Week 7 of our house project and Archaeologist Claire reflects on the team effort and resources that have so far gone into building our house.

Calculations and collaborations 

Like a scene from DIY SOS, the house had people swarming all over it yesterday, beavering away at various tasks, from thatching to attaching oak planking, tidying loose cordage, levelling the floor, and digging trenches for a sill plate to sit in. The weather was glorious, spirits were high and the feel good factor was evident. It’s the closest I’ve felt in terms of communality, to what a build might have been like in the Neolithic.

Throughout the construction, we have kept track of the amount of materials used. These calculations allow us to extrapolate how many ‘(wo)man’ hours it might have taken, and how much time within a community would have been dedicated to each task. Everyone from school age to the most hardened academic enjoys the thrill of knowing how many tons of thatch there are on the roof directly above their head. Current calculations for the amount of thatch round out at about 6.12 tonnes! 

We’ve also worked out that we’ve used to date, 1440 metres of cordage for thatching, 2728 metres for lashing the battens on to the rafters of the roof and another 864 metres of heavier duty rope for the major structural joints. 

In terms of the timber used, our calculations suggest we’ve used in the region of 6.6 tonnes of Scot’s pine just to form the main structure, plus around 570kg of hazel for the battens. 

Finally for this week, I should mention that we have a few special days lined up with Wessex Archaeology. 

Wessex have already been extremely generous with their time and expertise, joining us for events and allowing us access to their amazing array of skilled staff, from drone pilots to graphic designers. The directors at Wessex have generously agreed to allow 20 of their staff, from office staff to hardened diggers to join us across 4 ‘health and wellbeing’ days. Such activities offer opportunities for learning, skill sharing and networking, as well as being good for mental and physical health, particularly for those who many not otherwise work out of doors, or carrying out manual, hands-on tasks. We’re really looking forward to welcoming the teams to the farm to join us on the build in the weeks ahead!