And a lot of fun!  It’s a handsome little house now.  I have been working at it alone this winter, doing bits here and there, -someone said I couldn’t do it,  and that really got me going!   Now I am pleased to say that I am nearly finished with the rendering.  Two coats of clay-sand-mix over the straw-clay-fill, then one of lime-sand-mix.  It is interesting to see how well these materials work with water, -it’s been a very, very, wet year.  But the little house has stayed dry -the render  takes moisture up, but lets it go soon enough so there is never any dampness.

The cost of this straw-clay retrofit comes up to less than $500.