tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160774886569960722024-03-13T13:19:10.558-07:00Building a HouseVenkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-36699257222149396912011-08-26T00:24:00.000-07:002011-08-26T00:24:29.865-07:00Time in a BlogSpot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">For those of you who don't get the pun in the title, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyTfbtZeGeU">click here</a>.<br />
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So, it's been a really long time since I updated this damn thing, nearly two months. And I know I've been letting down all of you die hard fans out there. All six of you.<br />
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There's been a lot of progress over the last two months. This post will cover that. There are another two technical posts on the way and some shots of other people's houses.<br />
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Here we go, in somewhat chronological order, the progress at the site.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JHuiNVSeCPnE-WBIfPkLRRelkEenyMxLDr6tRHm3reEz9k5O-Wkx9384Y7RYgpGCblEsn4yjQ7nbLQSVH52WiAk-EQ7mAyOs_4oJQ35Az971TwVl1ZUCsFudF8aE6H67dDrcl2vDLBA/s1600/IMG_2967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JHuiNVSeCPnE-WBIfPkLRRelkEenyMxLDr6tRHm3reEz9k5O-Wkx9384Y7RYgpGCblEsn4yjQ7nbLQSVH52WiAk-EQ7mAyOs_4oJQ35Az971TwVl1ZUCsFudF8aE6H67dDrcl2vDLBA/s320/IMG_2967.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This is the start of our sewage treatment system. They're starting off on the two settling tanks here. In the back ground you can see the baffled reactor and beyond that is the driveway under which we will have a gravel filter pit.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uDQT54xPGb_hUWDVVXHCBcMMVwk_ykA7tlMgjJcUEFbbA0ueKsKayVLDouqmRYfcV95JEonBicaazop0v9eC9LxF6XkBrKpxuKViT3J-eeg8dIDep-DBjdrqvHpw5lcoTaxYUuINCgM/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uDQT54xPGb_hUWDVVXHCBcMMVwk_ykA7tlMgjJcUEFbbA0ueKsKayVLDouqmRYfcV95JEonBicaazop0v9eC9LxF6XkBrKpxuKViT3J-eeg8dIDep-DBjdrqvHpw5lcoTaxYUuINCgM/s320/IMG_2974.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It's always fun to have visitors. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqo0WBQPwDL63dlbgudg3RbNxN8GB650qjwia3Bz3eGxXHliKH8y_umQ5MyQhzwgFNB-kTm5BH3ePy8mX3Koyu0QPpCJEaGgAvjSYiU1oZmXJLekTkRiYOAwP2Ad51RY0gElmg6kXhe4/s1600/IMG_2992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqo0WBQPwDL63dlbgudg3RbNxN8GB650qjwia3Bz3eGxXHliKH8y_umQ5MyQhzwgFNB-kTm5BH3ePy8mX3Koyu0QPpCJEaGgAvjSYiU1oZmXJLekTkRiYOAwP2Ad51RY0gElmg6kXhe4/s320/IMG_2992.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> We also started the form work on the outside staircase.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWnjXqBUVfrv9i38gXh62cKdOh5nGdEnJVQ3n9PqK5VMqcvb0ccC3B1Tz_xiTCXwO-UxBKpf1YNp7HLAdjM-yPBTDBWay7ZjfEiQYDMhmIgoo0qrQJhN3jDRpX3AEj3tFYmLBtqgq36s/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWnjXqBUVfrv9i38gXh62cKdOh5nGdEnJVQ3n9PqK5VMqcvb0ccC3B1Tz_xiTCXwO-UxBKpf1YNp7HLAdjM-yPBTDBWay7ZjfEiQYDMhmIgoo0qrQJhN3jDRpX3AEj3tFYmLBtqgq36s/s320/IMG_2994.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Plastic bags with tiny holes in them are placed on top of columns to keep the concrete wet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiF22wjCNSugws9OaIwteqogtMHng523zZOjJgvOC5WleHOo6MUXd4S9iAuHsAI3VVwJ2UhfwmIzpMu2PQnQe4BeAeRF-nKzQ3JArJGn7rIA5jwsd9UBc-76WWTg3Lvh5N894RdcNFb4/s1600/IMG_2995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiF22wjCNSugws9OaIwteqogtMHng523zZOjJgvOC5WleHOo6MUXd4S9iAuHsAI3VVwJ2UhfwmIzpMu2PQnQe4BeAeRF-nKzQ3JArJGn7rIA5jwsd9UBc-76WWTg3Lvh5N894RdcNFb4/s320/IMG_2995.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Within a week, the settling tanks had been finished. Doesn't look like much, but then this is only going hold some shit.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreOfV67Sftfw-yHfGRAQPXaqniMlI_rJx4zyn_Baav3G96_wkjYe_sCDdy6gH-e_awsisC_FhLb5IRTmr95xpjTE2uSwUhvKq6r516arjZgUaqg1OeMO5-i_PQ6LqrZGwj4RpWJD_Jy4/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreOfV67Sftfw-yHfGRAQPXaqniMlI_rJx4zyn_Baav3G96_wkjYe_sCDdy6gH-e_awsisC_FhLb5IRTmr95xpjTE2uSwUhvKq6r516arjZgUaqg1OeMO5-i_PQ6LqrZGwj4RpWJD_Jy4/s320/IMG_3010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> At the start of the July, there was a lot of work going on and the site was full of movement. There was still space for a quick nap.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7imhFjvXp-sYIgSuMYw6hDkenQ4vllvU2vcycqr1WAdVwfSu0NxkA7YME3_oX5ijoeOW5Az7ns8U-Kny-W6Qrdl6R2vhQI3opNkgJUlvQ9p7JcVKFlxCIu8mOfuBCpUWfSfHsJa1aPA/s1600/IMG_3015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7imhFjvXp-sYIgSuMYw6hDkenQ4vllvU2vcycqr1WAdVwfSu0NxkA7YME3_oX5ijoeOW5Az7ns8U-Kny-W6Qrdl6R2vhQI3opNkgJUlvQ9p7JcVKFlxCIu8mOfuBCpUWfSfHsJa1aPA/s320/IMG_3015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We've made one major change to the house plans: We've put in a provision for a hydraulic lift. This is because we may have a wheel chair bound person staying with us. In order to do this, we had to move one non-load-bearing wall south a bit. Right now it's just a pit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSWccLtUm7mzdtPJgz6-lVgzI6YX27yXKka-OHBE0Hwu6pJepp0i4Vng7QlNGG5dg3GYv2yJTjmO00iYCNF9OlkbszWIRXo6a-digl8fzAxISwDeJxf3O5l0bPtBoMp3ZWAXWtf5H7gM/s1600/IMG_3022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSWccLtUm7mzdtPJgz6-lVgzI6YX27yXKka-OHBE0Hwu6pJepp0i4Vng7QlNGG5dg3GYv2yJTjmO00iYCNF9OlkbszWIRXo6a-digl8fzAxISwDeJxf3O5l0bPtBoMp3ZWAXWtf5H7gM/s320/IMG_3022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>By the 8th of july, we had started work on the first flight of stairs. This is pretty much the same as all the other concrete work that's been done so far. They create a mold, put in a steel frame work and then pour in the concrete.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmtcRtlB9xRgVN_AFg066WgEDN82xX-fB0G58mP4Lr_3Dy4_NQkglLplFXTIdCi1a9U6-pizSmRRx0F5XuZncHeoU5xTlTs-lqESthtdF6hkRvZGfbvbVrBNyj-fWzvAnhWjcM2icQZk/s1600/IMG_3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmtcRtlB9xRgVN_AFg066WgEDN82xX-fB0G58mP4Lr_3Dy4_NQkglLplFXTIdCi1a9U6-pizSmRRx0F5XuZncHeoU5xTlTs-lqESthtdF6hkRvZGfbvbVrBNyj-fWzvAnhWjcM2icQZk/s320/IMG_3023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We also started on the lintels. I'll talk about this more in the next update.