Limestone Wall on the Verge of COLLAPSE… We Rebuilt It

Video Description

Everyone told us not to buy this house. This wall was the reason. I’ll be honest, this wall has scared the crap out of us for years. Yes, years. Before we ever bought the house, we would pass it once in a while on hikes. We would talk about buying the house in an off-handed, theoretical way, and Luka would say, “except for that big crack in the wall. I don’t know if it could be fixed.” Turns out, we were the first of an ever echoing chamber of comments about that wall. As we moved through the project, fixing walls little by little, installing beams, making improvements, it lingered there on the Northeast corner, a constant reminder that the house was not stable. And no matter how much work was done, we never escaped the question we knew was coming, and dreaded answering: “well, did you fix the wall?” Well, to anyone who has ever asked: Yes. We fixed the wall. Believe it or not, it looked scarier than it was. And the process was literally no different than any other wall that we have built to this point. The process goes as follows: brace, demolish, brace, dig, concrete, build. And this wall was no different. The rocks were in better shape than we imagined, and in fact, there was a reason the wall had not collapsed, despite the leaning. The rocks and the mortar binding them together were so strong, that they formed a huge mass that wouldn’t shake apart. There was less lamination than on other walls we’ve seen (seen east wall for reference,) and in fact, many of the rocks were reusable. This was a massive relief. And it has made us far more confident moving into the rest of the North wall, that we will have enough rock, and it won’t fall on us mid-construction. Why it split off from the other wall is still a mystery that likely died with the previous owner. But, we do know that few of the rocks that tied the walls together were large or strong. We also noticed that instead of clay foundation, the wall largely sat on plain dirt. So, for fear of waking up in 20 years to another major crack, we decided to proceed with an abundant of caution, and do everything we could to add stability. In place of the large flat corner stones that we pulled out of the wall, we sourced larger, squarer stones from a nearby dump-site. These stones are a different rock than limestone, making them harder and more sturdy. We used many of these in place of the limestone for long-term stability. The larger stones will be great for the interior of the north wall. Now, you might be wondering what that arched window is in the middle of the wall. Spoiler alert: it’s a chapel. Finally, we had a little extra space in the front that was decided would be a great spot for a little front porch. Sitting outside and chatting with neighbors and hikers is a big part of the community and daily life here in Zavine, and having a little patio space, just big enough for two, is our way of being apart of that. We laid down limestone “pavers,” from laminated rocks removed from the wall. Over time, they will break down into smaller rocks, and eventually, mulch. And we will love the look of both. This wall being completed feels like a new chapter of the house: and we can truly see the vision of the beautiful cottage that we knew it could be. And almost more importantly, our family, friends, neighbors and community members can see it too. We had a number of volunteers helping us on this build. First were the Dutch Bros: Zeb and Joost. They were champions of digging and demolition. It was really tough work, and they did it with smiles on their faces. Second was Harrison, our fellow builder enthusiast, who for the first time in the entire project, was able to actually help build the rock wall. Normally, skills this intense are saved just for Luka, but he had enough experience that he had his own mortar scoop and rock assistant to help build. It will forever be known as “Harrison’s Corner,” around the house. Third was Julian, who popped in for a quick visit, and even though he was traveling, joined us for a few days to help backfill the trench. Finally, as always, thanks to Ladi, our fearless team member. Vinaka vakalevu Zeb kei Joost! Thank you Harrison! ¡Gracias Julian! Hvala lepa Ladi! CHAPTERS 00:00 - 00:35 Introduction 00:36 - 02:34 Corner Demolition 02:35 - 03:38 Foundation Excavation 03:39 - 05:46 Concrete Foundation 05:47 - 09:43 Limestone Corner Construction 09:44 - 10:59 East Wall Demolition 11:00 - 13:10 Limestone Wall Construction 13:11 - 14:00 Drainage 14:01 - 14:39 Final Reveal 14:40 - 15:09 Credits