Shower/Compost Toilet Construction

Shower/Compost Toilet Construction

We began construction by digging a hole in the ground for the humanure collection bin (pictured below filled with tires) and starting the foundation by filling old tires with rocks to protect the strawbales from wet ground:

For a strong support system for the framework posts, post-holders were secured in concrete (Yael pictured):

Yigal working on forming and waterproofing the humanure bin chamber:

Merav and Yigal installing the wooden posts:

Yigal ensuring the posts are straight. The stone border around the tires is built to protect the mud plaster that will coat the strawbales from wet ground; it also serves an aesthetic value:

Pome and Yigal installing the framework:

The framework raises nicely. Pictured from left to right: Yael, Yigal, Pome, and Ben-ja:

Pictured front-left is the framework for the entrance to the humanure bin chamber (and the bin itself!):

A nice side-view of the initial framework:

Yael forms "light straw" mud bricks to be used for the front facing walls and for the wall that separates the shower from the toilet:

(From left to right) Colin, Ben-ja and Yael work on building the mud brick walls:

Stone slabs found on premises were installed as mosaic shower floor:

Gonen came to teach us how to create a shower:

We added little pieces of broken ceramics, marbles, seashells and other bits we found into the mosaic floor:

One of several opportunities for solution we encountered was when the mud dried and the brick wall separated from the wood. Without incorporating a binder-medium to attach between the mud wall and the wood, such as mesh material, we sought another retro-method. Inserting metal rebar through the wood frame and into the mud brick wall worked to give support to the wall using the strength of the framework. (Merav L. and Ben-ja pictured):

Ben-ja designed and installed the compost toilet quarters (the design and his penman pictured):

Ben-ja works on reinforcing the framework for the humanure bin chamber:

Strong shit!

The sitting quarters frame...

We built up the mud brick separator wall, adding a tire window in for indecent spying:

And reinforced support with the rebar trick (Jenya pictured):

Back to the compost toilet, whose design continues to come to life, the "shute chamber" and lid are installed with insulation from used feed bags to protect the wood...

a handsome removable front panel...

add a toilet seat and we have the lovely compost toilet seating quarters:

A wooden plank floor and step finish the construction:

The throne:

All the while, we began to build the strawbale walls. First layer:

(On the interior, we were installing a stone border to protect interior mud plaster from wet ground):

Onto the second layer of bales (Jenya and Merav L. on bale mountain pictured):

To secure bale rows in place, we hammered in rebar as pins through each bale. The tools:

The third row! Along with the lovely slatted window found on premises installed:

Front view:

Ben-ja installs the toilet room front window:

Then we tried on the doors...

and our first roof, assembled from corrugated metal used for the garden wall and a window panel as a sky-light:

Now for more mud!! A variant mixture of clay soil, sand, and straw makes up the first coat mud plaster. For the first round, we mixed the mud by foot (Maya and Ben-ja pictured):