The second bond-beam was poured over the weekend for the north side 'oval room'. Since each room of the structure will be at a different wall height, the bond beams are being poured separately. The four separate bond-beam pours serve a practical purpose - making it manageable for a lone builder like myself. The example below is what myself and a helper can do in 4-1/2 hours in 95-degree heat desert sun. That's how this building is getting done - in manageable and practical building tasks.
The pouring of a bond beam on adobe is a creative challenge. For the curved walls I'm using Masonite board cut in strips which serve as the form. Held in place by 4"-deck screws and spaced vertical 1"x2" supports (see photo). Amazingly, the 'cob' (staw/clay) adobe walls hold those screws rock-solid.
The metal straps sticking-out of the concrete will help secure the Ponderosa Pine vigas (beams) that will support the roof.
Bond beam on cob wall
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The difference in wall heights for each room, was derived from personal observation of the project's incremental formation. It's not just the building's architecture that is driving the outcome. Practical considerations like water drainage and the availability or amount of 'material' resources required to construct the roof. Or the design may change for one part of the structure building resources lying around that I just want to use up.
The roof is a massive undertaking for an individual. But designing with these limitations in mind are proving a way to innovate around the problem and that's where a lot of satisfaction from this process is derived.
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