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuohwIMNvwg2bzaBAkiLZPydKxGBLBnrDpUN0OPPudq4CmlFXzvPxue75uF_DZM-v3Tr28A8cmZead6jkmfM-_4qw0HgHxDgIQeCY0p-utIG7nQaotKmIelCbRIFsgx-6hYl4ALZhF0nU/s1600/IMG_3038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuohwIMNvwg2bzaBAkiLZPydKxGBLBnrDpUN0OPPudq4CmlFXzvPxue75uF_DZM-v3Tr28A8cmZead6jkmfM-_4qw0HgHxDgIQeCY0p-utIG7nQaotKmIelCbRIFsgx-6hYl4ALZhF0nU/s320/IMG_3038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> This was the first picture I took from the top of the first flight of stairs. YAY! This was on the 17th of August.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqkyDax-haXaM4am9Pdt2gRFVUGFqBYhyRuETKhEcuDixm2CqtrFP6E8mNJdUA5BspbXx9jOAwHxpQf2WNYTClIQM_Plz9uoXcGNZ6P-9ilZB093WLKl8lyyHZSIel-CX4lP4M0hK41I/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqkyDax-haXaM4am9Pdt2gRFVUGFqBYhyRuETKhEcuDixm2CqtrFP6E8mNJdUA5BspbXx9jOAwHxpQf2WNYTClIQM_Plz9uoXcGNZ6P-9ilZB093WLKl8lyyHZSIel-CX4lP4M0hK41I/s320/IMG_3057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Doggy time!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G1aqjUtXDY2Hp8vb2TK3uRXvL-3TLotOQ7sNlSNtmD0EjGlPe4gx1ckU0ZItfQcssX8vU5XTKAVGx5hNqJtiD3pGmewMAg4CpEou7KpCH1MZ5_qNpCccA9QRn3lvyLvC3KGFOOHFduI/s1600/IMG_3061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G1aqjUtXDY2Hp8vb2TK3uRXvL-3TLotOQ7sNlSNtmD0EjGlPe4gx1ckU0ZItfQcssX8vU5XTKAVGx5hNqJtiD3pGmewMAg4CpEou7KpCH1MZ5_qNpCccA9QRn3lvyLvC3KGFOOHFduI/s320/IMG_3061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>On the 20th of August, there was a brief discussion on the site between our architect and us about how the wall to the swing verandah should look. This involved moving some piles of bricks around and staring at them for extended periods of time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vmk-FpS-XsHS9b8sL19xO3AO-m-UZy3Zyep8IiSjuF2zPM-rsyrCifHhn8QpSRIr41j1ZcihaVIxZUInyfOf5p95OtkjB9QbGaanciEsdfF26Curcy43JEX0GhUrestMgVNotsf2eMs/s1600/IMG_3284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vmk-FpS-XsHS9b8sL19xO3AO-m-UZy3Zyep8IiSjuF2zPM-rsyrCifHhn8QpSRIr41j1ZcihaVIxZUInyfOf5p95OtkjB9QbGaanciEsdfF26Curcy43JEX0GhUrestMgVNotsf2eMs/s320/IMG_3284.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> 9 days later there was another site meeting to review the progress made. Maitri took this artistic picture of me, framed by the wall of the swing verandah, which was already 6 or 7 bricks tall.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVc2i_MEva4USedyKZCht7cNeeVCiinVTFR3DzOXPfJpqDsyTDHlvKzRh1LhutoNBGoziSibvDdEDXlid6tMB5G1EcWPob9HM-okexnt-jtVLrsoE-UD3yDvNXqZWX0F_VUucVY40jk0/s1600/IMG_3295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVc2i_MEva4USedyKZCht7cNeeVCiinVTFR3DzOXPfJpqDsyTDHlvKzRh1LhutoNBGoziSibvDdEDXlid6tMB5G1EcWPob9HM-okexnt-jtVLrsoE-UD3yDvNXqZWX0F_VUucVY40jk0/s320/IMG_3295.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> The walls were going up quite fast, and the site looked different everyday.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nVByJD0i1jDFTW6GVe2ogvl4fukat-myMi1HHHnbhQgB_lEZYEm_YPWeHVr_sYweTZo19ZOxTG32bvm_HiHPllyzNgFzsqfnzzhK2LvGJ5jFhAYxQnQnZtSAqzTzG1MTr3HCktAHNRg/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nVByJD0i1jDFTW6GVe2ogvl4fukat-myMi1HHHnbhQgB_lEZYEm_YPWeHVr_sYweTZo19ZOxTG32bvm_HiHPllyzNgFzsqfnzzhK2LvGJ5jFhAYxQnQnZtSAqzTzG1MTr3HCktAHNRg/s320/IMG_3292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Georg, our architect, and Maitri discuss an article in the Deccan Herald that included a small paragraph on coloured cement flooring. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iuswuyTNej3SrYVS-KddI_1CdI51AijokelF_0JeLLIuAYEu_qkBufv5ElvTxKtbcWeOvtSNKkxncFrisqOonfx1EVtp0a0b68sNlNx-AdEslysOvnFbRCMmsZQ4IG3lz0XIWMj9bmM/s1600/IMG_3287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iuswuyTNej3SrYVS-KddI_1CdI51AijokelF_0JeLLIuAYEu_qkBufv5ElvTxKtbcWeOvtSNKkxncFrisqOonfx1EVtp0a0b68sNlNx-AdEslysOvnFbRCMmsZQ4IG3lz0XIWMj9bmM/s320/IMG_3287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Because the house is full of odd angles, a lot of the bricks need to be cut to shape.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYqvvNG5xW8GB6LoY9y9n5dZPVfgKdcvVBVx6WY3UUKvqxYrXy8BYSiSQa0YchLE3xsfMrpvMnJZ1hke1IgFx_AyDfh6k3fbKJto3l9FOOp3ARagJW1o5ggliVxR3qPyjuOyR551fntQ/s1600/IMG_3290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYqvvNG5xW8GB6LoY9y9n5dZPVfgKdcvVBVx6WY3UUKvqxYrXy8BYSiSQa0YchLE3xsfMrpvMnJZ1hke1IgFx_AyDfh6k3fbKJto3l9FOOp3ARagJW1o5ggliVxR3qPyjuOyR551fntQ/s320/IMG_3290.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I'm not entirely sure what was in this thing, since there was no painting going on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rtcD1jnd6Zig8oAETV5AEYdSriAskNTk6AtA7_r1wBfX3Et0Ste47Ujtk7epakL7n6dTGDnWXxFcooykT_3v0BxlassVM4n-3dgvUmipQ6lirbhmM9REowPZyN1PkcKhlxeEVsPEaE8/s1600/IMG_3283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rtcD1jnd6Zig8oAETV5AEYdSriAskNTk6AtA7_r1wBfX3Et0Ste47Ujtk7epakL7n6dTGDnWXxFcooykT_3v0BxlassVM4n-3dgvUmipQ6lirbhmM9REowPZyN1PkcKhlxeEVsPEaE8/s320/IMG_3283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In more good news, our rain water harvesting tanks are working! Hurrah!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiTPQeCgfH4zIGNXj_C_ZkWym89pwJklgW-Rsxfrbd35g9QaJKWRC09veH6hyphenhyphentr4ebfxwxpxGZxMYXQdwtWUUoFMx0yYmXM_EW2F5Fa1uezBpVOFyB6F8eacPvs-xV3SsM81Imq4KvXs/s1600/IMG_3314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiTPQeCgfH4zIGNXj_C_ZkWym89pwJklgW-Rsxfrbd35g9QaJKWRC09veH6hyphenhyphentr4ebfxwxpxGZxMYXQdwtWUUoFMx0yYmXM_EW2F5Fa1uezBpVOFyB6F8eacPvs-xV3SsM81Imq4KvXs/s320/IMG_3314.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> By the 12th of August. Almost all the walls were at full height. This is the swing verandah wall, with the openings in it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aPr5Ovd4JCbrWUZc3wMTgwoWGaSMvkqcUMz5uYzKehv5hlSP647Oyp71NHHXdyII3wJTLmjqlL2IVnBgDRO-Y8xlv2mJApndnT2sjoS2W8Ep_aLmD-galqD2sh61220amr-OwA7narE/s1600/IMG_3317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aPr5Ovd4JCbrWUZc3wMTgwoWGaSMvkqcUMz5uYzKehv5hlSP647Oyp71NHHXdyII3wJTLmjqlL2IVnBgDRO-Y8xlv2mJApndnT2sjoS2W8Ep_aLmD-galqD2sh61220amr-OwA7narE/s320/IMG_3317.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> This was one of the few times I've been on the site at dusk. So I took a couple of nice pictures with monsoon clouds in the background.