Stem wall revisited

Fri/Sat 10/11 October 2014

Base coat plastering proceeded apace, while I tackled the stem wall, getting this last end up to height.

 Inside, most of the wall sections were first-coated.  This photo shows the bale scaffolding - much nicer than ladders - and various bags of loose straw and straw chopped by strimmer in a metal bin.  Chopped straw is mixed into the plaster to make a filler.

Below shows the several stages of dealing with the lowest level of wall, where the stone stem wall extends above the ultimate floor level.  The stone will not be as insulating as the straw, and will potentially cause a cold feeling at floor level.  After some thought, we decided to insulate using the polyester wool.  On the left is an untreated section of wall, showing the stem wall, green wood ladder frame and lower courses of bales.  On the right is a section where the bales have been first-coated, and the stone has been covered with insulation and lathed ready for plaster.