary shower, so I set to work on a patch about 4" wide x 12" long x 1" deep and a crack that had formed (from an earthquake?). Where the patch was needed, the substrate (lime plaster under the Tadelakt) had not been adequately attached to the wall beneath it and had separated, causing cracking in both surfaces. So, I removed an area and made sure to attach the new stuff.  It was much harder to work in such a small area and to do get a smooth surface between the patch and the wall when compressing, but all in all, I was really pleased with the result.  

Material removed for patch

Finished Patch

Crack before repair

Finished Shower with Repairs

Brown Coat

Brown coat is sometimes the finish layer :) Looks great!

The next project I worked on was some earthen plaster.  Several walls had a slip-straw infill and needed to be smoothed out with a "brown coat" or a plaster layer that makes the wall ready for it's final treatment (like a clay paint, finish plaster, or a lime wash, for example).  

The lighter area was already done

Up close, you can see the chopped straw

Lime Wash

Lime wash was another first for me.  It is aged slaked lime and water, mixed to the consistency of whole milk and painted on with a brush.  It dries very white and hardens by absorbing carbon dioxide usually in a few days. It's a nice way to clean up the appearance of a room quickly and cheaply.  The room I did will later be plastered, but in the meantime, this finish gives it a fresher look and the lime is antibacterial. The biggest disadvantage to lime wash is that it can rub off slightly, so it isn't good to lean up against or wipe to clean.

Fresh and Bright, Lime wash to the rescue!

The purple to the right is an earthen finish plaster

Mosaics

I was interested in doing a little with mosaics as well, so as my final project, I finished off the tiling on this natural housing-themed mosaic, along with a couple of others, using donated and recycled tiles, which I broke up and glued to plywood. It will later be filled in between the tiles with grout. I tiled the sky and grass. 

...and in my spare time, I helped make this dragon piñata for Freya's 6th birthday :)

Logan and I are possibly going back there this summer...  
To see more photos of O.U.R. Ecovillage, click here.

When I headed back to the states, I stopped in to stay with Greg and Logan for a week and we finished off a little shed roof for an earth oven he is going to rebuild. He is going to put a living roof on top.