Stonehouse Straw House

Open House - Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:30:00 +0000

The weather is warm and life as new parents and full-time professionals leaves us with little free time. A number of folks have expressed interest in learning more about our straw bale experience and we want an opportunity to share it with you. The Plan? We'll host an open house this summer so folks can come for a tour and ask us questions. I'll post a date and time shortly.

BTW - where is that warm weather today?

A year of change

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:21:00 +0000

A year has changed us more than we thought possible. Our first child, Noah, was born in February of 2008, evolving us from independent, career-focussed go-getters, to a home/baby-centred family unit. We've also changed some of our opinions about straw bale techniques. And for good reason.

While I was waiting for my overdue baby to be born - waddling around the house and praying for the big event to begin - severe rain, ice and wind storms kept pounding our house. With each storm, the lime plaster layer that had been applied over the clay-dirt plaster, began falling off. At first in small bits, and then in sheets. It was devastating to us and we were fraught with worry that it would cause more than cosmetic damage. Finally, with onset of yet another storm in February, my father and father-in-law braved the icy grounds and winds on ladders and installed tarps around the east and south sides of the house. It was incredibly heart-breaking to have to tarp in our beautiful home, but *such* a relief to know it was protected from the rains. Here's a pic of our tarp hell:

The good news is that the damage was only cosmetic. By poking a moisture metre in many areas of our walls, we determined that none of our straw was damaged. After having a lot of time to test plasters and examine the damage, we believe that using lime plaster over clay-dirt plaster is a bad idea. Clay-dirt alone will not hold up over time in this climate unless you have an extraordinary house design and site. Lime plaster and clay-dirt move differently with changes in temperature and humidity causing the bond to break between them. In our case, it allowed water to get in between the layers in the freeze-thaw weather and the lime plaster fell off in sheets. Here's a picture of our house once we removed the tarps:

Yes, we could have designed the house differently, but it would have to be *very* different - more than the long overhangs on the roof and a porch we incorporated. We also could have chosen an alternate site so that the Nor-easter wouldn't be able to hit the east wall, or that the So-wester wouldn't hammer the south wall, but we live in the Maritimes. And we wanted to live on a location where solar power was a good option. We are surrounded by trees, but, obviously they weren't dense enough to protect us from the elements.

Once we settled in with the baby, we began calling around for help and advice. It turns out that two of our acquaintances had the exact same occurrence in the Maritimes. We had no idea that they had suffered through such damage. Both of those home owners chose to frame up the damaged sides and apply a "rain screen", also known as siding. After many conversations and deliberations, we decided to bite the bullet and install cedar board and batten. Then the trick was to find someone who could do it for us since Straw Bale Projects was not able to return. Time was slipping away and we couldn't find anyone. After a bit of pleading, our friend Charles agreed to take on the job. We were in excellent hands. Charles spent a lot of time determining how to best design the framing, venting, and siding so that it would be incredibly solid and look great. Along the way, we also had reinforcements - our friends Phil, Lee, Kyle, Brenda, Dave, Rob and of course, family. It's amazing we still have any friends and family left! Here's a view of the framing system that Charles designed and installed to accommodate the new siding:

Here's a picture of the resulting, beautiful new face on our east side:

After spending many thousands of dollars beyond our budget and more than a year of extra construction time, what would we do differently on the plaster issue? We would go with all lime plaster next time. We would do a lot more research and testing on various recipes, especially the many tried-and-true ones that come out of Europe. We might have designed the house differently, but it's too late for that. The clay plaster was environmentally-friendly, but it had to be applied by hand requiring many extra months of labour and it is incredibly difficult to make a consistent recipe since the contents are not pure.

On top of all of this, we had issues with our stamped concrete porch that resulted in having to replace it. I'll go into that separately since I'm running out of time today.

I'll leave it there for now. We still love our straw bale home. We love the way it looks, the way it feels and we *adore* our low heating bills. We would do it over again. No question.

The biggest Christmas present...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:21:00 +0000

Two Fridays ago, I arrived home from a work retreat to find my crazy parents had been slaving away on their knees for many hours grouting our newly stained and sealed floor (I say "crazy" with a lot of gratitude and amazement at their energy). I quickly donned my grubby clothes and got to work - we finished that night!

