Workshop Progress Report - Straw and Stuff

The workshop has been shrouded in tarpaulins for the past few months and hasn't been exactly photogenic. Here she is, decked out in her winter pyjamas.

Based on the lack of recent progress reports you could be forgiven for thinking that I've either lost interest or have decided to hibernate for the duration of our winter months. Neither is true, and although the pace has slowed a little due largely to other work commitments, I've managed to accomplish quite a lot. Most noticeable externally has been the installation of a rainwater tank which will service the needs of the workshop bathroom as well as those of the surrounding trees, shrubs and vegetable plot.

Under the covers, the straw bale walls were erected quite quickly, but I'd definitely underestimated the work involved in constructing the timber framework that fills the gap between the top of the bale walls and the rafters above. As if this wasn't time-consuming enough, the remaining task was to surround this structure with wire mesh and pack it tightly with straw. As the photos below show, there's still some work to do to complete this aspect of the project.

The cost of transporting the straw bales was significant, and I adopted a cautious approach by ordering far more bales than I thought would be necessary for fear of requiring a second delivery. The supplier was very generous and loaded an extra 20 bales onto the semi-trailer free of charge. Needless to say, there's an enormous stack of spare bales occupying the workshop floor space. I'm almost at the point at which I'll know my remaining requirements with some certainty, and it will be a happy day when I can dispose of the surplus bales and my views of the interior spaces are unimpeded by the straw mountain.