Curious if anyone else on this new board has experience fixing up or living in kominka.
Maybe you'd care to share stories, photos, thoughts of your kominka experiences??

This should have been: certainly not likely to get WEALTHY... autocorrectBrettRas wrote: People coming to live in Ojika are not likely to be wealthy, and they certainly are not likely to get deathly while living here!
I have always had a knack with fixing/building things, and growing up on a small farm I had the chance to help out with small things around the farm. Basically though, coming to Japan has given me my first opportunity to do this type of thing on this larger scale. The technology and techniques are quite different as well. In working with older houses I am trying to use techniques and materials that fit with the house, and these are certainly different than anything I was exposed to in America.Zasso Nouka wrote: I know you say in your blog you knew next to nothing when you first thought about starting a restoration have you learned all your skills along the way or did you already have some of the skills needed ? I must confess that I use Youtube or Google a lot when I'm unsure about doing something.
What have you used to stain/protect the interior and exterior wood and what was the material you used for plastering ?
There have been a number of treasures found in the house! During the purchase negotiations I specified that I wanted everything inside left as it was. I knew that this included a major amount of garbage, but I didn't want the owner to think he was doing me a favor by throwing out all the "old" stuff, and accidentally toss the great finds! There are old coins, tools, pots, boxes, enough dishware for several families, hibachi, sashiko fishing coats, and fishing and diving related gear from long ago. I've still got quite a task ahead of me sorting through it more thoroughly.Makichan wrote: Did you find many interesting things when clearing the house out ? Any chests of old coins maybe ? The loft area looks like it might have been a treasure trove of antiques or was it mostly trash?
Many things to pay attention to will depend on the specific type and age of house.Lazi wrote: When one is looking at potential kominka to buy what sort of things should you be looking out for ?
Shikkui, what a versatile and interesting substance! Plastering can be a relaxing way to spend a day!gonbechan wrote:BrettRas, I read your blog with absolute interest. It was actually what made me look up shikui and find out if we could use it in our not so ancient house.
Fixed that for you. The default edit time on phpBB is quite short, we can extend that if it would be useful ?BrettRas wrote: This should have been: certainly not likely to get WEALTHY... autocorrectI don't seem to be able to edit the post any longer so I guess it will stay that way!
I'd say you've developed that knack to a whole new level man.BrettRas wrote: I have always had a knack with fixing/building things, and growing up on a small farm I had the chance to help out with small things around the farm. Basically though, coming to Japan has given me my first opportunity to do this type of thing on this larger scale. The technology and techniques are quite different as well. In working with older houses I am trying to use techniques and materials that fit with the house, and these are certainly different than anything I was exposed to in America.
I do reference Youtube quite a bit myself, it has been invaluable in learning techniques for using the good old hand tools!
Do you make or buy the individual ingredients ? Would this be suitable for exterior siding ? We have to paint the outside of or house this winter and currently exploring various options, would need about 15 - 20 litres in total.BrettRas wrote: The stain/wood protection I use are all blends of 3 simple natural ingredients: astringent persimmon juice (kakishibu柿渋), pine soot (shouen松煙), and red iron oxide (benigara紅殻). The kakishibu is always the base, and I often use this alone. I mix the other two in varying amounts depending on the color/effect desired.
I will then often use a beeswax and plant oils mix for a finish.
I'm buying the ingredients, though they can also be made/gathered depending on what you have available. I may start making kakishibu at some point, but don't have the excess astringent persimmons at the moment.Zasso Nouka wrote:Do you make or buy the individual ingredients ? Would this be suitable for exterior siding ? We have to paint the outside of or house this winter and currently exploring various options, would need about 15 - 20 litres in total.
The fence looks awesome man, what joints did you use ? Looks like the horizontal runners pass through the uprights, possibly mortice and tenon for the uprights into the upper and lower rails ?