We were scheduled to move in that Sunday afternoon, but the weatherman (I have several other names for him that I won't use publicly) was forecasting the storm of the century... of course. We haven't had this much snow in December in many years! We couldn't switch to Saturday because it was the only time Dave & I could get into a prenatal class before our birth due date, and lord knows we need all the help we can get in the "soon-to-be-first-time-parents" department.

Once again, my parents surprised us and moved a large load of furniture while we were tied up and helped us load up our vehicles so that we were ready to go early Sunday morning. With the help of our friends Charles and Phil, we finished moving in mid-afternoon on Sunday. And, yes, it was storming...*a lot* by that point, but we finished ahead of the dangerous part and everyone made it home safely on the snowy roads.

This week has been as hectic as ever with the usual Christmas preparations still to do - only I did them WEEKS later than I normally would have each evening after work. Note to friends: our Christmas cards will come in the form of...hmmm...well, they may not come at all, even in the the new year. Now we have to finish unpacking, preparing for baby, and making the transition to take a year off from my university gig. Dave and I have always agreed that we enjoy a challenge...good think we're both on the same page here...

Above, a glimpse of our newly arranged dining room. Still some finishing touches to do, but this gives you a view of our finished floor.

An image of our fireside seating area in the same room. Miraculously, between unpacking many, many boxes (and there are still many to go) I managed to decorate the Christmas tree after my Dad and the tree finished WWIII (hmmm... my Dad and tree stands have never gotten along well... it brought back many childhood memories of me trying to watch the classic Rudolph and Grinch cartoons amidst flying fir needles).

The artwork above the mantle and on the next wall are Bruce Stonehouse originals...couldn't resist the plug for Dad Stonehouse...

We still have much to do in preparing our other rooms for the long term, so look for more of the story to be posted in photos later this week as I work my way through each room over my holiday week (while Dave works away at the newspaper).

A Carol Taylor angel snuggled into our living room nicho seemed like an appropriate bookend for a Christmas eve blog post. Happy Holidays all!

A test: the acid stain

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:50:00 +0000

After moving the three pets with us out to our little cottage last Sunday to enable us to finish the floors, the week brought more snow than we've seen in a long time. More snow meant we had to move back in the straw house b.c our cottage in the country would leave us in peril of not getting to work (at least not safely, or perhaps not at all). It snowed off and on all week, messing up our floor staining schedule drastically, but this week, we'll finally get things wrapped up.

Above is a pic of the acid stain test patch we mopped on with a sponge mop. I like the colour and it's a lot less messy than spraying it on with a garden sprayer.

This is the StainAstar product we're using to colour the concrete to look like tile. It runs about $65/gal which covers 400 sq ft. We'll apply a concrete sealer after we stain it, then grout the cracks. The grout is the most expensive part.

This is a test patch we did using the garden sprayer. A lot more liquid was required to cover the surface, making the overall colour much darker. Having liquid sit on the surface was bad for our wood work and plaster - it soaked right through the painter's tape and stained both surfaces.

A little view of the beauty brought by the multiple snow storms around our house.

Believe it or not, I wouldn't give up a view like this for anything. When I lived in the American South (yes, it must be cap'd), I desperately missed winter of this kind.

Here's a sneak pic of the antique wall sconces my Dad installed in our master bedroom in the little nichos we carved in the wall.

A brief update in pics before we move in...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:50:00 +0000

The soon-to-be new babe's room (10 weeks to go!). None of the main floor is finished yet.

Dave working the phone in the living/dining area with lots of junk piled 'round.

A partial, poorly photographed take of the kitchen. (Who has time for tripods and good composition when you're desperate to move in??)

One of our new fan fixtures installed in the loft.

The master bedroom with some wall scones still to be installed.

The west end of the loft (where we're currently sleeping). Possibly a spare bedroom or home office...or both. The debate is still on.

The east end of the loft to become our movie/reading room.

The dormer area in the loft and top of the stairs.

Dave hard at work scrubbing the concrete floors in preparation for the acid staining. Most our free time will be spent cleaning and taping off the walls and woodwork in preparation for acid staining...

Christmas is coming early

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:12:00 +0000

I have had butterflies of excitement in anticipation of finishing the house and moving in. HUGE milestone reached this week: the last spot of mud was covered in lime plaster and the finishing touches (blending seams of plasters and touching up small spots along trim work etc.) have been mostly completed. Thanks to Charles and Phil for sticking it out with us and doing some gorgeous finish work. My trowelling and surfacing abilities are much inferior to theirs!

