The long-awaited surveyor showed up today with no warning. He had a little trouble measuring in some places, because, well ….
Owner-built home
Category: construction
What a difference a year makes!
A little over a year ago, we started construction on our remarkable new house. Have a look.
This is what it looks like now:
Looking from the sleeping toward the back back.
The storeroom on the right replaces the charming defecation facility I photographed in August 2012. All that’s lacking is the kitchen. I plan to build the cabinets, and been waffling and indecisive about how I want to do them. But, as Stuarte Wilde said: There is no hurry on the creative plane, nor is there any lack of opportunity.
Uruguayans make Mexicans look like Americans
Ahh, I know what you’re thinking. In fact, this apparently sloppiness involves a remodel job in our very crooked little farmhouse. The piece to the right is the ceiling; the top piece slants up to it. It will all look just fine tomorrow. Oh no, that’s Labor Day: Thursday. Or Friday.
As I watched Martín cutting sheetrock (yeso, pronounced jeso), I marveled at this knife. Turns out he bought a cheap one (made guess where?) that fell apart after three days. So he melted a piece of thermofusion water pipe around the blade to make a handle.
When we lived in Mexico, I thought the Mexicans were the ultimate do-anything-with-nothing people. Compared to the Uruguayans, though, they’re like USA-Americans hopping into their Dodge 350 to go to Home Depot to buy yet another specialized electric tool….
Earthbag house update
This baby is SOLID.
If you’re new to this, no, it’s not mine, but on our road in the country.
Related:
Broken well
In order to get more water out of our well, this morning our albeñil (mason) tore down the pillars on either side that supported the pulley that made it possible to easily pull wate from the well.
Counterintuitive? Stand by….
Earthbag house progress
Looks a little shaky, perhaps. In fact, those walls have set up like solid concrete. Between each row they’ve laid in two strands of barbed wire, but I don’t think there’s any reason to expect those filled bags to go anywhere.
Volquete
Dumpster. Windows installed, much of the interior finished; time to tear out poorly made (like everything else in the campo) cement-and-rubble floors. Floors from the front half of the house filled this container.
Progress, but slow. Then again there’s no hurry.
Earthbag construction
New construction nearby.
I’ve been aware of something happening at the entrance to our country road. Today the profile rose into view – an earthbag house! I went to check it out. I’ve never seen something like this here, I told Liber, the owner. Nor have I, he replied, I found this on the internet.
How we do it in Uruguay (deadlines)
I don’t have an update, but in November the Chinese were to start building the world’s tallest building – in 90 days.
Meanwhile here in Uruguay, it’s unlikely this 3-house project near us will be finished within 90 days of the promised delivery date (November 2012). By then the summer will be over, and the rental market dead until the next season starts, 9 months later.
House progress
I know; doesn’t inspire too much right now. But the structure gets a little more solid every day.
I’m posting this now so I can link back to it later. It’s gonna be awesome 😉