If you were watching the live feed, you saw a drastic scramble as the thunder bellowed all around us. With all work stations in full swing, the storm we hoped would be delayed rolled in with some advance warning but with fury.

The extremely high humidity slowed down the paint drying process and we covered all of the painted boards with tarps and canvas. We used the metal support segments of an above ground pool that was onsite and unused to create a tent around the wet boards. Canvas and tarps were draped over the boards which had been on blocks for painting, so they were up off the ground.

The miter saw was on rolling table and it along with the nail gun and other tools being used in the work station nearest the build site were rolled into the cargo container where they were stored.

The circular saw cutting  station was dismantled and all uncut boards were re-stacked into the tack room so they were out of the rain.

The hinges were placed out of the rain...and the entire work crew made it inside just as the skies opened up and dumped rain for hours.

We stalled by eating lunch and doing some debriefing but by three or so when we were sure to be out of rain danger and had given it a time to dry up, we had lost several of our work hands.

We were able to salvage several hours of afternoon work time and managed to accomplish the following:
1. Completed the hinge guide for both the flat and corner walls.
2. Completed painting the boards that were in progress at the paint station
3. Set and leveled the foundation frame for the cabin

We are looking at the weather for today and the remainder of the week so that we can plan the completion.

Stay tuned, an

www.ustream.tv/channel/hexayurt-cabin-test-build

First and foremost we are praying for clear skies and no rain until later afternoon at the earliest!

Ok with my weather prediction out of the way here is a brief overview of the plan for today's build.

All of the material is currently stored in the Tack Room on raised blocks, to prevent it from any water damage. The logical flow of work will be from the tack room up and then around to the build site so work will be organized so that it will bring materials from that location as close as possible to the work station nearest the build. In planning for that we will set up four work stations (in order in proximity to the tack room with the closest first):
1. Board cutting station (power needed)
    This location will be equipped with saw horses, circular saw, circular saw cutting guide, a pencil, clamps. Boards will be unloaded from the tack room and 12 boards will be placed at this station. Of these 11 boards, 6 will be cut in true diagonal. The remaining 6 will be cut short according to the foundation measurements and two of the short boards will be cut in diagonal.

2. Board painting station (no power needed)
    This location will be equipped with blocks, paint and paint rollers. The exterior boards will receive one coat of paint on both sides and the edges. All boards not at station one will be placed here. Multiple block will be used so that multiple boards can be painted and drying at one time.

3. Hinge assembly station (power can be used with a power screw driver)
    This location will be equipped with hinges, screws and a power screw driver. This station will attach hinges to each of the painted/dried boards according to build specifications. A hinge location guide will be constructed prior to assembly with the top and bottom hinges spaced an equal distance from the edge and one hinge placed at center.

4. Miter station (power needed)
    This station will be equipped with a miter saw. All pressure treated lumber will be placed at this station. The boards for the outer foundation and center support beam will be mitered prior to assembly. Donated wood will be used FIRST BEFORE making the mitered cuts on the pressure treated lumber.

BUILD SITE:
The build site will be equipped with a pneumatic nail gun which will be used for the foundation assembly. Foundation blocks will also be necessary at the build site. A minimum of 7 blocks will be necessary to provide support for the foundation/structure.


The order of work flow will be as follows:
The pressure treated timber will be brought to station 4 and the foundation assembly can be initiated. At the same time boards at station 2 should be painted, while station 1 prepares the cut boards and quickly fowards them to the station 2 for painting. Once boards at station 2 are dry, they should be flipped over and the other side painted.  Once boards dry, hinges for the walls and ceiling panels should be added and then the wall pieces should be ready for assembly onto the foundation.

After wall assembly is completed, all seams will be filled with an expandable, waterproof sealant to ensure a water-tight structure.

And voila! AFTER we finish all of this we will have erected the very first Hexayurt Cabin!

Stay tuned for pictures, video and follow up analysis of this build! It's never too late to come out and help and never too late to make a donation.

