Taking part in construction works and discovering vernacular techniques

This week, we had the opportunity to help Stefan, our neighbour, who is executing renovation and extension works on his house. With the construction of the new building recently completed, we were able to start working on the facades while renovating the interior of the existing house.

This one is very old and was therefore built using vernacular techniques from here : a cross-shaped wooden structure covered with a mixture of clay and hay to fill the walls, which acts as insulation to keep the house cool in summer and retain the heat from the wood stove in winter. However, it has deteriorated over time, particularly around the windows and over the beams and ceiling, which are collapsing. In this way, I started by breaking up all the damaged parts of the ceiling with a trowel, so that we could apply a new mixture that would adhere to the beams and insulate the ceiling. While the other volunteers filled the windows and the apron walls with clay and hay, I did the same around the door. Working with these natural materials was very enjoyable !

As for the new part of the house, it was built using more modern construction techniques, still with a wooden structure but this time without clay, but with insulating panels instead. Together with the other volunteers, we plastered the facades, covering the insulation with a putty mixture that protects the insulation while remaining vapour-permeable. Once this was in place, we incorporated a net to reinforce it. A few days later, after it had dried, I began applying the final coat to the facade using white plaster. It was a material that was very pleasant to work with because it is very malleable, but also very demanding because it dries quickly and it takes time to make it really smooth.

This construction experience was very interesting and educative for me ; I really enjoyed working with these different materials and sharing these moments with the other volunteers, Stefan and his family. I hope that the rest of the building works will be as enjoyable as it has been this week !

Maya