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVaoES-ulQhTp9m0oyNzuQ6yYKmfI_Ky1PE45V-F3fn4tDaXUK0MqdTqC1ltwQ2XmoEqNYXfR8GSf-Ayy9VSOahN3zFuBUv6sJEYBGn4pzf65NoBMUr8g9w13NjZ8jPVBPwy_-X_TH9A/s1600/IMG_3332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVaoES-ulQhTp9m0oyNzuQ6yYKmfI_Ky1PE45V-F3fn4tDaXUK0MqdTqC1ltwQ2XmoEqNYXfR8GSf-Ayy9VSOahN3zFuBUv6sJEYBGn4pzf65NoBMUr8g9w13NjZ8jPVBPwy_-X_TH9A/s320/IMG_3332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> That doesn't look entirely comfortable to me, either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3fRKkgAXswZ5FGZPlLdcJzKMiDfzYcNpGPqm-9BzZizxpXDJmbXdGzwGDWzvDHM3dr_li3huvd1w0P8Uu2SWCgOyBWoyiEERU4DUTikuPm9QMAI2VPPMFlaMgPfn-fajBhTRD15Q5qo/s1600/IMG_3338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3fRKkgAXswZ5FGZPlLdcJzKMiDfzYcNpGPqm-9BzZizxpXDJmbXdGzwGDWzvDHM3dr_li3huvd1w0P8Uu2SWCgOyBWoyiEERU4DUTikuPm9QMAI2VPPMFlaMgPfn-fajBhTRD15Q5qo/s320/IMG_3338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here's the site from the back. They started the shuttering work for the first floor. As you can see, almost all the walls are at full height.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJxCrYi2RrKzdTCg5UWH7nVlRR5jyH_jsWJk2eH2C7dRCh17jNccUhK-kUJ58CjGFSEUsWSrDepjZ7139-eoo-Gt9XSN4FLjlLV1UZnoMkhgnYs31xkhhlNO-YMVxxEhtbOtxbSSaxoQ/s1600/IMG_3346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJxCrYi2RrKzdTCg5UWH7nVlRR5jyH_jsWJk2eH2C7dRCh17jNccUhK-kUJ58CjGFSEUsWSrDepjZ7139-eoo-Gt9XSN4FLjlLV1UZnoMkhgnYs31xkhhlNO-YMVxxEhtbOtxbSSaxoQ/s320/IMG_3346.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> By the 22nd, the place looked like a forest had sprouted in it. All these poles were holding up the shuttering for the first floor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YBmDwo-i8djtMWjEnIpYsqhhUieAjGryBbb6bG-PJz27rulJYgzgvS85TAV1G7RLUoFuJ5IWy6UCsn3zlfOLmzc-xTNorkH9z-X-Q7Xb0uBCBUZPQgKvdKiaRau76Geq9qp7zn7I5gk/s1600/IMG_3351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YBmDwo-i8djtMWjEnIpYsqhhUieAjGryBbb6bG-PJz27rulJYgzgvS85TAV1G7RLUoFuJ5IWy6UCsn3zlfOLmzc-xTNorkH9z-X-Q7Xb0uBCBUZPQgKvdKiaRau76Geq9qp7zn7I5gk/s320/IMG_3351.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> It was quite difficult to walk through between the trees and the puddles and the possibility of pieces of wood falling on your head.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aiHf95SDfdIz9R0zRD5f1XiKHGZ1ri1cGLZqo7TMBCfofGiXvvQAaBG12VyANu0IA1ma5DZwz0bPqH4iNBXq4ap10dxCWpdXUYduKyMPBlExeCHAJhe51HHgXXlDibFE6Th1SVdZi4c/s1600/IMG_3358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aiHf95SDfdIz9R0zRD5f1XiKHGZ1ri1cGLZqo7TMBCfofGiXvvQAaBG12VyANu0IA1ma5DZwz0bPqH4iNBXq4ap10dxCWpdXUYduKyMPBlExeCHAJhe51HHgXXlDibFE6Th1SVdZi4c/s320/IMG_3358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> This is what the shuttering looked like from on top. See what I mean about pieces of wood?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBB99zfRL_Y7vsf0QPuElF0nE1Ynpxl-j2yf4uNIRB2UFhSrWJGAoZtkY9pmFMIxhslrNwawzgfCR5_P7O2mr1WeYRpOTZD37ottuWANkYkx7IEBrgzy63CB026JwoGA3cbsrxWRSh70/s1600/IMG_3421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBB99zfRL_Y7vsf0QPuElF0nE1Ynpxl-j2yf4uNIRB2UFhSrWJGAoZtkY9pmFMIxhslrNwawzgfCR5_P7O2mr1WeYRpOTZD37ottuWANkYkx7IEBrgzy63CB026JwoGA3cbsrxWRSh70/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Georg and his team talk about the specifics of some beams and other structural issues.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVtDyoZi_nUBSE2TBNATpvuMD334i6wG1z5C__snaPnF8IsNwnomsZDDDNW98-r1oueRGZm7CBFTNRavZct5LWbORRGHqHIoQIMP8wOf440V893FAKU4e3JosblvN85AovaewTF1wKVg/s1600/IMG_3424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVtDyoZi_nUBSE2TBNATpvuMD334i6wG1z5C__snaPnF8IsNwnomsZDDDNW98-r1oueRGZm7CBFTNRavZct5LWbORRGHqHIoQIMP8wOf440V893FAKU4e3JosblvN85AovaewTF1wKVg/s320/IMG_3424.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> He had sprained his foot earlier that week. So he's areal trooper to be walking around a construction site.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RVlJeuUkbFEA46xzXwE8KZdA4EFS3h-hISnMDuLSBIFLQM-fIkpP-LRjxvUixbCmG1dOTEuqipe_X1oDDyETzuUpXQmnhXxm_yWACk83pz-mkvI6oyyzZFzJqKqQXDf6K9Ey0B4c20k/s1600/IMG_3429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RVlJeuUkbFEA46xzXwE8KZdA4EFS3h-hISnMDuLSBIFLQM-fIkpP-LRjxvUixbCmG1dOTEuqipe_X1oDDyETzuUpXQmnhXxm_yWACk83pz-mkvI6oyyzZFzJqKqQXDf6K9Ey0B4c20k/s320/IMG_3429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> A whole new team of people were brought in to work on the metal word.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt4L4eQNRslAZlnum_4KGKFCKHe_UE_TQe8qa22ezddAaMU21rbBEnyl_5CCYGIiY1PMwCSm7Lv407ybOwDU-L7CVGqGfHwTjkBRwMqZ_hkqNnThlhsCPXMZj3p0FAyUhQS1iA1Otpdw/s1600/IMG_3430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtt4L4eQNRslAZlnum_4KGKFCKHe_UE_TQe8qa22ezddAaMU21rbBEnyl_5CCYGIiY1PMwCSm7Lv407ybOwDU-L7CVGqGfHwTjkBRwMqZ_hkqNnThlhsCPXMZj3p0FAyUhQS1iA1Otpdw/s320/IMG_3430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> There was some concern about the shuttering work for the sajjas (overhangs) around the building.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h3MxnHBF1Ib3R71kSp6Y1EiFc4GlhAjisIGvxD-VdyEZyTxj2fTADECFelafiuFA-G6WeiFOK2tLpiH3hq4Mc-8H8yaCVIT6ug5JSzHg9u6hgDQTcsNdYmRflgTX_gCe67BQle4pkQY/s1600/IMG_3413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h3MxnHBF1Ib3R71kSp6Y1EiFc4GlhAjisIGvxD-VdyEZyTxj2fTADECFelafiuFA-G6WeiFOK2tLpiH3hq4Mc-8H8yaCVIT6ug5JSzHg9u6hgDQTcsNdYmRflgTX_gCe67BQle4pkQY/s320/IMG_3413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Saw this fellow on the site that day. He was tiny and barely able to move. I don't think he made it. maybe the dogs ate him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMFSl00T2nWq5tHxQEdd4uQGnSSMcUsVQhGXSrENmLmVPuM73DnhqDt3ljIKNyL8Ku1GOQCNxW9OH5WKVuOHsWYYGHYUCRQrzo-4_W0dn0BWQLmchckgDShE4w1QmLeC_0EJgAIcO8gg/s1600/IMG_3362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMFSl00T2nWq5tHxQEdd4uQGnSSMcUsVQhGXSrENmLmVPuM73DnhqDt3ljIKNyL8Ku1GOQCNxW9OH5WKVuOHsWYYGHYUCRQrzo-4_W0dn0BWQLmchckgDShE4w1QmLeC_0EJgAIcO8gg/s320/IMG_3362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Or this dude.<br />