Today's task was to finalize the purchase of the building materials for Sunday's test build. The following are the supplies purchased. With the exception of the hinges all items were purchased at the N. Huntsville Lowe's home improvement store.

Supplies:
Qty: 23 7/16" OSB 4x8 sheets
Qty: 24 2x4"x8' pressure treated studs
Qty: 2 2x4"x16' pressure treated stud
Qty: 2 cans Dow Great Stuff inflatable insulation/waterproof barrier
Qty: 90 3.5" Brass hinges (either Stanley or an off brand) rounded
Qty: 540+ Hinge screws
Qty: 5 gallons Exterior Paint

Habitat Restore: $48.60
Lowe's: $218.38
Total cost: $266.98

Other stuff hanging around:
OSB boards, boards of various lengths and sizes, nails, screws, miter saw, circular saw, saw hours, circular saw cutting guide, paint sprayer, ladders, nail gun, clamps, string, ground stakes, screwdrivers, hammers, miter box and saw

A few random notes:
1. There was a wonderful guy named Ed at Lowe's that loaded ALL the lumber onto the trailer!
2. We had a collective effort to unload the material at Shekinah Farm from Devonne, Christie, Satch, Desiree, Shelly, Symonne and myself. So basically seven of us did the work of unloading what one person, Ed, did by himself
3. A 10% Lowes coupon is in the "change of address" packets that are available from the United States Postal Service! Hint...hint! The discount almost paid for the paint for this build!

We off-loaded a trailer load of building materials today from a local builder. It will offset our lumber costs for this budget by about 20-30%. We have also found a local supply of used hinges that will be used for the build from the local Habitat Restore in Huntsville, Alabama. They have an abundant supply of Stanley brass hinges that we will be sorting and selecting tomorrow (storm today slowed us down). We will be using the standard 3.5" size, standard in most home supply retailers.

We will upload additional photos tomorrow and work to chop up the video footage from the ground clearing that was too long to properly upload into youtube on our attempt yesterday.

Look for more details as we lead up to Sunday's test build. Also additional donations would allow us to complete the waterproofing and insulation on this build date. Insulation (Reflectix or radiant barrier paint would be the choice for this test build. The cost implications for the Reflectix is approximately an additional $200 to the build and the thermal/radiant barrier paint would be an additional $100 cost to the project). Donations can be submitted through our blog page link to "chip in" or directly
CHIP IN FOR THIS PROJECT BY CLICKING THIS LINK

The work today was to level the build site and safely bury the water/sewer lines and rope a rough outline of the build site. The approximate work time was 1 hour 15 minutes.

The hexayurt has progressed from its brilliant beginnings in the hands of Vinay Gupta. This design was initially a solution for third world countries and burning man participants. The Factor E Farm group decided last fall to attempt a plywood build and after looking at the cost implications of that build I began work on redesigning the original construction design into a semi-permanent cabin style hexayurt.

The following links will provide you with background and development history and pictures.

The Hexayurt Project

Factor E Farm Plywood Hexayurt

A Parable about the potential implications of homelessness...

Some notes on developing an urban Convertible Community

(a companion piece to Open source private sector FEMA)

I will boldly state that every community in America, or pretty close to all, have some first hand experience with the ever growing issue of homelessness. I have attempted to approach this growing crisis with new eyes, first throwing aside previous assumptions. As I begin this quest of vision I shall first clarify my presuppositions.

1. Personal responsibility for self-sufficiency is fair and reasonable for every able-bodied community resident. This means that barring severe mental or physical disorder, it is the individuals responsible to provide for their own care.

2. Society should intervene in self sufficiency as a resource, providing aid based on goodwill not obligation. This means the community should be wiling to aid in the process of self sufficiency because in doing this it promotes healthy communities which is in the best interest of society as a whole.

3. Luxury accommodations are not an entitlement, rather a privilege of society self sufficiency.

4. Society should intervene in a very limited manner with providing the basic living infrastructure for individuals. This should happen for short, limited times rather than become an ongoing burden on society.