Charles has also been assisting us by sanding and oiling the loft floor and stairs. We are using tung oil on the floors as opposed to a varnish. It seems healthier and easy to maintain.

I had hoped we would be ready to acid stain the floors tomorrow, but there is *so* much clean up work to do! Plastering is indeed dirty work, and a year of mud and lime dirt requires a lot of vacuuming, sanding, scrubbing, sweeping....scraping....scrubbing..you get the picture.

We will likely move in with a bit of finish work left to do like filling nail holes, varnishing trims etc., but I can do a lot of that over the Christmas holidays. How different life will be not living in a construction zone....

Visions of a clean, settled home are dancing in my head...

(photos to come soon).

Pumpkins and our porch floor

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:58:00 +0000

It's Halloween night here and we await the little gobblins of the neighbourhood. Being our first Halloween in the 'hood, we're not sure what to expect. Without subdivision masses nearby, we may have a few hundred mini candy bars and such not to feast on for the next few months!

Monday, the crew from Lafarge arrived and began preparing the base for our porch floor and main entry door step. We decided to go with stamped concrete so that it would have natural cobblestone or slate look, but without the uneven ground that stone usually offers. It's close to the same price as installing a deck, only we won't have to replace it in 10 years or less and we won't have much maintenance.

On Tuesday morning after our first snowfall, the crew poured the concrete and trowelled it smooth as you can see here above. They ran into a brief snag when the snow began running off the roof like rainwater as it melted and splashing back onto the wet concrete. Fortunately, I had some extra plastic they could use to create a barrier.

Then they applied a powder they call a "release agent" which enables them to apply a stamped pattern without pulling the concrete apart. It also colours the crevices of the concrete to give it depth.

Here's one of the stamp pads they used yesterday.

Here's a glimpse of the pattern on the porch floor before they seal it.

A wide angle view of the porch floor before it is sealed or landscaped.

And a view of the front entry before sealing and landscaping. I'm thrilled it's done before Spring! It will make the house feel so much more finished.

This week we'll be applying flashing over the exposed rigid pink insulation that wraps around our foundation. We hope to finish spraying the drywall with plaster.

And, Charles and Phil are back in town, so we're hoping to make a big dent in plaster the straw walls. The countdown in on... Can we move in before the end of November??

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:20:00 +0000

Ah, at last. A night at home. Work has been incredibly intense for a couple of months now, sucking up all free time, but we're beginning to get back at it. Fortunately, I also seem to be moving into a "nesting" phase with more energy than I'd had earlier in my pregnancy.

We've had two friends - Charles and Phil - working on interior plaster work for more than a month, though they've both been away for the past two weeks. We decided that we couldn't handle this alone and they have been a great boost. They finished the earth plaster first and have been working on lime plaster in recent times. At top and to the right, you can see their work in the east gable end. It's amazing to me how the house has brightened up with the lime plaster. I love it. In contrast, here you can see the west gable end with the earth plaster still.

Dave and I, with my Dad and Mom in the lead, have been focussed on applying plaster to all of the interior drywall to give it a textured effect that blends it in with the style of the house more. We're more than half-way complete. Two more days of work (and most of it spent on covering wood beams, ceilings and floors to protect them from plaster drips and spray) and we'll have all of the drywall complete. Here are a few photos of the plaster before it was completely dry.

I'll share more once we've finished next week.

Here's a photo of the kitchen entry door that Charles plastered. We've put in a decorative arch to provide an interesting niche for a piece of art.

The great news of the week is that we found a company to install our porch patio on the north side and a small stamped concrete doorstep on the east side by the arch door. The better news is that they believe they'll be able to install it this week since the weather is so warm, as opposed to next Spring! A few pics of the outside.

Next up: sand and oil the loft floor, and acid stain the main floor!

Hampton EnviroFair

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:41:00 +0000

I know, I know...I've been totally delinquent in posting updates! I will *soon* post some new photos and details. In the mean time, I'm putting together a presentation for the Hampton EnviroFair on our straw bale building experience. It's happening this Saturday, October 13th at Hampton High School. Check out the Town of Hampton website for details on presentation times and other activities at the fair: http://www.townofhampton.ca/content/17684.