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Just kidding. This is a cement head to keep away bad luck or something like that. My father-in-law bought us this one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtUNDKKzGrJKPojQ_LmU7LhxqNx7Hw7Kd3IE8WyD68-PLlzLXRGmbRmPiRsFuK91xITJRT690ZP3cwCieYNjl1w3mwl0btIfs2l9-Avb8_3VfXDAQwLfaHlTu4HaVg6OaU8uiLD3ZERo/s1600/IMG_3460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtUNDKKzGrJKPojQ_LmU7LhxqNx7Hw7Kd3IE8WyD68-PLlzLXRGmbRmPiRsFuK91xITJRT690ZP3cwCieYNjl1w3mwl0btIfs2l9-Avb8_3VfXDAQwLfaHlTu4HaVg6OaU8uiLD3ZERo/s320/IMG_3460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> They started pouring the 1st floor on the 23rd of August. They started with the Sajjas while they finished off the electrical conduits.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Nof4hTe1aiEKTLScjRScGGTqW-SHwIK-e0AIAi6xbGUXXVZNlNpo-pM_vVrgqg-Tcmq1idb0W2Ptnd7DYfemSHpZ_93JPg7zowOZQ2pFOBetgC_rQb8NZ92PTrqdRIS3E1XObNc6P-s/s1600/IMG_3436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Nof4hTe1aiEKTLScjRScGGTqW-SHwIK-e0AIAi6xbGUXXVZNlNpo-pM_vVrgqg-Tcmq1idb0W2Ptnd7DYfemSHpZ_93JPg7zowOZQ2pFOBetgC_rQb8NZ92PTrqdRIS3E1XObNc6P-s/s320/IMG_3436.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> They had to bring in special equipment for the pour, because it needs to be done quickly.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwodbllGtTOMY3rw-YCK_8zns_Qox5-MxpjIlTx6fQ1y83sGvbzeO-GFqg0z8SZ4QRpIN9p7WyWeZGGuwqntMRx5KATW4ZWLGojg3VBTDI45n702N2vS9Skcsdp0H8IfrKCdxl8B2LWg/s1600/IMG_3443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwodbllGtTOMY3rw-YCK_8zns_Qox5-MxpjIlTx6fQ1y83sGvbzeO-GFqg0z8SZ4QRpIN9p7WyWeZGGuwqntMRx5KATW4ZWLGojg3VBTDI45n702N2vS9Skcsdp0H8IfrKCdxl8B2LWg/s320/IMG_3443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Maitri asked me if they hosed the concrete in. I laughed. It was mixed on the ground, hauled up by a temporary lift and poured into wheel barrows. These were then walked across planks to the place where they were needed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwolJB_w7Lid2BAdS0PFDzVHAiSLNHe7Kd5GJ6nG33QZmYRidNzUXciWMBzFCDMDpI5JvFEeqAWG6XTEyvJyvt3QlZdlHlPrngJqS6QrAXsQGWzSlc_rMyH_dYc8egI0pnVtbToJpb-E/s1600/IMG_3450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwolJB_w7Lid2BAdS0PFDzVHAiSLNHe7Kd5GJ6nG33QZmYRidNzUXciWMBzFCDMDpI5JvFEeqAWG6XTEyvJyvt3QlZdlHlPrngJqS6QrAXsQGWzSlc_rMyH_dYc8egI0pnVtbToJpb-E/s320/IMG_3450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Because of the time limitation, you also need a lot of labour when you are pouring.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_aWhudWhryp5vwaDXVzraXEkygIIX2AThEE2axhVxv-PY1OayuhZFRgVc9ht-RIOjkEBLPxWWkMiFTtb7gtiEIu_qwv67-8RYyRdnKYC12bNLeyYWWNkxy7nx-Yjd-ZecjSCmkrZa5k/s1600/IMG_3453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_aWhudWhryp5vwaDXVzraXEkygIIX2AThEE2axhVxv-PY1OayuhZFRgVc9ht-RIOjkEBLPxWWkMiFTtb7gtiEIu_qwv67-8RYyRdnKYC12bNLeyYWWNkxy7nx-Yjd-ZecjSCmkrZa5k/s320/IMG_3453.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> This is basically a vibrator. A giant industrial sized vibrator.<br />
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Get your head out of the gutter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhks5v0h3jWVFbyxDpTSgwK7pdvVhlbWGYlZfJhFXpzdqM2iJnvIf4-tuTqjeKHupwHJW0kYdoXGovWtwLNJIw9jTRH7XCDMWxgvvcBsVq0JAsTCAH1pegJjcQj_Yn5nFeyvRGiDg4Nxfg/s1600/IMG_3456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhks5v0h3jWVFbyxDpTSgwK7pdvVhlbWGYlZfJhFXpzdqM2iJnvIf4-tuTqjeKHupwHJW0kYdoXGovWtwLNJIw9jTRH7XCDMWxgvvcBsVq0JAsTCAH1pegJjcQj_Yn5nFeyvRGiDg4Nxfg/s320/IMG_3456.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> This is what you need to do to start it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcH5U00zX4_WnggQlUt7WkG7Wc97zP5UbbdXBU0OL9HMX-JT5UTpLqGEisH09NLwN4ZMPmJ9jXKmQCPjRKUF3VlqLPpsoQrvMnhefwM27_TxenSRjJxD9U_yLesHmt7rmQ2Y0ClwzTJ9A/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcH5U00zX4_WnggQlUt7WkG7Wc97zP5UbbdXBU0OL9HMX-JT5UTpLqGEisH09NLwN4ZMPmJ9jXKmQCPjRKUF3VlqLPpsoQrvMnhefwM27_TxenSRjJxD9U_yLesHmt7rmQ2Y0ClwzTJ9A/s320/IMG_3461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At the end of day of the first pouring.<br />
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Here are some long shots of the site over the last couple of months. This really gives you an idea of the amount of work that's been done.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAJlsbuyqrTm-KSno4Ot3BjMbspPcx7sMqurJAEu-WKWd0xI8GNC1ioxJu1ICepCxI2eeblmg8rekJlD0oG0UP33YoTeCRTn4uF-VE4Wlvk7Kjrjhc2msMT59M40UIPtvELYbQOaLoDM/s1600/otherpan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAJlsbuyqrTm-KSno4Ot3BjMbspPcx7sMqurJAEu-WKWd0xI8GNC1ioxJu1ICepCxI2eeblmg8rekJlD0oG0UP33YoTeCRTn4uF-VE4Wlvk7Kjrjhc2msMT59M40UIPtvELYbQOaLoDM/s640/otherpan.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> June 23rd.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Mb4IjveWq9KUsJtnNmzOfCLqXGTLQ1I4kgEXhlguizT0ue55GhQY8HqglLdSsbK_xfZaz3tWTzL5WDnpO6rLZcoVZGmgdMbKJhp1d4xoNEgzUZPLFzhInBjMRKck1yPMdYaYLLSJvrg/s1600/otherpan2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Mb4IjveWq9KUsJtnNmzOfCLqXGTLQ1I4kgEXhlguizT0ue55GhQY8HqglLdSsbK_xfZaz3tWTzL5WDnpO6rLZcoVZGmgdMbKJhp1d4xoNEgzUZPLFzhInBjMRKck1yPMdYaYLLSJvrg/s640/otherpan2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> July 8th.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQUehjdx6XK3eHVsVpcsHkgDfvFN8_20MWb61a-NYHh-w_wRslYDusOGiTbJp2MLgj1ojtJSyZGYn5ZDc9eVKbdFWrMGflrOUdHqzVsY7Qv5n-PA9tzr984sTT_hBIs_CuClFeK7ik1w/s1600/812pan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQUehjdx6XK3eHVsVpcsHkgDfvFN8_20MWb61a-NYHh-w_wRslYDusOGiTbJp2MLgj1ojtJSyZGYn5ZDc9eVKbdFWrMGflrOUdHqzVsY7Qv5n-PA9tzr984sTT_hBIs_CuClFeK7ik1w/s640/812pan.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>August 12th.<br />
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So, that's the update. More coming soon.</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-15001006038476623682011-06-23T03:58:00.000-07:002011-06-23T03:58:40.178-07:00Another Brick in the Wall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This post has two parts: Pouring Flooring and Brick Walls<br />
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<b><u>Pouring Flooring</u></b><br />