With those presuppositions clearly state, I began the vision quest looking at how solutions could be implemented.

I shall present these ideas in the form of a parable...

In a city not so far away, there were hundreds of individuals with no place to call home. A wise sage one day decided to take on the garb of homelessness and walk several miles in the shoes of one man whose homeless existence caught his eye. He walked with this man for days observing but not speaking. He joined the man one morning as the man stood in line at a local church. Rather than spiritual guidance the sage was surprised that instead it was breakfast that was offered and readily accepted. He sat quietly next to the man after filing through the line, through the doors, accepting the greeting from the smiling warm volunteer worker, filing through the line offering warm biscuits, homely eggs and sustaining grits (a southern phenomenon). After that they began filing into the tables which had served so many others, the sage presumed. And he watched, the man ate quickly with his head hung low. He watched as the man silently stood and walked in silence to the garbage receptacles and deposited the debris inside. There was no contact with any others, except that warm smiling lady who offered her hand and a hug. And the sage followed. He watched as the man hefted his satchel over his shoulder and readjusted the laces on his boots. The sage noticed the worn condition of the heavy construction foot protection. They walked only inches apart down the street, still sleepy from the night before and they arrived at what looked to be a holding center for other similarly dressed individuals. The man signed his name although nobody acknowledged his presence and he took his seat in an orange plastic chair that was coated with the use from days and months and years past. And the sage watched.

There were many standing and pacing, some anxious and many seemingly unconcerned. In minutes there stood a lady from behind a glass window who began to call names. The sage watched as the man quickly walked to the window to accept the slip of paper and proceeded out to a waiting bus. The sage followed and with a nod to the driver also entered the bus and sat beside the man. The bus made several stops and finally the man rose and exited the bus, and the sage followed. There was demolition already in motion and a man with a hat beckoned the man to his side. The man shook hands but offered very few words. He dropped his satchel in the direction that the man in the hat directed and he went to work. He worked and he worked, the sage noticed the sweat staining the color of his once dry and clean shirt. This went on for hours and then the motion stopped. The workers on the site gathered their belongings and retrieved what looked like a hefty dinner. The man being followed pulled out what looked like packaged cookies and chips and a thermos of what looked like water. Again he ate with his head hanging low. And the sage watched.

After a short time the motion around the area resumed and the man went back to his work. This lasted for hours and eventually again the work ceased to the sound of a whistle. The man gathered his things and pulled out a towel. He wiped his head and neck and placed the towel around his shoulders. He went back to the spot where he had stepped off the mobile chariot. Within minutes the same vehicle from the morning returned. They entered and sat, the man with a fulfilled look on his face. They rode in silence and returned to the waiting center from the morning. As they exited the vehicle, the man entered a growing line of people waiting to be at the front of the line in front of the window. As the man arrived at that front of the line, he submitted the piece of paper from the morning and was rewarded with what looked like $35 and some random coins. The man smiled and returned outside. The man went to a nearby bench and sat down. He carefully took the bills marked with the number five and separated four from the others. He folded them and put them in his shirt pocket. He then folded the remaining bills and placed them in his pocket. He inhaled deeply and hefted his bag onto his shoulder and began to walk. He walked quickly north. The sage followed, seemingly floating on air. The man walked for what the sage could calculate as almost half a mile. They entered through the automatic doors of a building that was filled with foods of all kinds. The man picked up a small basket with handles and he carefully selected four packs of tuna in a foil sealed bag, a box of crackers and two apples. He walked to a table that seemed to roll forward with the items. The lady behind the rolling table placed the items into a bag immediately after waving them by a shiny mirror, ensuring a beep. The man reached into the pocket and pulled out two bills and presented them to the lady. She returned some changes which his pushed into his pocket with one hand while he grabbed the bag with his other offering a mumbled thanks. He walked ahead while swinging his knapsack to his front and in a swift motions inserted the items into his bag. He replaced it and took off walking with determination and a quick gate. The sage followed.

