Progress - of a sort!

We’ve been to Tepoz three times in the last month.   Each time we were joined by our architect, Antonio, to talk about progress – or lack there of.  Our biggest frustration has been the rain.  This year’s “rainy season” seemed to last forever.  Usually, it stops in September.  This year we were still getting daily storms into early November.  The continued storm showers have frustrated us, Antonio, and the construction crew.

When we visited at the end of October they had brought in a machine to dig trenches for the foundation.  Then it rained and these trenches got filled with water.  It looked more like Venice than a construction site.  This meant waiting until the water had disappeared and the earth dried out sufficiently for concrete footings to be poured.

We agreed with Antonio that from now on, I’d be visiting the site weekly to see and discuss progress.  He thought this was a great idea and offered to give me a lift each Tuesday when he visits the site after teaching at the National University in the south of the city.

When Antonio and I arrived this past Tuesday the place was abuzz with activity.  I'm convinced that some of it was for my benefit, but who cares,  it was activity.  They had filled the trenches with some sort of special soil that had been packed down by some other machine.

This gigantic earthmover was spreading 13 truckloads of topsoil around the lot.

 

This is the area on top of the cistern.  It now has about 40 cm of top soil on of it.

This is the foreman, Froylan, standing on the packed soil in the trenches.  The big square area behind him is the dining / living space.  The foundations will go all around this space as well as the kitchen area, which is beside him.

This past Saturday we went with Lasha and Jerry who are visiting from Canada.  There had been a considerable amount of work done in only three days.

Concrete had been poured into the trenches for almost all the footings.  The foundation work had been started as well.  You can just make about a stretch of foundation in this picture.  I was very impressed with the quality of the work on the foundation.   They are built of large volcanic stones, which, seemingly, offer better long-term support than concrete.  It’s too bad they will be covered up when completed!  The top of the foundation is the level of the house.

There were more truckloads of supplies.  This time, sand, volcanic stone, gravel and MORE dirt.

Here’s Jerry and I standing beside the wall that goes down to the parking.  Where we are is where the “side” terrace will be (beside the kitchen).  You can just see the foundation for the kitchen wall bottom right.  That bit of white on the left is the septic tank!

Here's Lasha admiring the dig and view.