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The first thing you need to do is fill up your foundation and plinth with earth.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Nuf3gTi6uMOg9COS1rTGJCQUWcg6h36x3YKpdf-EdM0VxsaXdHEjbx9-ZILqFmAb0Nh_tcFoSu45lwqHPwWHq1jxHUQCZOiIk3umY_gW93PcJ4Hqlm4g9x_dzGGZRBOVn2H1LvVTIt4/s1600/panorama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Nuf3gTi6uMOg9COS1rTGJCQUWcg6h36x3YKpdf-EdM0VxsaXdHEjbx9-ZILqFmAb0Nh_tcFoSu45lwqHPwWHq1jxHUQCZOiIk3umY_gW93PcJ4Hqlm4g9x_dzGGZRBOVn2H1LvVTIt4/s400/panorama.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We didn't have much earth on the plot, so we had to truck some in, especially since we're well above ground level for most of the plinth. The quality of the earth doesn't have to be anything great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzx_G5hXC8E-yKZwJ6uip1BfnrmGnjguX1CjxxnJlIzXyK3JFlfZd45N_YBJssHvLA8i2pmFUuGTCJsC51ry76IYIhYDtmKN9yqiBSPeDYdM1J1HkooysqDjVhnbH59LEIi5QP2g_Xx0/s1600/IMG_2899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzx_G5hXC8E-yKZwJ6uip1BfnrmGnjguX1CjxxnJlIzXyK3JFlfZd45N_YBJssHvLA8i2pmFUuGTCJsC51ry76IYIhYDtmKN9yqiBSPeDYdM1J1HkooysqDjVhnbH59LEIi5QP2g_Xx0/s320/IMG_2899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once the plinth has been laid, the earth is tamped down (yes, that is a real word), and left to settle. This is usually done in layers. It's also kept quite moist to drive out any air and to allow it to pack tighter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPrR49jsY3l7gdEnTjw7_Oale5GiBBkfZb1tOJn63I1YhFHZWc0J2LkfowJaTKGwURUm-sZWYcl7337OG1vZ-xNl3N9ZTlgWGXhvaugOYJ-dLr3NT9LBgcmVoOEBgEnfT9DPyo7fczzw/s1600/IMG_2900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPrR49jsY3l7gdEnTjw7_Oale5GiBBkfZb1tOJn63I1YhFHZWc0J2LkfowJaTKGwURUm-sZWYcl7337OG1vZ-xNl3N9ZTlgWGXhvaugOYJ-dLr3NT9LBgcmVoOEBgEnfT9DPyo7fczzw/s320/IMG_2900.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is what it looks like when all the earth has been packed in properly.<br />
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It is left like this for a few days to a coupe of weeks while people walk all over it to allow it to settle even more.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETfsOlAsy8hA72Lb_lAy6Iuo1jXuwyTjhyphenhyphenw793aga-MK6QsUtkipe0zy-VOBqKpVq2SgvTD6JdQoY9UWFakF0DPelNkqwLtDbjElTlet6c1nhHw8GDs3xXkqomT1905W8Q_-iVK9cYeY/s1600/IMG_2924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETfsOlAsy8hA72Lb_lAy6Iuo1jXuwyTjhyphenhyphenw793aga-MK6QsUtkipe0zy-VOBqKpVq2SgvTD6JdQoY9UWFakF0DPelNkqwLtDbjElTlet6c1nhHw8GDs3xXkqomT1905W8Q_-iVK9cYeY/s320/IMG_2924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once they're ready to pour in the concrete, a little more earth is spread over it to fill in any undulations.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyrF_7fl4XJSPDG034k3VlQYRnY6P0rvxyO5-wVqG7sgIYphwon5JRI_aZBwPdcnGIKqXP895YjSXZrlcypG2aZ6mcUA30HxRyLAB633CIQ8_8S1wvQTUd0fvVpqWb6w_8jP2NUGYTkI/s1600/IMG_2926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyrF_7fl4XJSPDG034k3VlQYRnY6P0rvxyO5-wVqG7sgIYphwon5JRI_aZBwPdcnGIKqXP895YjSXZrlcypG2aZ6mcUA30HxRyLAB633CIQ8_8S1wvQTUd0fvVpqWb6w_8jP2NUGYTkI/s320/IMG_2926.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The concrete is poured in and tamped down. They keep two bricks on the plinth and stretch a string between them. This defines the level of the floor. You can see one of the bricks near the tampers right foot.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VpcKqFr98aUXoq9R39nfuLjac6q6o22URS83Wxe7oGkRCIqC3N1pcRBQ-SQlsP-dhbMoq1Zq2AWndk_H-L9fcVXrS57iirfVGQqINNYQv9yClUh1nSRuM8jCYom3FW9tNXdT1THEqDE/s1600/IMG_2928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VpcKqFr98aUXoq9R39nfuLjac6q6o22URS83Wxe7oGkRCIqC3N1pcRBQ-SQlsP-dhbMoq1Zq2AWndk_H-L9fcVXrS57iirfVGQqINNYQv9yClUh1nSRuM8jCYom3FW9tNXdT1THEqDE/s320/IMG_2928.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, what starts off looking like this...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYPvULQQNed7SGeKDePowuk-fV3UBh1e9CzQaqD2F8oKJUCHq5oP9I4yOv9ZXdJC-dlaH2bWdIsEpyZrZrzJrSbiAZvodLMzPNLofV4pYiS9ehz7SLMm9eoYVMzU0K9pel91UGOUHlkA/s1600/IMG_2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYPvULQQNed7SGeKDePowuk-fV3UBh1e9CzQaqD2F8oKJUCHq5oP9I4yOv9ZXdJC-dlaH2bWdIsEpyZrZrzJrSbiAZvodLMzPNLofV4pYiS9ehz7SLMm9eoYVMzU0K9pel91UGOUHlkA/s320/IMG_2929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Becomes something like this. It's flatted and smoothed out even more later.<br />
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This is the layer above which your tiles will go. So it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.<br />
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<b><u>Bricks and Walls</u></b><br />
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Before you begin building a house, you need to choose your bricks properly. Quality costs money, so be prepared to pay more for better bricks. You can see what kind of tests are done on bricks over <a href="http://www.bmrl.com.au/brick-and-block-testing">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxVrDccRrxipRga8kNlm8lBRjAVWYekrsu08iMPszAJMOeARfIZYqSsVaZrycaHUXF-kYl58vw11fisnlgzFeDQUEsCEvWGNSO1k-BPfWTrlXEbeYC0_aQRHZKpr334znr5PdjqCeWpM/s1600/IMG_2891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxVrDccRrxipRga8kNlm8lBRjAVWYekrsu08iMPszAJMOeARfIZYqSsVaZrycaHUXF-kYl58vw11fisnlgzFeDQUEsCEvWGNSO1k-BPfWTrlXEbeYC0_aQRHZKpr334znr5PdjqCeWpM/s320/IMG_2891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our house is going to have exposed brick walls as well as plastered walls.<br />
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For the exposed brick walls, we need to get a higher quality brick, both in terms of shape as well as in terms of water absorption. That's this bunch on the left here.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-JeU6xN5CGpFRHA3douuzT4TA3wmQS53q0kS0h_G2jaOHgQqU_leip3w6lKJq5NDFpqTp7by1QDkfU4xJ2hXI7mGue_mdf0JnEWvUARJaX31A9vv-CIhtwHTtq2UBmxVRvi4psP8nLU/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-JeU6xN5CGpFRHA3douuzT4TA3wmQS53q0kS0h_G2jaOHgQqU_leip3w6lKJq5NDFpqTp7by1QDkfU4xJ2hXI7mGue_mdf0JnEWvUARJaX31A9vv-CIhtwHTtq2UBmxVRvi4psP8nLU/s320/IMG_2892.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The other bricks are still strong, but aren't quite as pretty.<br />
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We did this to save on costs. All the plastered walls will have these bricks inside.<br />
