Design and Fabrication

First of all, I would like to say thank you for everyone's compliments. I must say I was quite surprised by the response. I've never blogged before, but it is turning into a motivational tool

I took a stroll around the field this morning and contemplated the details of the design. 

I have lived in New York City for the last 5 years or so and, though I've visited remote islands and beaches, have come to realize I've spent little time alone in tranquility (in my whole life even). I've been surrounded by various noises or people, and even though I had become conditioned to accept the drone of the traffic in the city, or the television in the other room, or the people down the hall, the silence I came upon was no less profound, interrupted only by birds.

I spent the previous evening finalizing some drawings for what will be the floor. To absolutely minimize the use of lumber, I decided to frame it much like a spider would. I was able to salvage some used 2X4s out of the dumpster of a local contractor (and bought what I couldn't find) and after about an hour of pulling nails they seemed just as good. I cut all the wood to the length specified in the drawings and to my utter surprise it actually fit together!

Just 12 more of these and we have a circle!

Leonardo Da Vinci said, "Small dwellings focus the mind and large ones distract it" so I decided upon a diameter of 16'. This also leads to convenient math and lumber usage as the least expensive lumber comes in 8' lengths, perfect radial supports. (Note to aspiring woodworkers: I think the reason why the majority of buildings in the world are square, is because of the odd dimensions and measuring tricks necessary for radial construction. As simple as this design was, I would have been overwhelmed with 'back of the envelope' calculations without a CAD program and an engineering degree!)

Here is the circle, all glued together. I'll need to trim the outside smooth and figure out a way for rafters to travel from the outside edge of this, to the top of the lattice wall. Any suggestions from talented readers are welcome. 

Here is about half of the lumber necessary in the back of the truck. Now that I have the flooring and wall materials cut and ready for assembly, I thought it time to finalize the site -

I've been thinking about this for a couple years and chose a spot very close to this large boulder (Though the closest I could get to it by vehicle is about 300 paces off an old logging trail. If one of my paces is about 3 feet, and I can carry about 1/100th of requisite materials every trip, that's 18,000 feet of walking. Half of it burdened with Cargo; about 3 1/2 miles. I've been meaning to get in shape...)

The boulder sits among a small forest of young beech trees. Over time, I intend to pleach some of them and create a bower -

Or a mysterious tunnel -

    

As for gardening 'schools', there are several (among them French and English). It seems the French have developed a style in which they attempt to control a plot of land in a constant battle between the perceived order of human labor and the chaos of nature. The English seem to go with the flow more, using native species and placement concurrent with little toil and great beauty. Over time, I hope to cultivate a small area surrounding the dwelling with some interesting native specimens and perhaps some artful placement of local stones and moss. The Boulder above is perched in such a way that has created a small cave on its eastern side which will be an ideal hearth. 

That's it for today - I'm tired.