Only six weeks after that first assembly, they bought an unwanted triangle of undulating gorse and scrub in the nation with a vision to construct. Apparently, the true property itemizing read: "Rural constructing site. Only a few kilometres from Moutere Freeway, virtually 1 acre pleasant undulation contour. Elevated soothing pastoral views. Floor cover largely fern and a few pines, nothing a match couldn't clear." Oh, really? It was true pioneering spirit that kept them going by means of these first few years after they cleared the land and deliberate their residence while dwelling in a single, uninsulated, tin storage. This humble dwelling formed the nucleus from which they fed, socialised with, and gave English classes to up to 12 employees recurrently. Even for an ex-restaurateur, catering was no mean feat considering there was no operating scorching water and the only two sizzling plates could not be run at the identical time because the oven.
The ever-changing and EcoLight lighting multi-nationwide workforce of WWOOFERS (Willing Staff On Organic Farms) embraced the lifestyle that had them boiling a copper for two hours earlier than siphoning the steaming water into the outside bath. The pleasure of soaking beneath the stars at evening was nicely earned and much commented on, a lot in order that an out of doors bath has been added as a characteristic to The Peach Suite which allows friends to imagine the earlier prototype. The WWOOFERS had been an integral a part of the method of constructing adobe bricks and working on the construction of The Mudcastle however more importantly, perhaps, they stored morale up and the dream focussed. Why clay although? A chance comment about the mountain of clay they might have to truck off site led Glenys to the library and the more the couple examine earth constructing, EcoLight lighting the extra satisfied they turned that, although never having constructed something in their lives, this was something they may do.
As a bonus, it was discovered that the clay on their property had the ideal composition for EcoLight lighting making adobe bricks and so utilising the earth beneath them as a resource with out cement or sand stabilization was to be the first level of difference for The Mudcastle. Next started the process of adapting clay sieving and brick manufacturing methods written for Australian conditions and high quality-tuning them to accommodate the uniqueness of The Mudcastle site. As with most adventures, there were peaks and troughs. In batch one, the labour intensive, textbook foot-stomping method was used. Still hobbling three days later for a pitiful yield of 70 bricks, and quick operating out of friends volunteering to repeat the experience, this technique was shortly abandoned. With the refined course of they dubbed the Cake-mixer Method using a customised rotary hoe, production improved to 300 bricks on their finest day. Three rotary hoes and one entrance end loader later, the required 10,000 bricks have been produced for the primary phase of constructing.
The bricks were solar-baked in picket moulds with temperature extremes moderated by polythene covers but there were events when, EcoLight lighting exhausted, they took the chance of leaving the bricks exposed to the weather at evening and lost the lot. All part of keeping the dream alive. Clive Johnston, Kevin's father and a standard block layer by commerce, educated Glenys to dam lay the adobe bricks coming off Kevin's manufacturing line and labored alongside the couple sharing and expanding his experience on the way. Opened to new influences, Clive found and perfected a revolutionary building product using waste sawdust and this product has been used for the first time in the development of the castle turrets, the second phase of building. As this new constructing product was grey and appeared nothing like clay, the couple experimented utilizing an old pioneers’ recipe they discovered for making limewash. In true Kiwi fashion, they used a 44-gallon drum. The recipe integrated beef tallow with lime and EcoLight resulted in a white limewash.
This was then tinted to a clay color with a combination of pure earth ochres. The process was, without doubt, excitingly explosive and never for the faint hearted and the unusual "earthy" fragrance was, and remains, distinctive. As a pure preservative coating, the distinctive scent recedes very regularly and guests staying in the Gold Turret, as the one inside accommodation area the place it has been used, should still discern it. Peter Harte, Glenys' father and an electrician by commerce, has enhanced The Mudcastle with dramatic EcoLight lighting and artistic concepts, and was a constant, encouraging presence within the forward momentum of Glenys and Kevin's dream for a few years. Not to be left out, Kevin’s mother Margaret helped with cleaning and baking and Glenys’ mother manned a second sewing machine to make curtains for the principle turret. Particular design consideration was given to sunlines for generating passive solar heating and sightlines to seize views from each room. On one or other stage, all four faces of The Mudcastle are graced with interesting joinery, superbly crafted in native timbers by Michael Bender of Riverside Joinery.