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The more expensive bricks were paid for at one shot and delivered in batches and the less expensive ones get paid for as they are delivered.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbAeFry9XYtdovm25bNnPUYmuoKfvBrQ8gind-wqhuBFEuxw7AyrtePVCAuakJvfsn9DBcE0elNoriBI1FP2FkygkENoLAceOQF5nqwClFDogD5HtnBvLClV0JshyADMZQ7Hj2T2OfR0/s1600/IMG_2896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbAeFry9XYtdovm25bNnPUYmuoKfvBrQ8gind-wqhuBFEuxw7AyrtePVCAuakJvfsn9DBcE0elNoriBI1FP2FkygkENoLAceOQF5nqwClFDogD5HtnBvLClV0JshyADMZQ7Hj2T2OfR0/s320/IMG_2896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Before the are used, the bricks are given a good soaking. I think this is to allow the cement to cure more evenly. These things are basically sponges and tend to suck water out of the cement unless they have been soaked already.<br />
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When a fresh batch gets put in, you can see the air escaping through tiny tiny bubbles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKrYlT0iHIWMP2Pw4aHD1WoA4puZQAckJRn2bp4IIooszeHuR3RcR7xPM-uu48bDNe1Y79_wtwdBhqwBWz7XsYCMmLmSKws_JNRcMYaY9ZEaxECMqa4I2uyuvH0jxKQk1XG0fcm7X-XU/s1600/IMG_2936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKrYlT0iHIWMP2Pw4aHD1WoA4puZQAckJRn2bp4IIooszeHuR3RcR7xPM-uu48bDNe1Y79_wtwdBhqwBWz7XsYCMmLmSKws_JNRcMYaY9ZEaxECMqa4I2uyuvH0jxKQk1XG0fcm7X-XU/s320/IMG_2936.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> After soaking, they are transported in small batches to the particular wall that it being built.<br />
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Usually, this is done the old fashioned way.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjD4kveTxr3HCCk_CcKfdgI9Aarp-rQyKq2j9uZDX8KbCWk2j2xaX7AFltLEBif4JlV0Iehiybebh3IIoSO5PbqMveLwnwOaX4lv1McbhqyTCnO7fu-QTHmiE22-6ONuUJXJt692uwfHc/s1600/IMG_2922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjD4kveTxr3HCCk_CcKfdgI9Aarp-rQyKq2j9uZDX8KbCWk2j2xaX7AFltLEBif4JlV0Iehiybebh3IIoSO5PbqMveLwnwOaX4lv1McbhqyTCnO7fu-QTHmiE22-6ONuUJXJt692uwfHc/s320/IMG_2922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>But sometimes, they use <u>The Force</u> to levitate the bricks. This is actually a lot more tiring than it looks, which is why they use the old fashioned method.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngxqoq07xGcIkRZkmO4UFhVDNLUa9AS56k5-crtS-WHGD3GneCxRW-1ndAECNjw9YQlsi88fRPPzg4nkVtc8_Q-ChOmMxhIkxmTkoOLdQdVQMFMLBHzAVG45Xkjlvvls8tT-H4flDnkY/s1600/IMG_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngxqoq07xGcIkRZkmO4UFhVDNLUa9AS56k5-crtS-WHGD3GneCxRW-1ndAECNjw9YQlsi88fRPPzg4nkVtc8_Q-ChOmMxhIkxmTkoOLdQdVQMFMLBHzAVG45Xkjlvvls8tT-H4flDnkY/s320/IMG_2909.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The first row sits directly on the plinth. It is measured and laid very carefully because this will define the rest of the wall.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYnpZJI1elVjc3b1kuuVuDDe-lL_6iViuE1ZssLDS4wJElo7EdFgES3ddeoKrLaRfyxkarOnWmHYnbXPPjVfoRnPAOTt2nZlSAos4bcK99vZ37bwmk_86pDADPG6sMStMH4vNjU8qHlU/s1600/IMG_2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYnpZJI1elVjc3b1kuuVuDDe-lL_6iViuE1ZssLDS4wJElo7EdFgES3ddeoKrLaRfyxkarOnWmHYnbXPPjVfoRnPAOTt2nZlSAos4bcK99vZ37bwmk_86pDADPG6sMStMH4vNjU8qHlU/s320/IMG_2930.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The first step in laying a row of bricks is to slosh some cement on top of the row below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgBWdDwIEKflRcJ382Kkdz5uj7bDuGKHJotbIlp0tSBZLV6fSl9et3z_w5oNYHgH2x0RVePmi_qIevHXQIt_sWDt0sCZsAoTHYb2lIBZEkAlW42b_D1G0qr0gOiVShWirKhp0-y_DwLE/s1600/IMG_2940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgBWdDwIEKflRcJ382Kkdz5uj7bDuGKHJotbIlp0tSBZLV6fSl9et3z_w5oNYHgH2x0RVePmi_qIevHXQIt_sWDt0sCZsAoTHYb2lIBZEkAlW42b_D1G0qr0gOiVShWirKhp0-y_DwLE/s320/IMG_2940.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The white thing over here is used to make sure that the thickness of the cement is consistent through out the wall.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwShxl81nl4KrBK0SndpqiXkK1faECgMebQKNaTUZ9z3EQMfy_16-FAFneFWjZm57FpVXHEiGC925E4y7DBHT3PrSOWD0W3mMCGHYNEZfl0rzKiayK1B4fgKfLHmHgcMKNepjf2_cDZc/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwShxl81nl4KrBK0SndpqiXkK1faECgMebQKNaTUZ9z3EQMfy_16-FAFneFWjZm57FpVXHEiGC925E4y7DBHT3PrSOWD0W3mMCGHYNEZfl0rzKiayK1B4fgKfLHmHgcMKNepjf2_cDZc/s320/IMG_2932.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The first brick on either side is placed vary carefully, after level the cement. These are then used to guide the remaining bricks with the clever use of some string.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNnZxPpS2qnKQsCGwNTFASGKk77GorKhkRwv9pA9L6KEu4I0t5lxnXRr4EyzOHF41bhv_LwsjDk9viDe9q03qXArLFAqli2V8cx5QqNrG1c5ecnrGJQtbDn6QMjS0sW1tRntp_2sL11E/s1600/IMG_2938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNnZxPpS2qnKQsCGwNTFASGKk77GorKhkRwv9pA9L6KEu4I0t5lxnXRr4EyzOHF41bhv_LwsjDk9viDe9q03qXArLFAqli2V8cx5QqNrG1c5ecnrGJQtbDn6QMjS0sW1tRntp_2sL11E/s320/IMG_2938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The bricks are then lined up, keeping an eye on the row below. The spacing in between each brick is important. You want enough space for the cement and you need to have it be uniform with all the other rows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWchvWpOVPe3JXvACD7U_XR3hbcZkro-VXQjuwwp1orClq7slgLjQpcmqfODMFSsl9oyQSpDq37-I2wkYOQh9FYcsR93dcPE1Sb3vInz5IOiWP1Jr80D7Hbu17cYl4mD0wfC_vN7cKKcs/s1600/IMG_2942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWchvWpOVPe3JXvACD7U_XR3hbcZkro-VXQjuwwp1orClq7slgLjQpcmqfODMFSsl9oyQSpDq37-I2wkYOQh9FYcsR93dcPE1Sb3vInz5IOiWP1Jr80D7Hbu17cYl4mD0wfC_vN7cKKcs/s320/IMG_2942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>To make a wall, you need to crack some bricks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsCVWOozs0o1t09HlEFX8yFqLU1GztNiyk5HwrH7Sd5nzyMaCRCsRpSFZJ8sgvublQH-sn_59sBAq4bFaFzGM3cvh9TFMDRQw-kJJ_bInLF-_k163lA2oDA8G1k4anThI1ZwzVuYo-W8/s1600/IMG_2935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsCVWOozs0o1t09HlEFX8yFqLU1GztNiyk5HwrH7Sd5nzyMaCRCsRpSFZJ8sgvublQH-sn_59sBAq4bFaFzGM3cvh9TFMDRQw-kJJ_bInLF-_k163lA2oDA8G1k4anThI1ZwzVuYo-W8/s320/IMG_2935.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The bricks are then checked for evenness and nudged this way and that until they are perfectly in line with the bricks below and flat.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEDWvxXZpgxMEzpY3cqxS4IoQP0pfH_lUGhTL_o1tM-3wgWGz9DBM8r19w1WWwruryNaviawDrXyo_ybydkznBl2DbVAbOPIl2ziZMwgV5l5pSbLZnEyUB_-KvyCplrXcmzyk7mfA1HQ/s1600/IMG_2941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEDWvxXZpgxMEzpY3cqxS4IoQP0pfH_lUGhTL_o1tM-3wgWGz9DBM8r19w1WWwruryNaviawDrXyo_ybydkznBl2DbVAbOPIl2ziZMwgV5l5pSbLZnEyUB_-KvyCplrXcmzyk7mfA1HQ/s320/IMG_2941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Cement is then poured over and worked into all the spaces. <br />
