Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-05-02, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013. Continued from page 19 cupboards, some walls, and anything else in the home that could benefit from a coat of paint. While conventional paint may be easiest, Morrison says, milk paint is becoming more and more common as the years go on. In fact, a simple “how to” search on the internet for a milk paint recipe returns millions of results, with such mainstream designers as Martha Stewart listing a milk paint recipe on her website. For the walls of the home, casein was used, Morrison says, which is a real bonding agent similar to glue, to seal in the walls containing their straw bale foundation. To get the natural clay look to her walls, Morrison worked with an earthen plaster made from clay, a fine sand and any kind of fibre. In the old days, Morrison said, people would use horse hair. They, however, used concrete fibre. It was a fine balance, Morrison says, because if the mixture contained too much sand content, the clay would crumble, and if it contained too much clay, it would crack. Because of this intensive process, Morrison said that when she was finished, the last thing she wanted to do was drill a hole into the wall to hang a picture, so she and Blair decided that if they wanted to hang any pictures or art, they would use an art gallery method, hanging wire from the house’s beams, rather than drilling into the house’s walls. The ceilings of the house’s main floor feature beams taken from an old barn, so they are sturdy, Morrison says, and have the perfect look for hanging pictures from wire. For the wood in the house, like the couple’s dining room table and the floorboards, as well as a restored pair of barn doors for their bedroom, the Morrisons also took an eco- friendly approach to finishing and protecting. Morrison says she used a combination of linseed oil and beeswax to help finish the wood. Wood absorbs the linseed oil very well, Morrison says, and it leaves the wood with a strong, low sheen finish. It also leaves it with a citrus oil smell that is pleasing to the senses, she says. While the couple has made a lot of progress with the house since moving in late last year, there is still plenty left to do, Morrison says. One of the biggest jobs, she says, is the task of painting the outside of the house, which, with a straw bale house, she says has both practical and aesthetic reasons behind it. Morrison says that Evolve Builders in Guelph, the company the Morrisons worked with to build the house, suggest painting the exterior of the house within the first year. She has not yet decided how to proceed, because painting the exterior of the home, Morrison says, is a huge job and it’s not as if justanyone can do it. Because of thenature of the house and the practices the couple has committed themselves to, there are certain paints and methods that need to be used if the job is to be done correctly, she says. The house’s main floor ceiling still has to be finished, Morrison says, in addition to the upper level bathroom. She says she was planning on tiling the bathroom, but Evolve has developed a water-proof plaster that is ideal for bathrooms, which she may choose to try. It would keep with the house’s design scheme, Morrison says. The focus then turns to outdoor landscaping, where the couple hopes to use recovered stone from area farms to construct a front porch and reclaimed house brick for a unique back porch. She also hopes to plant a good number of trees soon for wind break purposes, since they found over their first winter in the home that the wind can be troublesome in the colder months of the year. The couple’s off-grid power system served them well over their first winter, Morrison says, with the weather warming up just in time for stored heat to no longer be needed in the house, so it can be transferred out to the farm’s greenhouse. The couple’s community shared agriculture (CSA) operation, Whitefield Farm, is just beginning its first full season, with several interns already living at the home and working at the farm. While Morrison acknowledges that building a straw bale house isn’t the easiest way to go about things, she feels that in the long run, her and Blair’s method will prevail and she encourages anyone thinking about building a straw bale house for themselves to “go for it”. “But do lots and lots of research and read lots and lots of books,” Morrison says. “It really is best if you know your stuff.” She urges people to look into it, as she did. Once she began doing her research, Morrison says, she felt the benefits truly outweighed any negatives they came across. She says the initial investment may be intimidating, but in a few years the return will be there. She feels that her house’s 16-inch natural walls have a greater chanceof being there in 100 years than anaverage subdivision does and that longevity certainly worked its way into her thinking when the house was being built. “Because I considered that, who would be living at this house in 50years and generations down theroad,” she says. To read The Citizen’s previous story from 2012 on the construction of the Morrisons’ house, visit the website at www.northhuron.on.ca Couple thought generations ahead with house Wall art Since the clay on the Morrison’s home’s walls is malleable, it is open to design, which Jessica has taken full advantage of with the tree she has crafted which goes from the house’s lower level to its upper level. (Shawn Loughlin photo) McGavin Farm Equipment Ltd. nΣ{xÊ ÀÕÃÃiÃʈ˜i]Ê,,ʛÎÊ7>Ìœ˜]Ê" ÊÊÊ ä£<ä PHONE 519-887-6365 EMAIL bobcat@ezlink.ca 28 Years of award winning Experience! R.R. #2 Seaforth 519-527-1750 www.lawnmasterlandscaping.com Landscape Construction & Maintenance • Interlocking Pavestones, Patios, Walkways, Driveways & Walls • Stonework • Farmstead Planting • Seed, Sodding, Lawns • Tree Planting • Full Landscape Design & Installation • Pruning, Edging & Mulching PERFORMANCEINSULATION Helping Families Keep Warm And Save $$ Toll Free 1-855-337-9276 (1-85 KEEP WARM) Mobile 519-531-0734 Brussels & Teeswater Residential • Agricultural • Commercial Call us to save $$$ rstrome@performanceinsulation.ca • New builds or renovations • Polyurethane foam insulation • Blown-in fibreglass wall systems • Blown-in attic insulation Customized solutions for all needs WALTON Now open Sundays 11 am - 5 pm 519-887-8429 Your local Seed Station Seed Potatoes • Red Chieftan • Kennebec • Superior • Yukon Gold Onions • Multipliers • Dutch Sets • Spanish Bulk Seed • Peaches & Cream Corn • Homestead Peas • Yellow & Green Beans Many varieties of packaged seed Plus grass seed, peat moss, potting soil, mulch, topsoil, fertilizer, sheep and cow manure Monday - Friday 6:30 am - 8 pm; Saturday, 8 am - 8 pm;