Other activities at the EnviroFair:
􀂾 LIVING OFF THE GRID
􀂾 SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY IN NB
􀂾 BAKING WITH SOLAR OVENS
􀂾 BIODIESEL CONVERSION

Surprise, surprise...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 18:57:00 +0000

Nearly two years ago when we began our research into straw bale building, we noticed that there seemed to be a theme of increased fertility and little "surprises" along the way amongst the straw bale owner-builders we visited and spoke with. And...it seems we're no exception. Our little "surprise" (and it was a surprise) is due in February, so we're incredibly inspired to finish this house *immediately*!

Tomorrow, we'll be plastering fiends in hopes of making good progress. We have a lot of "fill coat" work to do on the inside with our clay-dirt plaster before we can apply a final lime plaster coat. Once we're done our plaster work, we've only the floors to finish, and the porch/patio floor to install. We're so close, but yet so far...

Volunteers welcome!

Le Grand Unveiling

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:52:00 +0000

The outside is still being whitewashed with limewater, but we finally removed tarps on all sides except the south(!). We decided to leave the south side for another two days to be safe. Good-bye blue plastic house!

Jacob, our visiting straw bale apprentice (above), moved on to Halifax on Saturday to his next adventure before he heads home to Montreal. Rob, our resident straw bale expert, leaves today for home in Nova Scotia. That leaves just me, Dave and the pets in our home for the first time in a month!

Charles T. is seen here helping Rob M.
& Dad Wiggins remove the tarps on the east side. Charles is going to continue working with us to finish up west gable end and interior plaster.

Here's Dad throwing down the last corner of tarp.

The west side unveiled, with staging still in place to complete white washing and trim.

The east side (faces the road) sans tarps, staging and completely white washed!!

The outside plaster is done!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:57:00 +0000

I know you'd expect some amazing photos of the exterior of our house with that kind of title, but the house is still covered in tarps to allow the lime plaster to dry slowly without cracking! In fact, we have to mist it two to three times a day for at least another week. The removal of tarps, or the "Grand Unveiling" as we like to call it, will be an exciting moment for us after living in a blue plastic covered house for many months.

Wicked high winds kept me awake last night as they whipped the tarps around, and brought in a cold, fall-like air. The fresh air will make a better working environment for our three crew members who have had to endure some very hot work days. Rob McLean of Straw Bale Projects in NS is still with us (Andy and Meg returned to NS for other obligations), Charles Trenholme has joined this week, and last night, Jacob L. arrived from Montreal. Jacob wants to learn how to build his own straw bale house, so he's spending a few days with Rob to learn the ropes. The guys are now working on plastering the interior gable ends. The end is in sight!

Once the plaster is done in the next couple of weeks, we'll stucco the interior walls, sand and oil our loft floors, acid stain our concrete floor and tidy up various finish jobs such as protecting the woodwork, cleaning up lime plaster splashes etc.

More pics to come!

The Things To Do or Not List Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:26:00 +0000

A couple that participated in our workshop last year is about to begin building their house (!). In preparation, they've asked us to send them a list of what we'd do differently, and what we'd do the same. Here it is! I'll keep building on it as I think of things:

Things we would do differently:
-The top plate. It was made to be the same width of the bales. That made it stick out a lot (b.c of the irregularity of the bales) and it caused our straps (part of our compression system) to stick out. If we had made it 2 or 3 inches smaller, we wouldn't have had the same problem. We've had to use an awful lot of mud to cover that puppy up.
-The mortar mixer. We went to great lengths to try and buy a used mortar mixer (since they're so expensive new), but to no avail. Instead we rented one, but it cost a fortune too! We ended up buying a brand new cement mixer (Red Lion brand) and it worked fine for us, and it was much cheaper than a mortar mixer.
-The straps. If you don't need the straps, don't use them. They're a pain to work around. (we had to use straps b.c we were required to treat our walls as load bearing. We designed the house with the beams away from the wall so that we could plaster behind them, but it meant the bales couldn't be tied into the beams.)
-Burlap on the wood. we spent weeks trying to attach that stuff effectively (so that the mud would stick on exposed wood frames around the doors and windows), and in the end found that it wasn't all that useful. It was better to use mud with long straw on the bare wood. Some still swear by it, but it only made me swear *&%$!
-Double check the measurements that other people make. We had one door frame that was too small by several inches and several things were not plumb. It was very stressful.
-We would have had the timber frame and roof done earlier - at least a few weeks before the workshop, though we were at the timberframers whim. It was incredibly stressful having the roof not done and keeping the bales covered for months. It wasn't the plan for us, but that's how it worked out.
-Don't buy a cheap chainsaw. We went through two of them (small electric ones) b.c they're made of plastic inside and won't stand up. Consider finding yourself a good machete and keeping it super sharp (Charles taught us this!), and/or buy a decent quality chainsaw. If you have a bit of land, you'll likely need it for years to come like we do.
-We cut more than 100 alder branches for corsetting, but only used about 20. Depending on your design you might not need very many. If there are stretches of wall where the straw bales have little to attach to, estimate two every 16 inches and add a few extra to be safe.

