Tales From a Round House

First Build of 2011! The roof work continues...

2011-05-24T19:03:00.007-06:00

May 22nd 2011
After a hiatus, due to winter, we were finally able to start work on the roundhouse once again!

Garrett and I first went to cut down trees for more roof poles. It was so good to get back to work on the house that I don't think either of us minded the sweat dripping off us or the mosquitoes! After removing the branches and loading the trees/poles into the ~~truck~~ ..er.. cart... we took them up to the roundhouse. Garrett, Richard and I then went to cut willow to weave into a ring which is a vital part of the roof structure.

Wading through the swamp and cutting willow with khukris is a good way to find out how functional and practical ones Iron Age clothing is... as Garrett found out first hand. ;) (unfortunately I didn't take my camera for any of this!)

Once we got a decent load of willow, we took that back to the roundhouse and Tyson, Jordan and Richard got started on weaving the ring for the house, which Garrett soon got involved in, too! With the help of sisal, they secured the willow and made a thick ring...

Jordan with a period correct Fedora

It was then time to actually get it up among the roof poles!

Deciding it was best to hoist the ring up with some rope, we tied a rope around it while Richard climbed a ladder to the top. Jordan and Garrett pulled on the rope and Richard secured the ring to all the roof poles.... not as easy as it sounds! Tyson also braved the ladder to help Richard out.

It looks simple on the pictures, but the whole process of weaving the ring and getting it tied in place took approx. 3 hours. By the time this was completed, the daylight was nearly gone and we were left with no choice but to have to wait to complete more of the roof.

We have also planted a crop of Rye this year, which we hope to thatch with in the fall! It is already growing and hopefully will be a good, tall crop!

Sept 18th-19th - Second Group Build/Raising the Roof

2010-10-08T17:13:00.001-06:00

On Septmber 18th we had our second group build. Originally we thought we might put some daube on the walls, but instead we decided as a group that it would be better to get some of the roof poles up first. This way we can tarp it once it's been daubed to protect the walls, until we're able to thatch the house. We were blessed with the help and presence of Ryan and Aryn Jones, Chris and Sarah Thomas, Andrew Nickel, Amy Cripps and Tyson Collecton.

They started off by cutting down spruce trees which were dead standing up, making sure to choose sound ones with no rot or fungus growing on the trunks. Once the trees were cut down, they were assembled into what resembles a tipee-pole-like structure. The posts were also tied with a rope around the top to keep them in place until they were pegged to the walls.

We had a lovely visit that evening with those who were able to stay for dinner. Once again I want to thank you all, not only for your help and smarts in the building process but for your friendship. Each and every one of you are valued and we count ourselves lucky to taking on this project with all of you.

The next day on September 19th it was back to being just Garrett, Richard and I. We had a busy day of striping the bark and tiny twigs off the poles, both to protect the life of the poles but also to preserve the tarp we will have to place on the house until it's thatched. We also put up more poles for the roof, bringing the total thus far to 10 poles. (more to come soon!) We then drilled holes into the poles with a Victorian wood auger and pegged the poles to the top plates of the wall.

The following night we had a fire in the roundhouse. The flames were perhaps a little wilder than we'd have them when the thatch is on! Despite not having a completed roof or daub on the walls, there was a significant difference in the warmth inside the house, even when we just had a tiny fire going. We're convinced that when the house is finished, the cold won't be an issue!

Day 10, Sept 13th '10 - End of Wattling!!

2010-10-08T16:41:00.000-06:00

The Roundhouse had been neglected for a few weeks, due to other events such as various Highland Games, but on September 13th we came back to it, energized and ready to finish the rest of the wattling. In less than a week there will be another group build and we feel the wattling should be done before then so we can move onto the next stage of the build.

We wattled what we had left of the willows we've previously gathered, which only allowed us to go around 2-3 times. Once we exhausted our supply the three of us went into the bush and gathered a truck cart load more, which we harvested with khukris.

It was then back to the process of wattling (which luckily we all enjoy so it doesn't feel tedius!) At the end of the day we'd used up the rest of the willow we gathered and pretty much reached the Top Plates. There are a few spots we need to feel in with the odd willow here and there, but over all we can say that the wattling stage of the wall has been completed!!

Day 8-9, August 16th-17th - More Wattling!

2010-10-08T16:15:00.000-06:00

After the Group wattling, Garrett, Richard and I put in a couple days of harvesting more willow and wattling to about the half way point. We also cleared the remaining grass from the floor and set up a fire put in the centre. It is finally starting to look more like a house than wood henge or an animal pen!

August 14th, Willow Harvest/First Event!!!

2010-08-19T22:20:00.004-06:00

I'd like to start this entry off by saying today was more wonderful and a bigger success than I could have imagined. I hoped it would be great but it surpassed "great" a hundred fold. Garrett and I thank everyone with all our hearts for coming out, helping, sharing stories (and alcohol!), for your wonderful company and enthusiasm for history and this project, and most importantly for your friendship. You're a special group of people!! Our sincerest hopes that each of you will make it out again soon, as well as those of you who are interested but were not able to attend this time.. we hope to see you at the next event!

