All photos link to larger images.

The color coat went on and (phew!) looks good. We chose a custom color to match the sage growing in the high desert around us. The large sample color testing paid off...the color looks like we wanted it to. I asked the lead plasterer how he liked the color and he said he liked it a lot. Then he added (seriously) that it was a nice shade of blue.Hmmmm.

A view of the color coat from the street. We'll be planting a few trees here on the south side that will shade us in the summer and obscure the solar panels a bit from the street, without shading the panels themselves. Since deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, the trees won't block the sun in winter either. The panels on the roof on the left (garage) are the pv panels for producing electricity. The other panel is for the solar hot water. The little orange blop is our weathervane.

Meanwhile, back inside the clay continues. Here Gabriel is mixing another bucket for the great room. We are using Nantucket Sand with straw in the great room area. Now I understand why plaster is more expensive than drywall. It's very labor intensive and takes skill. These guys have been working hard and it's almost finished.

Ricardo is smoothing the clay on a high gable in the great room. Orange tape protects one color from getting on the other. The ceiling is also Nantucket Sand but has a lot of white for contrast. Because the home has so many windows, walls with a bit more color don't make the rooms darker like in some homes. The colors of the clay are rich and beautiful. It gives the home a very different feeling than drywall and paint.