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And then you start the process over with the next row.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW1Ms5NtNlrMWRC_MnQwSFXg_QmiAcqZ7SL9jYoF08g0fi5C5sVoZAdUwOXwjB0bHXmTXfkVaJLPLrVggS8BjPd4quWfzRQNYJ7VauBTgadF46DS844GiSBiXuTLJNhTi_4c9vnGN2Dw/s1600/IMG_2956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW1Ms5NtNlrMWRC_MnQwSFXg_QmiAcqZ7SL9jYoF08g0fi5C5sVoZAdUwOXwjB0bHXmTXfkVaJLPLrVggS8BjPd4quWfzRQNYJ7VauBTgadF46DS844GiSBiXuTLJNhTi_4c9vnGN2Dw/s320/IMG_2956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The process is the same for both types of walls, but a lot more care is taked with the exposed brick ones when it comes to use of cement.<br />
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On the right here you have an an exposed brick wall.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83iWQqjut2Uqd3mSU975vKvmLvgZ1oh9yI9vOK4_NvqvmmzOKv6xXFzscdiQo95A9KB3F6n0vh6d3d_TvR3zeRRZxOosdGnycGWYcnZuhKPYs6IB64i5Qyk0t0veKS2Kkc3iSIyB6XY4/s1600/IMG_2957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83iWQqjut2Uqd3mSU975vKvmLvgZ1oh9yI9vOK4_NvqvmmzOKv6xXFzscdiQo95A9KB3F6n0vh6d3d_TvR3zeRRZxOosdGnycGWYcnZuhKPYs6IB64i5Qyk0t0veKS2Kkc3iSIyB6XY4/s320/IMG_2957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And here you have a wall that's going to be plastered.<br />
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Phew, I made it through the whole post without making any jokes about getting plastered or laid!<br />
<span id="goog_1550917896"></span><span id="goog_1550917897"></span></div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-87759461580448291482011-06-22T02:01:00.000-07:002011-06-22T02:01:13.001-07:00Site progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Before we get into the specifics of brick building, here's an update on things that have happened on the site.<br />
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<b><u>Sump Covers</u></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxcnL8zvHdu8sKS2WebzGTM7i-zVNlpakBTU_CEscJUbpdeF_6fNo1BWwy2cmk8plU3VRCjWecmPlxSocaJv1B_YAz_0w0006WjlzAGEhkWNnNaGKC-htpavIVi45gEiuo0Xpa5HD8JE/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxcnL8zvHdu8sKS2WebzGTM7i-zVNlpakBTU_CEscJUbpdeF_6fNo1BWwy2cmk8plU3VRCjWecmPlxSocaJv1B_YAz_0w0006WjlzAGEhkWNnNaGKC-htpavIVi45gEiuo0Xpa5HD8JE/s320/IMG_2889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>All the sumps have been covered with reinforced concrete. The process is the same as pretty much anything else you do with reinforced concrete. Create a mold, add metal. Pour in a mixture of cement, sand, water and gravel. Let it set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhsjA8dJDosx56-IOAXp2_N0-MkprFrVm-wObuKG21SMo58GdjvjRx8NhaFiwjC8w9uW_dzdm0ERaVtrXMkmCn6GKBxBdjfFQH24D5406xw9BESAeWCHPKmY9qXc62ugReQZD18u_Ooo/s1600/IMG_2904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhsjA8dJDosx56-IOAXp2_N0-MkprFrVm-wObuKG21SMo58GdjvjRx8NhaFiwjC8w9uW_dzdm0ERaVtrXMkmCn6GKBxBdjfFQH24D5406xw9BESAeWCHPKmY9qXc62ugReQZD18u_Ooo/s320/IMG_2904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>While the concrete is curing, you have to keep it wet, otherwise the outside will dry out and crack. Controlling the rate at which it cures is important. Here they've built temporary levees out of sand and poured some water in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxGGsTIrwzDWlIHusEDnOOB2aMv2ejMYjdidEV-2VAQGN-jp9bBWdO0gbCJmcI98MP9JLC-p4tPbrJbRWyKnldpXbbi2xL12H5DZJI8D_3kau4qkr8TmDFlF2PrlHqckjJx-v-dX7SZY/s1600/IMG_2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxGGsTIrwzDWlIHusEDnOOB2aMv2ejMYjdidEV-2VAQGN-jp9bBWdO0gbCJmcI98MP9JLC-p4tPbrJbRWyKnldpXbbi2xL12H5DZJI8D_3kau4qkr8TmDFlF2PrlHqckjJx-v-dX7SZY/s320/IMG_2905.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Luckily, because of the monsoons and the weather being so nice, we aren't loosing that much water to evaporation. In fact, everytime it rains, we're happy.<br />
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<b><u>Columns</u></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RtseyZ2wx3tD93UVzPyfnGzYBsN1csYNvoFnbO6KCMvSMmhyhRSguWvwry6r9kapTn9bvykx5yxCEzcMV_bnnT3TYf5q6xJLSQFwbHNVUgeMAPcB72b83IZSDuU6M5ubWY8E5JAjBtU/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RtseyZ2wx3tD93UVzPyfnGzYBsN1csYNvoFnbO6KCMvSMmhyhRSguWvwry6r9kapTn9bvykx5yxCEzcMV_bnnT3TYf5q6xJLSQFwbHNVUgeMAPcB72b83IZSDuU6M5ubWY8E5JAjBtU/s320/IMG_2960.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>There are a few columns around the site. Vertical moulds held up with large sticks. You can't see it too well, but there's a brick hanging on for dear life to a nail on the top horizontal plank. From what I can figure out it looks like the brick is torquing the plank in to tighten everything up.<br />
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There are also some smaller round columns. They just bought a piece of plastic pipe, slid it down the metal and filled it with concrete.<br />
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<b><u>Site Visits</u></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NzNynAgo3NX9cTl2YYcIBRdpxmyNsPDGn13phT55KZqgJFUGttm1TLpoCj5dYphn-EimUJ70GBAn_yeSp_-gvyn0zfugC3OsTDfPZWIj4Aj81ne6sbkKcc04_46x74kP0q37QDi6z1k/s1600/IMG_2898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NzNynAgo3NX9cTl2YYcIBRdpxmyNsPDGn13phT55KZqgJFUGttm1TLpoCj5dYphn-EimUJ70GBAn_yeSp_-gvyn0zfugC3OsTDfPZWIj4Aj81ne6sbkKcc04_46x74kP0q37QDi6z1k/s320/IMG_2898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Remember how I said it was nice to have your architect involved during construction? No? Well go back and read that blog entry.<br />