Today was our first event. Up until this point everything on the house had been done by Richard, Garrett and I. Aside from us three there were Eight others helping with the build; Ryan and Aryn Jones, Tyson Colleton, Chris Arel, Andrew Nickel, Chris and Sarah Thomas and Adam Parker.

The day began with Richard and Tyson venturing off into the woods to harvest willow with the use of billhooks, kukris and axes, and they were soon joined by Chris A. Garrett, Andrew and I hung back waiting by the one reliable cell phone we had between the three of us incase anyone was lost and in need of better directions. When the others arrived we spent a short time visiting and showing off a few weapons before taking everyone up to see what we had completed of the house so far. We were met with wonderful responses and reactions from everyone! - (Insert sigh of relief here!)

Richard and Chris A.

Chris, Tyson and Richard returned to the house with a load of willow; it was time to place the first willows around our posts. The willows, being green, were usually easy to weave through. We had mallets to force the willows down to ground level but ended up using our feet instead. The group split up and some went to gather more willow while the rest of us stayed behind to wattle. Everyone took the task with great enthusiasm and in my opinion it seemed to come very natural to everyone. To my knowledge no one present had wattled before but for beginners we certainly didn't do a terrible job!

There were points during the wattling when I'd look up and see everyone working... and not just working, but helping each other out. If one person was weaving a willow, others would gather to help get it pushed or pulled into the correct placement, or help stamp it down. There was a beautiful sense of unity as everyone worked and conversed.

Sarah T. and Ryan

We wattled for about three hours and in this time we got about a third of it completed. It came together much quicker than I think any of us were expecting. When it was time to leave and return back to the 21st century dwellings, our roundhouse was looking amazing..

At around 8:00 PM we left the Roundhouse and returned to a prepared dinner. It was a great time to just sit and visit with people, enjoying great food and great company. Ryan brought along a menagerie of instruments, including uilleann pipes, which we were privileged to hear him play! After dinner we all sat around a fire in the backyard until the early hours of the morning. (And the three youngest attendants were the first ones to go break down and go to bed!) Many stories were shared, memories made and deeper friendships begun. It was a fantastic day and evening and it will always be a source of happiness to me when I think back on it.

Ryan playing his Uilleann Pipes

Once again I thank each and every one who participated. You don't know how much your contributions mean to us. We can't wait to have another event like this one and we dearly hope all of you will be able to return, while also hoping for even more people to participate next time!

Tyson and Chris T.

Sarah T.

I'll end this with photos, they say it better than I ever could. (More photos coming soon!)

Andrew

Adam wattling

Chris A cutting a willow.

Tyson

Aryn

Chris T.

Garrett

Day 5, August 9th - More Top Plates

2010-08-19T20:50:00.002-06:00

Preparations have been underway to get the house ready for next weekend, where we'll have our first group build. The wattling will begin, but before we can start that undertaking, we had to get the top plates done. Last week we did four, but there are 17 to do in all. (Not counting the one above the door.) The lower plates were finished first and attached with temporary pegs we'll be able to pull out when it is time to wattle. Then the top plates were done, taking an axe to the flats until they would lay flush against the lower plates. It was a tedious process at times but with a little perseverance we got the task accomplished.

A more enjoyable job we got to do was work with draw knives to scrape the bark off the poplar wall plates, as the mortality rate of the wood is increased with the bark removed. The aesthetics also improve!

A few of the main posts also needed new holes auguring in (thanks to a height blunder you can read about in an earlier post) No easy feat when the posts are already in the ground!

August 3rd '10 - "Wood Henge"

2010-08-06T19:22:00.003-06:00

Our schedules didn't allow for a lot of work to be completed today, but what we have done is make our little house resemble wood henge!

Wall-plates are being constructed out of fallen poplar trees that have had chance to loose the sap, yet have not being down long enough to rot. The pieces are measured and cut to fit each space individually. Once the fit is as perfect as we can get it, a peg is hammered between the plates to both hold them together and pin them to the supporting posts.

We have also made a start on clearing the grass and weeds from the floor. We've reached nearly half way. Things are definitely starting to take shape!

August 3rd '10 - Second Day of Heavy Building

2010-08-06T19:04:00.001-06:00

This day was our most substantial day in regards to the building yet. Starting out bright and early, we got changed into our Iron Age Gear and headed our to perform the first immediate tasks at hand. We felt as though our posts were too high, reaching about the height of my chin. As the roof of a roundhouse slopes, the sides do not need to be head height. To make our house more historically correct, Richard began cutting a few inches off the tops of the posts and as a result, had to drill new holes into the tops. While he was busy correcting the miscalculations of earlier, Garrett and I ventured out to cut down small Poplars to be used in-between the main posts. These posts are hammered deeply into the ground and are used to wattle the willows through, creating extremely strong walls.