Things we would do the same:
-Invest in an air compressor and texture sprayer (we got ours at princess auto) to spray slip.
-Screen the slip through window screening so that it doesn't clog up the sprayer
-Work parties with lots of food
-Workshop (it drew in lots of people's interest, even if they didn't get to join the workshop, and we gained a lot of long-term volunteers from it)
-Tonnes of rubber gloves in various sizes to protect hands. Purists use their bare hands, but keep in mind that gloves keep volunteers coming back b.c they're hands aren't bleeding when they leave.
-2-3 rolls of bailing twine. You won't even believe what you'll use it for.
-Dozens of buckets. You'll break some and you'll need loads to keep up with the crew.
-2-3 wheel barrels.
-**Find out about the new sprayer that Kim Thompson has from Mexico called the Tirolessa. You can buy one for $215 US online, or you can borrow hers. It could speed things up significantly. We totally underestimated how long putting mud on by hand would take (we're still not done!), but the Tirolessa sprays it on, driving it into the straw, and you simply trowel it from there. We're using it now. It's a big relief. We can also apply our final lime coat with it. This is a big point! (here's a website to check it out: http://www.northcoast.com/~tms/tiro.htm). You might need a slightly heftier air compressor, but it's worth it!**
-Lots of shovels (at least 3, maybe 5)
-Lots of barrels. We used a bunch of the usual rubbermaids, plus a number of free steel barrels. In total, we use eight - ten and could use a couple more.
-Palettes. You should be able to get these for free from a hardware store. We need them to store straw (put plastic under them so the dampness doesn't rise up though), to raise up our cement mixer, to create temporary steps, to store wood, to put under workers' tents...you name it.
-Expect to spend a lot more than you plan on trips to the hardware store. It shocked the heck out of me. We probably spent more than $500 on runs for extra screws and nails along. Thousands $$ on odds and sods of wood, and misc. supplies.
-Lots of gyproc/carpet knives (at least six). Buy at least two good quality ones for the long haul.
-Lots of basic tools (we didn't previously own a lot of power tools, and had to invest in a few hand tools as well). Skill saw, Jig saw, drills (two would be good), a paint mixer attachment of the drill to mix slip and lime, table saw (we borrowed), tin snips, the usual hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, staple guns, mallet, nail set, a whipper snipper to trim the bales and chop straw for the finish coat (it has to be chopped for the Tirolessa too)
-Leave easy-to-see garbage collection bins for people to clean up after themselves
-Face masks to sift lime and chop straw
-Hardware cloth to make screening to sift sand & clay and attach over flashing to hold the plaster
-Tarps. You'll buy/scavenge lots. You'll need more.
-Cardboard. You'll save lots. Again, you'll need more.
-Rolls of plastic. This can work well to cover the beams, but it can also cause them to develop blue/black mold. Cardboard is better.
-Always leave yourself with enough time and energy to get the tarps back in place at the end of the day and clean up your work site. You can save yourself a lot of headaches and heart breaks.
-Remember to enjoy it! Our biggest stresses were based around sub-contractors, but the straw bale and plaster work was always enjoyable to us and a great relief from the conventional side of building. The people we met (besides the sub-contractors) also made it a real pleasure to do.

Photo update

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:13:00 +0000

I'm back in the office job after two weeks with a mile-high stack of urgent-must-be-done-yesterday stuff, so I'll just post photos of our crew at work with some of the progress. We've enjoyed a wonderful "vacation" with the Thunderbay Stonehouses helping us (working like dogs) with the house. The outside mud is done and the lime plaster is underway! The lime should be done early next week and then we can move indoors...More to come later!

Dad Stonehouse installing flashing.

Andy Cragg hard at work with a trowel.

