A Solid but Different Beginning – Part Two

I guess that, now that I have been waiting for weeks to post progress, I can’t wait to get to my blog. So, here goes. The construction of the stone base had to be put on hold because of a prior commitment of three weeks’ work for Teodoro. But once he was back on the job, things progressed at a steady and satisfactory pace, especially since he now had help from his nephew Uriel. Uriel might be short in stature and only 15 years old, but what a dedicated worker! His job consisted of mixing cement or concrete as the job required. He also brought cement blocks to his uncle and stones, as well. When the water tank or the drum needed to be refilled with water, he’d string together 3 hoses and got water right across the road from a neighbour’s tap. Her lot has not yet been built upon so our arrangement is that I’ll get the water bill and pay it directly to the Water Commission. The arrangements for water and electricity are worth a post in themselves; later.

As to specs, my water tank holds only 1,200 litres, or some 318 gallons. Not enough to give a steady supply of water for the cement required for the job, hence an extra drum. OK. Now here’s how the erection of my barda or fence is going. The hardest and longest part was the building of the stone base. Every 3 metres, a hole had to be left for the upcoming armed columns, called here castillos. Here’s what it looked like.

A single hole for the castillo on the left. The stone base on the west side. The red cap is over the connection from the RV to the septic tank and is reserved for dumping sewage only. The grey water I simply let drop upon a base of gravel.

Now to Part Two. Once the stone base was completed, a cadena (translation = buttress), was put in place. It consisted of Armex (don’t ask me to translate that one, I haven’t a clue other than castillo, just look at the photos, please), over which concrete would be poured into a form. Here’s what it looked like. The cadena is an armed base connecting each column, also equipped with an Armex, also destined to be made of poured concrete. Photos to come on the next post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The upper left photo shows the west side where my neighbour has a conglomeration of “stuff” that I will be happy to no longer see behind my barda. The upper right shows the Armex and form ready for concrete to be poured in. Bottom left is a finished portion of the cadena.

 

Here’s Uriel at the job.

He uses a bucket to fill up the wheelbarrow left stationary next to wherever Teodoro is working. He might look slight, but make no mistake about his strength and endurance.

Did I mention that EVERYTHING is done by hand?

 

Guess I’ll have to go to Part Three for the next update.

A Solid but Different Beginning - Part One

When I was told by a real estate friend who happens to know about building in Mexico that I should start with building a fence, I thought huh. . . why? It made little sense to me as it would hinder the traffic of trucks delivering things. Never mind machinery! Little did I know that everything is done by HAND! After a number of weeks boondocking on my lot, I not only understand but cannot wait until the fence or barda is finished. The dogs have no clear idea of definite boundaries and announce every life form that comes from either side, be it the pastures around us, or the street in front, or the one a little ways off on the west side. While I was exposed on all sides in the desert, it resulted in a feeling of openness and freedom. We were ALL equally exposed. In a more residential environment, even with very few houses around, it fosters a sense of not belonging, vulnerability. Like living in a fish bowl.

So the decision was easy to determine; first the fence. And as the old adage goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, I opted for fencing the Mexican lot in Mexican style. A fence made of cement blocks of a height between 5 and 6 feet high. It will later be covered with flowering vines.

It began with excavating a ditch around the lot, which had been done by the previous owner of the lot, then building a stone and cement base in it to hold the heavy fence. Now the lot is unequal in level, a bit like a sheet of paper exposed to rain and drying up warped. The end at the northeast corner is quite lower than the rest of the lot. What truly amazed me was how the mason (albaňil in Spanish) figured out how to level through the whole ditch. Very ingenious and marvellous in its simplicity. No laser gizmo here!

He used a clear plastic hose about 10 feet long, filled it with water, leaving about 4 inches evenly spaced and empty at each end, adding the appropriate mark on the hose. He then lowered the hose into the ditch, thumbs against the open ends to prevent water from escaping. He had first planted a rebar into the ditch and marked where the height of the stone base should be on it at the higher end. While I held one end of the hose one the mark he proceeded to about a third of the length of the ditch. He had put a rebar at each third of the way into the ditch. He held the tube against it until the end marks on the hose indicated both ends were level; then he marked where level was on the rebar. He repeated the process for the second and third parts of the ditch and was able to determine that the fence would have to be staircased at the base so as to be even at the top. At least at the northern end.

He then nailed pieces of wood in the form of an inverted U (sorry, I can’t call them planks as they were salvaged odds and ends pieces) and planted them at regular intervals. You’ll see them in the last photo. These he used to string his marks all along the ditch.

The actual building of the base was slow, hard, painstaking work. It started at the southwest corner, and when the perimeter of the lot was done, the front was easy to make level with its beginning southwest part. He broke the stones by hand with just a hammer, fitted them as in a jigsaw puzzle, cemented them in place into a trapezoid base wider at its bottom and even in width and height at the top.

Here are some photos of the process.

Making the mark against the hose mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hose lies at the bottom of the area to be levelled. Here photographed over the stone base after the fact.

 

Pieces of wood and strings will serve as guides throughout the building of the stone base and whole fence.

The top white string indicates the limit of the stone base in line with the limit of the lot. The blue string on the left indicates the level height against which to build, the second lower white  string indicates the upper width of the stone base. Note the hammer on the ground and the tape which he used to constantly measure his work.