On the car ride to the fair grounds I was kind of dreading today. All the trim work I put up yesterday might need to be taken down because of a detail that was not fully developed. I slung my coffee thermos around my shoulder and prepared for a day of redo. I starting work with Chris A. again today and we discussed the LED light strip detail. I was really excited to see the lights. We came up with a solution but held of on trimming until we got the OK. We then, in a mad dash, finished up the wall behind the bench with scrap richlite and cedar stocks. It looked really good. After that I finished wiring up the lights and we ‘tested’ the LED light strips which worked spectacular. It was a really intense material. A ribbon of light rose from a crevice in the trim, I was happy. We had a lot of visitation today and random pictures and interviews. It was fun to see others interested and excited about our work. Lights, Camera, Action. I made my way outside and helped Brittany out with here wine bottle concrete. It was amazing. We got to 800 grit and that was that the day ended.

Today was all over the place. Main objective: Trim work. Chris and I worked a lot today on the richlite trim work but we paused separated and worked on other projects throughout the day. The wall got insulation, the redwood was finished, and the gabions were on a production line. Every bit was moving. After a while the electrician Brent showed up and we discussed various things as he buttoned up what was left. We were all in the cabin taking a vote on the loft when all of the sudden three electrical inspectors were walking around having one of the most difficult discussions I had ever been witness to. After all of the options were discussed and the inspectors left we juiced the house. Lights were on and outlets worked. It was a fast and rewarding day.

We all walked in today eager to start. I started work on the redwood decking and was soon joined by John and Lyle. John cut, I nailed and Lyle was the puzzle master. They continued as I shifted to work with Andrew who I could tell wasn’t happy today. I know his gabions were not turning out quite like he envisioned but he soon figured out a method. By filling them in place they did not bend or morph shape, the problem was however moving mass amounts of cleaned rock. Andrew started by making a filtered bucket and washing one bucket moving into another, then to the gabions which were on the absolute other side of the progress building. This was going to take days. I decided to stab holes in the large tote and use it as one giant filter bucket, worked perfectly and after the rock was washed I forked it back over and set the pallet right next to the gabions, problem solved. After that a robot engineer, aka: guy who has installed an air exchanger before, showed up and helped with the robot in a box. After a while Chris A. and I were starting trim work, but first the sturdy table. Chris was screwing some 2×2’s to a piece of plywood and said “I haven’t made a lot of tables.” I think I am beginning to tell when he is messing with me, but we cross-braced it and made one of the best table saw tables around. We cut and trimmed until quitting time.

Today we cracked into the crate and began to move the massive windows. Kjell showed up and helped us with the installation. We put in the tilt and turn then the door, which I began to really appreciate. The door is beautiful and the sheer mass of it resembles a vault door. The color was much better than I anticipated also. After we placed two windows I had visitors. My parents made an appearance. It was great to see them; the build defiantly surprised them. I think it made my father really happy to see the re-embodiment of the granary. Soon after they left Mike, Malini, and Noor showed up, and they brought ice cream! Just what we needed, well while Andrew and I were stuck up in the lifts everyone else ate ice cream. Soon with our feet back on the ground and away from the shading structure we enjoyed our share. The day was over quickly and we took off with our day off in sight.

Today was the day of presents. We received many shipments and with each one it was difficult to find room to place them. With the vendors arriving we are starting to consolidate and make the most of the room we have. The shading structure was stating to go up and all the verticals were raised. The tunnel began to form and it was satisfying to see the shading structure with all of its siblings. The day ended without us realizing the time. I made a few cuts in the rich-lite and began to understand how to use the material a bit better. Mike and I bought new nail cutting blades just to get through the stuff.

Today we had to park out of the regular lot because they were marking out a parking lot in the gravel. As soon as I got there I got to work on the light boxes. Soon the electrician showed up and we were underway. I got the LED cans in and finished up the rest of the wiring runs. We still have a couple issues to work out but all the electrical is looking great. Several trucks dropped of materials today and we got out mechanical system today. It was a bit more confusing than I expected. No lego booklet with this one, and a lot of the parts are labeled in german. The robot of a device was planned out on the floor so we could test fit everything. We scratched our heads for a while and put it the robot back in its box until tomorrow. Andrew and I finished up the shelving while the slats went up on the other side. It was rewarding to finish the south side of the shelving. It was exactly what Andrew and I had drawn up. It had a progression up even though no stairs existed. Tomorrow will be busy, I can’t wait to see this mammoth of a sliding door. Word in the passive house is that the sliding door weighs about a thousand pounds.

Today I woke up and headed on our way to the Eco-Exhibit from Minnetonka. On the way we were slowed up by a bad crash in both east and west tunnels so Nick and I busted out the iPhone to find our way through traffic. We were about a half an hour late, not bad considering the traffic we almost got stuck in. On site I began work again on the shelving structure but soon switched over because the electrician had arrived. I gave him a rundown on the routes and left him to his work while Nick and I once again braved traffic in pursuit of some LED recessed fixtures. We ended up driving all the way to Plymouth to pick up the fixtures and we are still one short, but we will get it. Once back on site I continued to work on the shelving but only in brief moments. I was informed by the electrician that he ran into a little snag with the inspector and that we are unable to use the LED ribbon lights in the windows… Well this is still getting resolved it is a problem. I hope tomorrow we can begin to sort it out. The shelving was put in place and the day ended. I can already feel time creeping up on us.

I woke up at 6 bright and early, shut off my phone’s alarms and.. fell back asleep. Woke up still intime to make a sandwich and head out the door. It was a cool morning with the smell of rain in the air. Today Andrew and I started stitching the shelving structure together. The fit was perfect but after putting up the long run on the north side we deemed it, well wobbly. I think we took it apart 4 times today. The shelving was taken down and the floor diaphragm was zipped open. We placed blocking and braces in the floor. We sewed it back together and it was looking like it did previous, just less wobbly. After that was finished Andrew ran back to the shop to make a couple pieces which either were lost of never made. We finished up for the day and threw the gloves in the trash. I’ll put on a fresh pair tomorrow but hopefully we are done with the surgery. I backed away from the structure for the first time and really enjoyed the contrast between the new and old. Not after too long the shelves already became a new surface to forget your tools on.