A first glimpse of the lime coat on the west gable end.

Rob M. at work with the Tirolessa - an adobe sprayer from Mexico.

Dad Stonehouse showing off a new tshirt.

Mom Stonehouse hard at work on the plaster.

Rob M. applying a fill coat under the porch roof.

Charles T. plastering to perfection on the west side.

Meg M. mixing the lime plaster and covered with splatter!

Beyla - an old (but young) friend.

Unexpected horticultural emergency...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:26:00 +0000

The sounds of dump trucks banging and excavators digging were vivid last night when I arrived home from work. As I troddled out to retrieve the mail, I discovered a road crew digging out the ditches (!). Part of my trees-for-privacy-and-beauty plan was to dig up the trees from the ditch and transplant them in a safe place. The crew stopped for the evening only metres from my property line....an incredibly close call. I dashed up for my shovel, and gear and "saved" many, many trees. About half of the spruce, cedar and tamarack are seedlings, but close to 50 are solid two to four year old trees. I successfully replanted about half of them last night until my poor back throbbed. Fortunately, the next few days are calling for rain, so they have a chance at survival. Transplanting spruce and cedar (or anything for that matter) is not the brightest idea in July. I was planning to do it in late August once we were heading for cooler, more moist weather (and finished plastering!).

And I wonder why progress on the house goes so slowly...

No longer in denial in suburbia

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:12:00 +0000

OK, so we built in the 'burbs. But, the land for many acres around us was all treed and resident free, so it didn't feel like suburbia. Not so much now. The lot to our South sold this spring and a two story colonial is already up. The lot to our north sold last week, and the chainsaw began last night. Thankfully, most folks leave lots of trees standing, but it still reduces our privacy and the feeling that we own more land than we actually do.

At Canada Day, we were fortunate enough to be the high bidder on a number of two and three year-old spruce trees in the annual silent auction. On Sunday, Mom and Dad helped us plant the spruces, plus a maple (yet to be identified properly), and about 50 white pine seedlings! We've already planted more than 100 trees including oak, sugar maple, white and yellow birches, spruce and cedar, so we're making good progress. It's the kind of work we wanted to do *after* construction is complete, but when the opportunity arises with trees, one can't turn them down. Now, if we can just keep deer and rabbits from feasting on our tasty little seedlings...

Is Dirt the New Prozac? Another reason to go straw bale...

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:59:00 +0000

From Discover Magazine: http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac

06.14.2007
Is Dirt the New Prozac?
Injections of soil bacteria produce serotonin—and happiness—in mice.
by Josie Glausiusz

THE STUDY “Identification of an Immune-Responsive Mesolimbocortical Serotonergic System: Potential Role in Regulation of Emotional Behavior,” by Christopher Lowry et al., published online on March 28 in Neuroscience.

THE MOTIVE Some researchers have proposed that the sharp rise in asthma and allergy cases over the past century stems, unexpectedly, from living too clean. The idea is that routine exposure to harmless microorganisms in the environment—soil bacteria, for instance—trains our immune systems to ignore benign molecules like pollen or the dandruff on a neighbor’s dog. Taking this “hygiene hypothesis” in an even more surprising direction, recent studies indicate that treatment with a specific soil bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, may be able to alleviate depression. For example, lung cancer patients who were injected with killed M. vaccae reported better quality of life and less nausea and pain. Now a team of neuroscientists and immunologists may have figured out why this works. The bacteria, when injected into mice, activate a set of serotonin-releasing neurons in the brain—the same nerves targeted by Prozac.

THE METHODS Some studies have found that treatment with M. vaccae, the inoffensive soil bacterium, eases skin allergies, and other reports—such as the cancer study—show that it can improve mood. Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in England, had a hunch about how this process might work. “What we think happens is that the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity,” he says.

To verify this hypothesis, he and his colleagues carried out a series of experiments on mice. First, Lowry killed and broke up M. vaccae with sound waves. He then anesthetized six mice and injected the pulverized bacteria directly into their windpipes. After killing the mice, he indirectly measured the levels of cytokines in the animals’ bodies and found an increased production of these proteins in their lung tissue.

The team also looked at the mouse brains to see which neurons, if any, were activated after the bacterial injection. They found that serotonin-producing neurons in a specific region of the brain—the dorsal raphe nucleus—were more active in the treated mice. “That’s important,” Lowry says, “because cells in that part of the raphe project to parts of the brain that regulate mood, including the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, which is also involved in mood regulation and cognitive function.” They also found increases in serotonin itself in the prefrontal cortex.

