Tarping is not the most enjoyable part of the process but I'd feel like
I wasn't telling the whole story if I didn't mention it. Tarps have
two important jobs on the straw bale construction site. First they keep the straw walls dry before they are plastered. Second
they shield fresh lime or cement-lime plaster from direct sun and wind and ultimately from curing too quickly and cracking
as a result.
The tarps go up just before the bales and stay up until a
week or two after the plastering is done. When it's time to put the tarps up,
we start calling ourselves "Tarpenters". Joking aside, like any trade, there's a way to do it. We know what tarps
work best, how to put them up so that they don't blow away and so that we can work under them.
Click photo to enlarge.
