2000 sq feet is pretty big really for such a project. But he sure had
his problems all around.
Working in the construction biz I've heard of people building 7, 8, 10
sq feet in this area of Calif. I just don't understand why people need
that much. When I ask how big the family is I usually get .......It's
just one lady or a couple. It's a puzzle to me that a single person or
a couple would want to have such a big imprint on the planet.
On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 6:53 PM, Mikey Sklar <sklarm-yahoo@screwdecaf.cx> wrote:
> A great deal of Ed's blocks were being stacked in late December '07. It is
> cold and a little wet that time of year in Silver City, NM. Ed kept the
> windows and doors locked after work hours so the ventilation was minimal. At
> one point he was looking for dehumidifiers, but that is sort of a joke in
> dry New Mexico. It has been suggested to me that air conditioners work well
> for this. Ed eventually started spraying (EM) effective microbes on his mold
> infected areas and was reasonably happy with the effect.
>
>
> On Jul 7, 2008, at 7:26 PM, Evelyn Vollmer wrote:
>
> How very sad! Heartbreaking, really. I am glad that he will get some
> relief from the frustration which, I can see, has been acute. Can the
> mold issue be talked of? Ev
> On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 4:02 PM, Mikey Sklar <sklarm-yahoo@screwdecaf.cx>
> wrote:
>
> I have some sad news about a high profile papercrete home in Silver City. Ed
> Conley who had been working on a 2000 sq. ft papercrete home for the last
> year on has given up on the project. I asked his permission to send a e-mail
> to the papercreters mailing list so that others could learn from his
> experience. I've visited the home before and been impressed at how beautiful
> it had come out. Sadly the mold, stucco, and electrical issues along with
> all the labor and financing problems have ended the project. I have no idea
> what will become of the home as the bank takes possession of it.
> Below is a letter from Ed explaining his frustration.
> Begin forwarded message:
> From: edwardc@signalpeak.net
> Date: June 28, 2008 7:09:35 AM MDT
> To: "Mikey Sklar" <sklarm@screwdecaf.cx>
> Subject: Re: Columbus we have a problem
> Reply-To: edwardc@signalpeak.net
> Mikey,
> I am so disgusted with the outcome of the "final" part of this project that
> I have no choice but to walk away completely for the sake of my mental and
> physical well being.
> This house has consumed my entire life for over a year now and in spite of
> some great successes and encouraging spurts of progress, the over all
> process has been trying and impossible at times. I'm not usually a quitter,
> but in this case feel that the stress and despair around trying to make it
> work will continue for a long time and I am not willing to have a total
> meltdown because of a house.
> The violations were all screw ups, or just nit picky by the book violations,
> but at the same time costly and time consuming. The person doing the
> electrical has basically held this project up and delayed the completion by
> at least four months, and frankly I don't foresee the corrections being
> completed for weeks further exasperating my financial problems. As I said,
> the bank has already reported me being in default of the building loan and
> offered no support in finding a solution. Bottom line is they want their
> money now.So, bankruptcy is an option I am considering at this point.I am
> going to visit my family in Tucson for a week and getting an MRI on my back
> to see how extensive my spinal condition is. All I know is that I feel a
> great sense of relief not having to spend 12 hours a day, seven days a week
> toiling on an endless money pit.
> I chose papercrete from the beginning because I was convinced it was the
> most economical,energy efficient, relatively simple way to build.
> Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the people that convinced me of it were
> nothing more than snake oil salesmen with a line of bullshit and a
> convincing rap that gave me a false sense of confidence in their expertise
> and conviciton.
> I can't totally blame them since I blindly trusted them and should have
> recognized some red flags in the process, but my desire to build my own
> home, one that would be a model for others outweighed common sense and
> reality on many levels. Those factors combined with the lack of a skilled
> work force and my own miscalculations created a run away train that I had to
> finally jump off of before it wrecked completely.
> I must say though, the experience and knowledge I have gained will be a
> wealth of resources for anyone considering this method of building.
> I still have confidence in the concept, but know that you have to be careful
> of who you are dealing with. I bought it hook,line and sinker because Willy
> was my friend and supposedly had built at least eight other papercrete
> houses, more that anyone else I knew of and after all he was a friend and
> would be watching out for me. That was a wrong assumption and unrealistic
> way of doing business as the entire process was pretty much a "gentleman's
> agreement" and in spite of my repeated requests for estimates and invoices
> from the people doing the plumbing and electrical, was never clear as to the
> true cost of anything. Just wanting to complete the project in a timely
> manner, let it slip by the wayside and lost control of it.
> I am in no way trying to finger point my way out of this mess, since I am
> just as responsible on many levels but just needed to shed some light on the
> picture as it was painted. As for now, I will enjoy the freedom of not
> having to wake up another day with the frustrating and sometimes futile task
> of keeping a project alive that needed more than a little CPR.
> In retrospect these expensive and hard lessons are good content for a book
> or video.
> I plan to share my experiences with any and all who are toying with the idea
> of building this way.
> Ed
> -Mikey
> http://blog.holyscraphotsprings.com
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Chinese herbals for the Western Mind
> www.ozbotanicals.com
> Skype~eve8mon
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>
> -Mikey
> http://blog.holyscraphotsprings.com
>
>
>
--
Chinese herbals for the Western Mind
www.ozbotanicals.com
Skype~eve8mon
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