The man walked retracing his steps and then continued on. He walked 18 blocks further than when he started and he arrived at a fenced building with others standing in yet another line. As his position advanced to the front he arrived at another window, this time with no glass. He signed his name and pulled a card carrying his name and photo out of his pocket and presented it to the man behind the window. The man nodded and the man then pulled the four bills out of his pocket. He signed his name and reclaimed his card and walked down the hall to a room that had eight beds. He placed his satchel under an empty bed and proceeded down the hall and around the corner to a room of similar size to the one that morning. The man stood in yet another waiting line and was offered a tray with warm food. It looked like spaghetti with red sauce. The man ate and then exited, returning to his room. He gathered his satchel and walked to the room containing showers. He was given a towel and he disrobed and showered and exited wearing garments removed from the satchel.

He went to a room equipped with a television and a pool table, some books, checkers and decks of cards randomly placed on tables. He sat reading and writing and an hour later he stood and departed. The sage watched as the man settled onto the bed, stretched and laid down. He almost instantly fell into a deep slumber. The sage watched and he too faded to sleep.

Sleep was dismissed at the sound of a loud buzzer at 5:00 am according to the clock on the wall. The man jumped up and grabbed the towel from the night before and quickly walked to the restroom. He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth and with precision seemed to jump into his clothes and boots. He went back to the room, made up the bed and grabbed his satchel. He grabbed his towels and walked out the room and down the hall. He deposited his towel into a barrel, returned to the window, signed his name, nodded in the affirmative to the man and exited the building. He quickly walked 18 blocks back to the house of worship where the sage embarked on the quest the day before. The sage watched as the same motions were repeated that day and they arrived at the same place the next morning. This day would be different. After eating and walking to the place with the windowed woman, this day he went through the routine but there was no name calling and so he sat for hours and eventually he stood quietly and left. He walked several blocks to a nearby park and pulled out a writing instrument and note pad. He wrote and he wrote and he stared into space. After several hours he made the 18 block walk to the place of shelter and sleep. He followed this pattern the next day also and on the following day the pattern changed. After his time in the park this time there was no walk as the evening drew close. Instead he sat and he sat longer. Finally he arose and walked about four blocks where there were a gathering of people and more lines. He stood in another line and was offered several hot dogs, a cup of sweet tea and a bag of chips. He nodded thanks, sat and then ate. He discarded his rubbish and was offered more food this time in a sack. He placed the sack in his satchel and he walked slowly away. He walked back towards the park and sat. He sat well into the night and finally laid on a flat level place, placing his satchel under his head, right after removing a round object from the satchel. He wound the instrument and set it beside him and he slowly turned and tossed but eventually fell into sleep. The sage watched.

After awakening to the buzz he began a regiment of stretching and bending. He pulled a wipe out of his bag and wiped his face and under his arms. he quickly changed his shirt and brushed his teeth with no water and he walked. He walked back to the place of breakfast offerings and the day continued as each other had....it was at that point that the sage spoke. He introduced himself and asked the man for his time today. He promised to exchange seven bills with the number five markings for his time. The man agreed.

The sage walked and asked the man to follow. They started in a different direction this time. They walked for some ten blocks before arriving on an empty space of land. The sage gave a few instructions and the man sat down his satchel and walked over to a stack of boards. He viewed the saw and began following the instructions of the sage. He worked hard and began sweating and in two hours the stood back with the sage with tears filling his eyes. They had finished driving the last nail in what appeared to be a wooden cabin. The sage made a call on his cell phone which appeared almost miraculously. Minutes later a truck marked Water Department on the side arrived. A man stepped out with a few hand tools and lengths of white round pipe. He drilled a hole into the wall of the structure and screwed some pieces in place. He joined the white pipe and after connecting several twists and turns connected it to a large white pipe coming from the ground. The sage made another call and minutes later an elderly lady drove up. The man following the directive of the sage went and retrieved a box from in her trunk. He cried as the woman hugged him lovingly. He took the box and placed in on the ground in front of the door of this cabin. He took out an inflatable mattress which had also previously been in her trunk and began to inflate it with the hand pump. He eventually looked through the box to see cans of food and a blanket, soap and toothpaste. He also finds a a simple camping kit with plate and fork and spoon and cup. He places the mattress and blanket inside of the cabin and then quietly with a tear running from his eye organizes the cans in the box which he places on the side of the mattress.

