We’re currently in preparation mode for our upcoming Japanese guesthouse project. This is the focal point of the 2026 Japanese Carpentry Real Construction Workshop, but it will also be the site for future classes as well. It’s an exciting time, to say the least. I’ve started to submit orders for timbers and we recently cleared the building site with the help of friends. This winter, I’ve found myself waking up early and churning over design details. This is not a small project. But I digress…
Life is full. The bucket that was 2025 proved to be weightier than most, which I wasn’t sure was physically possible. But here we are now at the end. We set a high bar for ourselves this year, and for the most part things went according to plan in terms of workshops and projects. The end of the year always feels like a landmark, but I’m also well aware that the gears never truly stop turning. As I expected, I once again utterly failed to provide substantive project updates throughout the summer or fall, so I’ll attempt to catch you up now.
Our goal for 2025 was this: let’s get as close to the top of that bucket without spilling over. We scheduled six workshops, the most we’ve ever offered in a single season. Three or four distinct building projects, and a smattering of contract work. Pizza Nights continued. An art parade and giant backpack puppet were born.
Right now, I’ll focus on one of our main projects. Back in December 2024, we decided to design our newly-raised timber frame into a usable space for humans (instead of serving as much-needed storage space — I’m still looking for that big empty building, folks). That set the stage for much of our spring and summer work. And this was the first year we did three Japanese Carpentry Workshops back to back, as well. I’ve never run a marathon, but I think this is about as close as I’ll ever get to that feeling.
Winter has been a dizzying series of snowstorms, flooding, bitter cold nights, tornadoes, and everything in-between. We’re in that sweet transitional spot now – longer days, warming temps, and that spring cleaning itch starts really kicking in. Not just spring cleaning, but continuing on with all sorts of projects in preparation for spring and summer. We’re so summer-oriented around here because the workshops demand that so much be ready and in place prior to kicking things off. This year, our workshop season is nearly a full month earlier than normal so we’ve been chipping away at projects as time and weather allow throughout the cold winter months, including lath walls on the pavilion and infill framing on the “Kentucky kura.”
This summer, we hosted four workshops — two Japanese Carpentry classes, Natural Building Essentials, and Timber Framing. This was the first summer we’ve been able to use the new timber frame pavilion, now that the floor is complete. It’s made a huge difference in how we host classes and the overall feeling during events.
The first proof of that was during our Japanese Carpentry Workshops — no one wanted to quit working on their joinery projects in the evenings. (We had workspaces filling up the entire pavilion.) The calm setting, lighting, and overall good feelings all helped. In fact, we had to set quiet hours so people could sleep because students kept chiseling until 10:30 or later at night – ha! I love people’s energy and enthusiasm.
If you’ve been here, you know him
Here is a very very trimmed down look at the last 6 months, via pictures with brief captions. Every couple of months I think about updating this blog. But then I can barely muster the mental fortitude to write coherently. So — why not just throw this out there instead?
Happy new year! Another year (of mud) has come and gone. They move quickly, these years. After 10 years of living in the Berea area, and 8 years at South Slope we’re past the point of getting established and firmly in the routine phase of living life. Our life is here. There’s a familiar flow to the seasons. The details may change, but we know more or less what to expect with each passing season.
This was a summer of firsts in some respects.
After many years without animals, we finally got chickens on the land. We haven’t raised chickens or ducks in years, and I have to admit that the sound of the chickens alone adds a new dimension to the day that I appreciate. (I was very very reluctant to add a new “daily project” this year.)
This was also the first year in a while that we haven’t started a new building project at home. And thank goodness. We still have plenty to finish up between the few on-going (and yes, some long-running) projects. I’m fine with that. It’s my personal goal to spend more time finishing what we have and getting to some much-need maintenance. The temptation to do something new is always there, but it can wait. Patience. There’s plenty to do already.
The end of winter is nigh. However, it can be hard to tell sometimes. 78 degree days in February, night-time lows in the teens this weekend — the weather is an increasingly less reliable marker during this time of year. I’m sure that’s true for many of us, wherever we live. Nevertheless, there’s a change in the air. I’m jonesing to get my spring cleaning going this month. There’s a lot to catch up on after a busy 2022 building season. Here’s where we stand with the timber frame pavilion build.
The bustling summer and fall seasons are finally coming to a close. We just wrapped up our final Natural Building Essentials Workshop a few weeks ago, gardening season is long past, and it’s nearly time to start hatching plans for 2023 already. It’s been a year to remember.
This has been the busiest winter in a long time. It’s all good stuff, but the window of opportunity to appreciate some downtime is narrowing before a busy spring and summer season. Enough of that, though. I’m here to share some details about our upcoming Japanese Carpentry Workshop project.
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