Armed with a Billhook, I cut down approx 18 trees. The trees were chose were in danger of being cut down through road-works anyway, so we felt it would be 'saving them' and putting them to a better use. Garrett sliced off the branches with the aid of a Kukri and we took them back to our building site. Many of the trees were able to be cut into two's and three's to make the 34 smaller posts we needed. Two of the poplar posts went in-between each of the main posts.

Once the poplars were collected, we went to work on the next part of the project. With the use of a heavy iron rod I made holes for all 34 posts, while Garrett and Richard worked to cut the poplars to size and pointed the ends of the posts to make them penetrate the ground with more ease. Richard also began pegging the doorframe posts together, drilling a hole between the posts and hammering in a wooden peg to hold them together. Next the poplar posts had to go in. Each post was set into the hole I had already crafted before Richard and Garrett took a hand held post pounder to drive them into the earth until they were solidly in place.

Some of the tools we've used.

Slowly but surely, it is starting to look a little more like a house...

First Day of Major Building - July 26th '10

2010-08-06T18:11:00.000-06:00

Finally the time has arrived to start on the structure! By the end of the day, tangible evidence of our house and our Iron Age Dream was beginning to take form.

Earlier in the weeks we had engaged in a particular debate - To use or not to use treated fence posts?

Fierce Iron Age Beast amongst the building materials.

Now, we are all aware that in the Iron Age they didn't have treated fence posts. No ones trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes here. On the flip side we also know Round Houses in Britain to be constructed with Oak for the main posts. Being in Canada offers its own challenges in the forms of what wood is available to us. As we do not have Oak trees in Alberta, and we want our house to last as long as possible, we came to a consensus on treated posts being our best bet. We sucked up our 'But they didn't use those...' attitudes and continued on with the project!

Holes were drilled into the tops of all 18 posts, using Victorian hand drills. (What? Those aren't period correct either? We banished all truly modern things from the building site at least!) The pointed ends of the fence posts were sowed off, whilst I was busy digging the holes for all 18 posts. The posts were then dropped into the holes for us to measure the height of (using the height of a spear as our guide - which ended up being too tall, but more on that blunder later!) Next it was time to pack the dirt and clay back into the holes, around the posts, to keep them level and strong.

Our post-packing-skills took some time to develop as the first 2-3 posts were wobbly and needed redoing, but we quickly the art of banging the clay down with a heavy metal rod. The posts are now securely in the ground, unshakable and level, ready for the wall-plates! ..... or are they??

Ring of posts before they were straightened and packed.

Day 1, June 1st '10

2010-08-06T17:35:00.005-06:00

After choosing the location it was time to get the planning mapped out. We discovered the mathematics and figuring behind it takes a lot more work than the actual building. Within our location we chose an area on a noel to provide higher ground for when it rains. The rain should run away from the house and into the lower parts of the field. We also have picked our location with plans in mind to expand in the future (providing things work out with this house!) leaving plenty of room for future houses and other structures.

Garrett dug down into the earth to excavate how far beneath the surface we'd find clay for doing the daub - fortunately it is mere inches below the surface and will take little digging to get to once we're at that stage of building.

Next, Richard hammered a peg into the ground so that we could mark out the circumference of the house. Tying a string to the peg, we marked out 10 feet all the way around, making the outline for the house 20 feet in diameter. (A larger house will be in the works providing we can master the construction of this one!)

Once we had a rough outline for where exactly the house was going to be, it was time to go over it and create a more solid line. Garrett did this with the use of an antler, proving to be a more effective tool for the job than we had initially expected!

Location

2010-08-06T16:55:00.000-06:00

The first step in taking the dream of building an Iron Age Roundhouse from our minds into reality is finding a location fit for such an undertaking. The exact where-a-abouts has been a topic of much discussion and debate, but finally we settled on an area that has so much more to offer than just an adequate building site. One of the members of our group owns a farm, which offers plenty of opportunity for building projects as well as privacy when needed. The decided location for the Round House is on a now abandoned hay field, surrounded by trees and gullies on two sides, a field of barley (for now, later to become a period crop such as Emmer wheat) on another and the long stretch of field on the other, expanding far enough and complete with enough turns, dips and hills that the house will not be visible from the entrance to the field.

The naturally beautiful view is enhanced by the lack of modernization. Houses and evidence of civilization is minimal to none. Aside from the odd aeroplane to fly over and the odd sound of a vehicle on the nearby roads (which are remote and therefore rather quiet) we should be able to lose ourselves entirely into the location and efficiently step back into time without modern distractions...

The flora and fauna of the area also provides us with many advantages. Just behind the area where the roundhouse will be constructed, there is a long ravine with a natural water source and spring running through it. A vast number and assortment of trees and bushes engulf the area, providing building materials and natural habitat for wildlife. The bushes include wild raspberries, gooseberries and saskatoons, offering much fruit when in season. Aside from bushes there is also a multitude of wild strawberries growing in large areas across the field.

Berries aside, there are no shortages of herbs and natural medicinal plants such as the Yarrow, known as a "heal all", and other flowers which are purely decorative. The wooded area offers an assortment of plants, which in time can serve many purposes to us once our house (and village) is further established.