Finally, Lowry and his colleagues studied another set of mice, who were subjected to a stress-response test. They dropped each mouse into water for five minutes and timed how long it would take the animal to switch from active swimming to passive floating. Control mice swam for an average of two and a half minutes, while the M. vaccae–injected animals paddled for four. Researchers already know that antidepressants increase active swimming and decrease immobility. The bacteria “had the exact same effect as antidepressant drugs,” Lowry explains.

THE MEANING The results so far suggest that simply inhaling M. vaccae—you get a dose just by taking a walk in the wild or rooting around in the garden—could help elicit a jolly state of mind. “You can also ingest mycobacteria either through water sources or through eating plants—lettuce that you pick from the garden, or carrots,” Lowry says.

Graham Rook, an immunologist at University College London and a coauthor of the paper, adds that depression itself may be in part an inflammatory disorder. By triggering the production of immune cells that curb the inflammatory reaction typical of allergies, M. vaccae may ease that inflammation and hence depression. Therapy with M. vaccae—or with drugs based on the bacterium’s molecular components—might someday be used to treat depression. “It’s not clear to me whether the way ahead will be drugs that circumvent the use of these bugs,” Rook says, “or whether it will be easier to say, ‘The hell with it, let’s use the bugs.’”

Back to business

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:01:00 +0000

OK, so our main goal is to get things moving at a slightly faster pace. The bank (play ominous music), who continues to mess up our paperwork and payments, would like us to finish the house within 90 days. It's no surprise - we've gained a more indepth understanding than we'd ever wanted about the big banks. It's just a reality we have to deal with. However, we're not finding ourselves with a lot of free time to speed the plaster up, so we've decided to bring back some of our friends from Straw Bale Projects in NS. They're coming in two weeks time to give us a boost(!!). At the same time, Mom & Dad Stonehouse will be visiting from Thunder Bay, so it will be a very busy little spot. I love cooking for a crowd, and I'm going to love seeing major progress on the straw shanty.

My Canada Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:23:00 +0000

No, that's not me, that's a young lady who rides in the Canada Day parade every year with the same colourful enthusiasism. She's a ball of energy.

My Canada Day looks a lot like this. Each year, Dave & I go to my hometown and join in the festivities at our local park. Dave's the main volunteer photographer (ahem, I make a great assistant), so we always have lots of images.

Amidst the kids running, the band playing, the food circulating and people chatting, here's Dad. Unable to sit still. Ever the active volunteer.

And the horses ride on every year under a brilliant puffy-cloud blue sky.

My nephew Ethan waving from a float in the parade.

My nephew Nevan waving from another float (in the hockey helmut and white shirt). The theme of the parade is "A Portrait of Canada", can you tell?

My Mom presenting awards for various achievements.

Dave receiving recognition for this work as the volunteer photographer from our friend Marsha. Ha ha! He wasn't expecting it!

One of the Happy-Go-Lucky Fiddlers deep into performance mode.

And, our friend Joe. Deep in conversation with some other good folk.

And our friend Sadie, who wins the award for oldest citizen of the day again at 94 or 95 years of age! Sadie has more energy than Dave & I have combined.

Phew! A long, fun day that ended at 1am. It was a nice break from our usual Sunday plastering. We're still amazed by this tightly-knit community. We feel fortunate to be a part of it, because we know a lot of people have never experienced anything like it.

Happy Canada Day Weekend!

House art

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:22:00 +0000

One of my favourite local artists is Christopher Hoyt. I've known him since I moved back to NB in '99 and although he moved to Halifax, we still keep in touch. From time to time, I'm even lucky enough to hire him for small projects. Chris has an amazing memory and remembered that I pointed this gorgeous piece out SEVEN years ago in his home (Chris, if you're reading this, forgive me for the terribly dark photo!). He has given it to us as a housewarming present (!!!). I'm so delighted to have a Hoyt original...now where shall we hang it?

Straw for Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:03:00 +0000

It's quite obvious that we do not need any more straw. I had visions of building a dog house or shed...ah ha ha ha ha! Delusional! Completely. We still have a long way to go with the plaster and only a few months to get it done. So, here it is:

Straw for Sale! We've got number of bales - at least a few dozen - and we'll sell them cheap. We'd like to move them along. We paid $4.50, but we'll sell them for half price. Interested? Send me a note. Hit the word "comments" below.

