Welcome to the Freeville Earthship, located outside of Ithaca, NY! Please feel free to explore our site for thousands of pictures and in-depth posts about our process building an earthship.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Weekly Update #9

This week we were finishing up in the kitchen, and laying the greenhouse floor.  We packed out some more in the pantry and the bedroom.  Today I was able to pack out a lot of the interior master bathroom wall, and we packed out the inside of the small can wall in the greenhouse.  Chad lined the orange tree planter with rocks.  We had some visitors from Toronto and Dansville NY this weekend and enjoyed meeting them and showing them around.  Next weekend should be a huge work weekend... Joe and Wes are coming back, a few of my family members, and a large group who want a tour and to help!  We were hoping to be in by Halloween, but now we're expecting to be in by Thanksgiving or sooner.  All that's holding us back is plastering the walls so we can cut down on the dust and sand flakes.
The earthship as viewed from Fall Creek Road


rainforest granite backsplash!


so pretty!

cooling tube screens went in to keep our cats (and other creatures) from climbing through them!

me laying the greenhouse floor, in the dark, because we work all the time!

flagstone greenhouse floor

mixed in with a burst of colorful granite

granite flowing



living room granite floor and kitchen

backsplash with my underlie cabinets



packing out the interior wall in our master bedroom/bathroom

bookshelf boxes in place, packing out around them

we packed out the interior of the greenhouse can wall too




Adirondack rocks cemented around the orange tree

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Weekly Update #8

     It's been 2 months now since the crew and apprentices packed up and drove away leaving us with an amazing skeleton of a house, but a lot of finish work for me and Chad... we've worked non-stop on it ever since (with teaching as a side-job).      ; )
     This week Chad finished off some beautiful dark-stained trim around the kitchen peninsula while I scrubbed the newly-grouted floor.  On Wednesday our countertops were installed!  We moved the refrigerator in the house in preparation to have it installed by our electrician.  We built little boxes/shelves to fill some tire space in the corner of our bedroom (I think I forgot to take a picture of this).
     This weekend we had many great visitors!  On Friday Chad's dad, Gary, came for the day to help out around the house.  He cleaned out our barn/garage that had been packed with building materials for the last 9 months.  On Saturday my dad, Will, arrived and he laid cans all day long, almost finishing the final can wall!  I worked on the bottle walls that line our living room doorway.  Later in the day, Chad's cousin Jon arrived with two friends Josh and Wallace.  The four of them packed out the upper parts of our bedroom wall, and then we all went out for Mexican.
     On Sunday my mom Char came and brought a ton of yummy snacks and a dinner for us.  Our friend Van came down from Cazenovia College and he and my mom continued to pack out the upper walls of our bedroom and the back hallway.  Dori, an apprentice from our 3-week build, stopped in to see the place after 2 months, and helped me by scrubbing the parts of the granite floor I hadn't yet done.  Chad had several high school students over to build the chicken coop, and Mikayla and Mike also helped Van and my mom pack out in the back hallway.  We also had a surprise visit from Nick, another apprentice from the summer, and his three friends to see the 'ship.  All the while I cut to size the countertop backsplash, glued it on, and put in our tile backsplash... rainforest granite, our favorite!
     We're excited for this week, because our electrician will hook up the fridge, and on Tuesday our washer, dryer, and dishwasher will be delivered, as well as our propane tank.  Then they'll hook up our stove and dryer to the propane!  Then our kitchen will be completely finished!!!
     Our next steps before we move in is to finish packing out so that we can put the final plaster coats on the tire wall, and to pour the floor in the front hallway.  Ahh!

Jon and Josh packing out

Wallace packing out

my dad finishing the pantry can wall

I added to the bottle wall...

... and started a new one

mosaic granite floor grouted!

fridge and stove ready to be placed

kitchen backerboard going up for our backsplash

countertops!  and a great view

undermount sink and countertops with wooden ledge

countertop detail

planter behind the kitchen sink... so far grapes are planted

oooh underlit cabinets!

Dori!

Mom and Van packing out

Mikayla, Mike, Van, Mom, and Koda

Nick and friends!

me putting in the rainforest granite backsplash

woo hoo!  beautiful

sunset at the 'ship




Koda viewing the sunset with me


love




Monday, October 15, 2012

Weekly Update #7

After a busy week and a Friday-Saturday trip to Boston for a conference, on Sunday we were touring the house as a stop in the Tompkins County Green Homes Tour.  So, there aren't too many huge updates.  We had so many interesting people come through that I didn't even think to take any pictures until it was all over with!



our tour poster
trench dug to bring electricity to the barn

the entryway at night

I finally finished the granite floor... grout to come shortly

stove and range hood in, peninsula trimmed with pine 
grapes planted behind the kitchen counter

chimney installed for our future wood-fired pizza oven

kitchen

starry night bedroom cleared out in preparation for the floor

sunshine bedroom cleared out, floor started

back doorway

greenhouse hallway cleared out in preparation for the floor

master bedroom/bathroom can and bottle wall

master bathroom tiling

master bedroom closet wall

back hallway ready to grout

family bathroom ready to build tub surround/shower

chimney

kitchen tiles

"Live Free" with the Earthship Biotecture logo... thanks Quinn!