The wise sage decided to continue his vision quest and to walk a few more miles with the man. He finally made introductions and explained that he was trying to see clearly and learn about this community. With the rest of the afternoon he walked the man over a street and introduced him to a wonderful lady whose hair was beginning to gray. As they talked the lady bent over pulling the green grass from between the carefully planted rows of budding plants. She spoke gently to the man and invited him to come put his hands in the dirt often. She picked some of the luscious greens and tomatoes and placed them into a several times recycled bag and sent them on their way. As the two made it back to the cabin, there was a small box with a bow and it had the mans name on it in crudely written letters. The man picked up the slightly smaller than a shoe box container and opened it to find a cornucopia of envelopes each with a picture on the front and all containing seeds. The man entered the cabin and sat on the floor and wept. The sage stood silently outside the door and waited. He waited until the man decided to come out in silence.

As the man came out the sage asked the man about his dinnertime plans. The mans simply asked if he could just stay put. The sage silently nodded. The man went for the first time to the water fixture and took the container from the cardboard storage shelf. He washed it out and then washed the leaves and tomatoes that he had been given. He carefully cut the tomatoes and chopped the green and then opened the canteen. He placed half on one side and half on the other. He walked to the wise sage and with his head hanging low offered one of the dishes to him. He silently turned and walked back to the middle of the cabin and took his seat on the floor. This time he hung his head low in quiet reflection for what seemed like minutes. Upon raising his head he breathed in deeply, slowly. During his head bent meditation, the sage had taken a seat across from the man. They began their meal in silence and as they drew to a conclusion, the man began to cry and laugh. And then the man began to speak. He spoke low and slowly and began to tell the wise sage the story of his life. He told all of the twists and turns of his life well into the early morning hours. As he faded into exhaustion, he reached into his satchel and pulled out his clock. He wound it and set the arms. He offered the sage his newly inflated bed but the sage refused. The man removed his heavy boots and reclined on the bed, covered himself with the blanked and was almost instantly asleep.

As the buzzer sounded there was a different routine to the day. The man woke up and looked around with a look of confusion. He rose slowly and gathered his bearings. He walked to the opening of the cabin and looked out. He looked thoughtfully and then he seemed to leap into the day. He took one of the containers and filled it with water. He went into his satchel and then paused to remove all of the contents. He took from the items a well worn rag and a bar of previously used soap. He moistened the rag and washed. He brushed his teeth and exchanged yesterdays clothes for a new set. Today he grabbed the satchel but he only put into it a rugged package of tuna and a partial package of crackers. He took from another package that was unopened and began to eat. He hoisted his satchel on his shoulder and began the walk. This morning he whistled between crackers. He approached the church and walked past the line waiting for admittance. He went to the waiting room to greet the lady behind the window, and this morning he spoke a few words of greeting. She was surprised to see him speak and looked surprised to see him so early. This morning he didn't go and sit down, she immediately handed him the usual slip of paper and told him to go out to the waiting transport van. He chewed the last cracker as he stepped inside, and the sage went along also. He was taken to a different place this morning and the work didn't seem nearly as hard as the other days but he worked hard and long. As the time for break came he stopped and rested, taking out the partial package of crackers and tuna. This time there were bins of water and cups for them to refresh themselves with. He rested momentarily and then wandered back to where he had been working. He looked around and found a tool that needed mending and he carefully repaired it. By that time the others had gathered back to work and he joined them. Something different happened at the end of this day. He turned in his paper slip and this time received eight bills in return. He paused before turning away after questioning the lady behind the window. She nodded and he placed the bills into his pocket and departed. He did his usual stop outside and looked at the bills. This time he placed all of the bills in his pocket. He hoisted his satchel over his shoulder and quickly walked to the grocery store. He paused as if in thought. He walked and bought several apples this time and some some other fruits. This time he walked over to the deli and they had chicken that had been baked. He got a whole one and then thought. He bought some paper products and then went and bought a bottle of soda. He went to the checkout and pulled out three bills and paid the cashier. He didn't put the bags in his satchel this time. Instead he carried them swinging them a bit as he went. He walked quickly as if he was in a hurry. Today he spoke to the sage. He told him how much he enjoyed chicken and he walked. He walked to his cabin and put down his bags. He piled his blanket over the still warm chicken and went to the box that had his name on it. He opened it slowly and thumbed through the items. He started to take the envelopes out but put them back, closed the box and put it under his arm. He asked the sage if he would join him and the sage nodded. He took off down the street and over to the garden. He went straight to the place that the lady has pointed out to him the day before. It appeared to have been freshly plowed. He bent over every stay strand of grass and carefully pulled it out and then with his hands made rows in the soil. He carefully planted the rows and then helped himself to the greens and tomatoes that he had been invited to share. He walked back to his cabin with a content look on his face. He carefully washed the harvested greens and tomatoes and then washed the soil from his hands. He carefully cut the produce and carved the chicken and placed it as he had the night before on the two plates. This time he spoke. He acknowledged not knowing where the sage had come from and admitted the uncertainty of the future. He ate slowly today wondering what tomorrow would offer.