Plastered, but more

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Fri, 25 May 2007 22:10:00 +0000

A productive long weekend for the Stonehouse straw house. Dave and I were a draggy pair, with little energy to spare on Saturday after our work week to prepare for the weekend. My folks arrived, with twice the energy of this pathetic pair, and put us in gear. Food was prepared for the plaster party, tools and materials were set up, and some beautiful finish work was completed in the loft.

At 10am sharp on Sunday, my god parents arrived with gloves and food for an army in hand. Carolyn & Erroll are like a foundation beneath my family - supporting us through all the tough times and buoying us further through the fun times. Likewise, Carol Taylor followed only a few minutes behind and the threesome worked like dogs through out the day, while the others came and went with young family affairs.

My folks returned late in the day to help us wrap up a plaster party supper! Thanks to all for helping us make excellent progress on our bedrooms, including Jeff, Kim and Liam, Dave Y., Tom, Ali, her sister and sister's boyfriend, Carol T., Carolyn & Erroll and Ma & Pa.

Monday, I finished up some of the plaster in the bedrooms and unveiled the south side of the house. Removing the blue tarps that have covered the outside of the house for the winter is truly dramatic! All the natural light in the house is startling. The morning after, I actually thought I'd set my alarm wrong because there was so much light in the house from unwrapping two more windows. We'll hold off on "unveiling" the gable ends until the weather is warmer and we've made more progress indoors.

We ventured up to my Mom & Dad's to help them set up a new computer (the smallest favour they can cash in on given how much we owe them! How do we ever pay either of our parents back? impossible!) Dad toured me through his gardens to show me the trees he's been saving us for the property. He hoards seedlings that pop up on his property and coaxes them along for each of us. It's a fantastic treat! We've now got four new maples, two oaks, a yellow birch and a cinnamon bush! Mom also slipped in about five kinds of hostas, some creeping sedum, creeping jenny and ajuga. Fabulous!

We're reeling from the shock of the property next door having sold and a three-week house being built. We can see the roofline through the trees, so we're suddenly feeling a bit exposed and attacked by development! Now we know how our neighbours must have felt last fall.

Plaster Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 14 May 2007 23:50:00 +0000

At last, we're ready to party...

This Sunday, from 10am onward, we are hosting a plaster party. Come learn to mix and apply natural earth plaster to a straw bale wall.

...Yep, you guessed it. We're looking for free labourers. But, we're willing to take the time needed to teach newby straw balers who want to walk away with some new skills. We promise we'll offer good food and drink!

Interested? Call me...

Kara

PS: Here's Laurie Mills from the Hampton Area Environment Group trying his hand at plastering sb for the first time last week. He looks like he might be doing a little praying there to keep it on the wall...

Working against gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:01:00 +0000

And so the plastering continues. I've been working for three weekends plastering on the area above the windows. After installing wire cages stuffed with straw that make the window headers round out nicely, they have to be plastered over. Plastering against the law of gravity is not so easy. Initially, I installed wire cages made of thin chicken wire, but every time I touched it, the wire would bend and pop the plaster off. I bought harder hardware cloth and installed it over the softer chicken wire and Voila! It worked. It's still a curse to work on b.c I can only put loonie-sized bits of plaster on at a time (otherwise the weight of it is too much to withstand those dang gravitational forces). I also need to let it dry in sections so that it hardens up, but at least it's working. I'll show pics of the window headers soon. For now, here are a few update photos:

Here's an image of the kitchen au current. It feels like it's finished with all the appliances in place, but, the plaster work has yet to be done. And the backsplash. And the floor.

Here's Ma working on a treacherous stretch of plastering that kept falling off. "Soft" bales tend to bounce back afer you put on the plaster and can cause it to fall off in huge hunks. @$%&*$!

Here's Dave working away on the other side of the patio door. He's a bit more patient than the rest of us, but what else is new?

We've moved in!

noreply@blogger.com (Kara) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:44:00 +0000

It's nearing the end of April and we've decided to start living in the house so that we can work on it every day.

The propane fireplace is finally trimmed up and finished. We still have to get a beam-mantle made to go above it.

An antique light fixture newly installed in our bedroom.

The main bathroom with light fixtures and cabinets installed.