Category Archives: House

The Pozo is Poured

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Digging the hole for the pozo was by far the most time consuming task of the small cabin septic tank for various reasons including that the soil was mostly rock after about 2 feet down and also that they dug with just a pickaxe, shovel and ice breaking bar. So after about 4-5 days of digging they were finally able to move on to the next steps in building the tank.

Pulling the wheel barrow

Once it was dug, they needed to make footers for the bottom. In order to do this, the wheelbarrow method of hauling concrete was once again employed.

Bringing over wheel barrowLots of grunt work!

Setting blocks
Setting the footer

Next was to bring over all the cinder blocks and then start to build what we called our “castle.” The castle that holds poo.

Blocks set
First line around

Pouring concrete
More hauling and dumping

Castle of pozo
The castle and the cabin

And the final step was to do the top of the tank. This will also serve as a landing for the stairway up to the deck of the house.

Form for the pozo
Forms ready!

First they made the molds/forms for the concrete. Then yet again more mixing and hauling of concrete by hand through the jungle and then finally, they smoothed it out.

Pozo and house
Nice and smooth -the small hole will be used to take out the wooden forms once it cures and a cover will be made

We are enjoying this space on the other side of the property more and more as we can start to see our vision manifest into reality. A building project of even this size is not for the faint of heart. This takes quite the commitment, especially the way we have gone about it (aka the hard way) and there have been a few nights of tossing and turning, mulling over our decisions. We are constantly checking and rechecking and trying to avoid or correct mistakes (there will ALWAYS be mistakes), but it’s on days like these when we see big progress toward our goals, we know we are on the right track. After all, the challenge is part of the reason we moved here in the first place! It’s just hard to always keep that in the forefront of our minds.

Turkey in the cabin
Silly turkeys playing in the cabin!

The project will be slowing down for a few weeks, but the next step is in the other direction: the roof!

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Cabin Walls and Pozo

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We are at the phase of the cabin project where we can really see the shape that the house is taking. This week we began framing the walls and digging the “pozo.” Pozo means well, but in this case, it is the word they use for septic tank. This hole has to be at least 6 feet in the ground, 6 feet wide and 6 feet in length. Below about 2 feet, it is rock hard soil. And they are digging by hand. In the full sun. Yah. There are some worn out guys by the end of the day.

Digging the septic hole
Britton and the guys take turns digging and removing the dirt for the septic

Before we even started these tasks, Britton installed all the hurricane clips beneath the house as well as brought over and powerwashed nearly all of the 2x4s. Between him and me, I think we probably washed about 200 pieces of wood, and some of them really needed it.

Powewashing boards in the quebrada
Britton pauses during powerwashing (sorry it’s a little blurry)

This is such a major project it quickly becomes exhausting. The guys often work straight through in the hot, blazing sun. Since we had to clear the area before we could build, it is just roasting without shade. The good thing is that we think it is going to be an excellent candidate for solar power.

Framing
Framing the first wall

Every single thing that you see in these pictures was brought over by hand through the jungle up and down slick slopes under and over trees and vines. I don’t think anyone would deny that we really are a team of go-getters with can-do attitudes (but they may say we are a little crazy too  🙂 )!

Walls up
Two walls up

We are still deciding on a few things like siding (there is really only one choice at any ferreteria: T-111 siding -but we would prefer something else, windows -Miami shutters (Air Masters) must make up 90% of the market here so again not much choice in the matter unfortunately, and we can’t find any rolls of insulation anywhere. Not that we really need insulation for temperature reasons (there will be no heating or air conditioning inside) but we would like it in order to fill the cavities so that bees or bats won’t want to once again take up residence inside. These are fairly minor issues, they just make our days “off” seem like endless scavenger hunts with promising leads, but all trails point to the same limited choices (anyone with any suggestions?). Cést la vie in Island Construction.

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Tamarind

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Bowl of tamarind
Tamarind from a tree out back

One of our new favorite snacks is tamarind or tamarindo in Spanish!

We really had never seen or eaten tamarind before, but wow, what a treat! It’s like candy growing right off the tree. It tastes a bit like a chewy sweet tart candy. You just pull the fruit off the tree, crack it open and suck the jelly off the seeds. You can also make juices, candies or sauces with the pulp. I prefer to just eat it straight from the tree.

It is currently in season here in Puerto Rico and we have two or three big trees right here on the property. We are always amazed by the wide variety of tropical fruit here, but even more so we are amazed that these great fruits aren’t more common in the stores in Puerto Rico! So many things can be grown here (and are!) but they just don’t make it through the “normal” distribution chains. You’ll see things like this tamarind from Thailand sometimes before you’ll see the local Puerto Rican variety! It’s crazy!

Tamarind Walmart
Tamarind all the way from Thailand in a Puerto Rican Wal-Mart!

That’s why we get a lot of our Puerto Rican produce at the little fruit stands or just grow it ourselves. We made a short little video that shows how to identify both the tree and the fruit and how to tell if it is ripe or not. Enjoy!

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Cabin Subflooring

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This week the work on the cabin started with lifting the huge girders into place. With just three guys, it was quite the challenge filled with lots of exertion and grunting, but they did it!

Girders
Sliding a girder into place

When all three were up, they began bringing over the 2x8s and installing them. At this point we could really see the footprint that the house will take.

Floor boards
Floor joists installed

Boards are placed
Looks out and in toward the jungle

Side profile
Side profile

All of the wood so far has come from the deconstructed wooden house, so it has been relatively inexpensive. Britton and I were unsure if we should use the underlayment panels so we checked them all out and found that a large majority were in great shape as far as integrity of the wood, but pretty dirty. We sorted out the best pieces and then I powerwashed and painted/sealed them with Kilz.

Panels
Sorting out the old underfloor panels (or building a dance floor?)

Kilz the panels
Painting/sealing them after powerwashing

We did have to buy a couple of panels but just doing this cleaning and recycling of most probably saved $1000 as compared to new.

And the very next day, they began installing them!

Cabin through the trees
Subflooring being installed

We have had a few challenges that we’ve had to work through during this process, but overall it has been remarkably smooth. It has been a change in pace, especially for Britton, to work every day at 7am again, but it seems a little different when it is for a project of our choosing. It is also a little different to be a manager of this project and work with a crew. We must constantly be aware of people’s (including our own) strengths and weaknesses, desires and dreads. Overall, we are learning, growing and of course building a little more every day throughout this project.

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