The moral of this story: Allow people every opportunity to renew their dignity and they will in turn change their own lives.

-- Live life fully today! LaRahna Hughes

LaRahna@gmail.com

We will be conducting a test build on June 14, 2009 at Shekinah Farms (http://shekinah-farm.com/). This test build will be erect a standard hexagon Hexayurt (www.hexayurt.com developed by Vinay Gupta) with a raised (cinder block supported) foundation. The test build will be erected on a site that currently has a new water and sewer line.

This test build is for the following purposes (and I'm sure there will be a few more implications along the way):
1. Construct the foundation for the traditional hexayurt according to current design data
2. Construct the hexayurt wall/roof assembly using the current hinged wall design
3. Document the wall/floor construction and assembly
4. Document the circular saw cutting guides, testing for accuracy and ease of use
5. Calculate appropriate manpower requirements for construction and assembly
6. Calculate manhour requirements for construction and assembly
7. Collection of still photography and video for use in further data analysis and for the development of training documents and aids

What we expect to see at the end of this test build is:
1. A complete hinged wall hexayurt firmly affixed to a raised (cinder block supported) foundation with the capabilities to have running water and a septic connected bathroom.
2. A revised construction plan for this model
3. Video and still photography footage for use in further analysis and in the development of training material and build documentation

Implications:
1. An accurate construction plan will allow us to plan for further testing (testing of insulation is a vital next step in the design process
2. Completed construction will allow us to determine a final cost for construction
3. Completed construction will allow us to move forward in testing the use of water/sewer connections
4. Completed construction of the exterior will allow us to further test interior wall and sleeping/storage loft designs and construction

Resources needed:
1. Financial resources: We would like a $500 buffer for this test build. This will ensure adequate material for the build and will also provide enough funding for plumbing materials essential to connecting the hexayurt to water and sew lines. Chip In: http://convertiblecommunity.chipin.com/hexayurt-test-build-june-14-2009-shekinah-farms-al
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION SO THAT WE WILL HAVE ADEQUATE FUNDS ON HAND PRIOR TO THE TEST BUILD (any donation will be appreciated)

2. Human resources: If you are close enough to the North Alabama region (Hazel Green, AL) please plan to come join us. There are adequate camping (tent and travel trailer) space and adequate bath facilities available onsite. Come for the weekend or come for the day!

If you would like more information please email me at larahna@gmail.com or call at 478.338.2670!

Building solutions!
LaRahna