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Here's Georg looking professional and making some measurements.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7QdkUsbMZPHLEOCek_EarcjDum_7P9DimWfHQgtui2DXJGlhJfX4KgaJJyK5ABfUA1Hf-Von_-cARibBPMjHAqcaYw0C1yKh3vuFCyZ30PZ1R_3Fgoh1e3949RG-RGEfTQbXLon-HjA/s1600/IMG_2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7QdkUsbMZPHLEOCek_EarcjDum_7P9DimWfHQgtui2DXJGlhJfX4KgaJJyK5ABfUA1Hf-Von_-cARibBPMjHAqcaYw0C1yKh3vuFCyZ30PZ1R_3Fgoh1e3949RG-RGEfTQbXLon-HjA/s320/IMG_2919.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is a meeting on site between my contractor (second from left), his people and Eepsita (second from right), who is Georg's colleague.<br />
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There was some confusion about the finer details of one of the walls. It was sorted out quite quickly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1IGcTxP0L9JeXPmYrer4e96HNn1qb-Jhj4tZfhUrJsR5ty0BTxERX0vmcYADmkdfqzbz8Dzf5UskMgJRBvCHmHrXXAwZVXvmLir-gASc6LpeaySfzZfpP_NgN5QNr8l7690QExYuxkQ/s1600/IMG_2921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1IGcTxP0L9JeXPmYrer4e96HNn1qb-Jhj4tZfhUrJsR5ty0BTxERX0vmcYADmkdfqzbz8Dzf5UskMgJRBvCHmHrXXAwZVXvmLir-gASc6LpeaySfzZfpP_NgN5QNr8l7690QExYuxkQ/s320/IMG_2921.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>That said, they spotted a small mistake and some of the work had to be removed. Luckily for us, the cement hadn't set completely, so we were able to pull out the bricks and use them elsewhere.<br />
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Yay for saving resources! Yay for saving money! It's amazing how often those two things overlap.<br />
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This is why it's important to keep an eye on the construction. There will be mistakes, because this is a very complicated process. Can't say that this was anyone's fault, we could just chalk it up to a communication error.<br />
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<b><u>Retaining Walls</u></b><br />
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Since we liked the texture and look of the retaining wall so much, we've decided to make the entire compound wall look like that. We're using all the rocks we dug out of the site.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljWsj-90_5eUve2bebA1Fzn_8YMIEtGgiqNRdbsRjZNKVK5RA3TsEl88B337-SvVc_FcOJOPnMfM4jkQJuVfAA1Vz2bR_0opNnX6H0RPs3DmHujyM3GZOcsChleTLmbJmWIlKVyWCuhU/s1600/wall1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljWsj-90_5eUve2bebA1Fzn_8YMIEtGgiqNRdbsRjZNKVK5RA3TsEl88B337-SvVc_FcOJOPnMfM4jkQJuVfAA1Vz2bR_0opNnX6H0RPs3DmHujyM3GZOcsChleTLmbJmWIlKVyWCuhU/s400/wall1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>A textured wall with dappled lighting. At least, I think this is dappled. Once again, Yay for saving resources and Yay for saving money!<br />
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<u><b>Everything Else</b></u><br />
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So, my wife and I just moved to a new apartment a couple of weeks ago. Which is why I haven't updated the blog in a while. In that time there's been quite a lot of work done. Here's what the site looked like on the 7th of June and then on the 19th of June.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr1dU3dGj6-rf8m93MLaQFvHsWCa3wxW5hyphenhyphenQq3s7L5qtWmWcaIF0TagG1BO2J1_GrCryrXlzu9kBKVbvxQ9M98YHcUWDZvkFkxStMtzYhyGf4IqxjrGRNxRbVXjTnegN4tBtxjnozCmI/s1600/panorama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr1dU3dGj6-rf8m93MLaQFvHsWCa3wxW5hyphenhyphenQq3s7L5qtWmWcaIF0TagG1BO2J1_GrCryrXlzu9kBKVbvxQ9M98YHcUWDZvkFkxStMtzYhyGf4IqxjrGRNxRbVXjTnegN4tBtxjnozCmI/s640/panorama.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1Xxl2TAWEmIbWQ4CeWC0ewyerq6BCmQ7C9SXyJYf8QYJnTWqJFyItkV1InUpTcLdbSGMxUIcJh2EyMnD3_u7EzFX-hYvoRU0mG4Vf2xhidUpk1t-EnrDMaD76NYNmcL-QtJQgGJ8L34/s1600/pan2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1Xxl2TAWEmIbWQ4CeWC0ewyerq6BCmQ7C9SXyJYf8QYJnTWqJFyItkV1InUpTcLdbSGMxUIcJh2EyMnD3_u7EzFX-hYvoRU0mG4Vf2xhidUpk1t-EnrDMaD76NYNmcL-QtJQgGJ8L34/s640/pan2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Work really is picking up. As my mother in law said "Things are now coming together." I think she was paraphrasing John "Hannibal" Smith of the A-Team.<br />
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To end, a bunch of random pictures from the site...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiOcvMssEin6TLdV4nr6NH5mJW5v1FehzXhN08nuOdTLVYANTdr0QNsmwmrl9z6gNgzcFsaPVaw24yoEqYJ4cBbAm8-9hmo1yWB34eIe9v0Jc2onw6ctsZC601sqL_fXo-22N8hBeP-A/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiOcvMssEin6TLdV4nr6NH5mJW5v1FehzXhN08nuOdTLVYANTdr0QNsmwmrl9z6gNgzcFsaPVaw24yoEqYJ4cBbAm8-9hmo1yWB34eIe9v0Jc2onw6ctsZC601sqL_fXo-22N8hBeP-A/s320/IMG_2910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Puppy!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5WPZRL6PRAqu7hyphenhyphengLyHi79T3tSRYi_zpdA4B02DtpIK-wo1b-VKm833psXR3V_Nu6r8ap0kJzYlxT0_YmH39Ovqhd_c_2QbrPS8I8by3AG1eiKo8lB219k_8_yIMOwd2SBwA23A1vyQ/s1600/IMG_2888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5WPZRL6PRAqu7hyphenhyphengLyHi79T3tSRYi_zpdA4B02DtpIK-wo1b-VKm833psXR3V_Nu6r8ap0kJzYlxT0_YmH39Ovqhd_c_2QbrPS8I8by3AG1eiKo8lB219k_8_yIMOwd2SBwA23A1vyQ/s320/IMG_2888.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Some small graffiti that was covered by some bricks later. Apparently someone loves Ranji.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqoU4P5QiLQyxPMWO-wrxcyVSKgzTDlG-e2qaSEoRU72TmymBi-QBIaJ5qvn-6dW4cjwkieUKVTSzOtkXDwNdrxircyIs3Yc_b0kcrstIgsRZtsWUTiPCe4Dad4n4pWJxTtkddamHDE8/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqoU4P5QiLQyxPMWO-wrxcyVSKgzTDlG-e2qaSEoRU72TmymBi-QBIaJ5qvn-6dW4cjwkieUKVTSzOtkXDwNdrxircyIs3Yc_b0kcrstIgsRZtsWUTiPCe4Dad4n4pWJxTtkddamHDE8/s320/IMG_2894.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuhOp8Y0FWwLlP8FXwAr9_9yOhYT7fQ0wIZ1DXHX_axciTroy-Q8h2lSQTPgeEvEPYH045MFKX_q3QY6jnmdxijTgN58gHFRN1sqhXaIepX3hkZkdEJtztG1JSI-jlGLaxdwfNW9fEoQ/s1600/IMG_2959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuhOp8Y0FWwLlP8FXwAr9_9yOhYT7fQ0wIZ1DXHX_axciTroy-Q8h2lSQTPgeEvEPYH045MFKX_q3QY6jnmdxijTgN58gHFRN1sqhXaIepX3hkZkdEJtztG1JSI-jlGLaxdwfNW9fEoQ/s320/IMG_2959.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Found a dismantled VHS tape on the ground. No idea how it got there. For any children out there, VHS tapes were how people watched movies at home for a couple of decades.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-72438739281526459742011-05-27T03:08:00.000-07:002011-05-27T03:08:33.254-07:00Plinth-Stones! Meet the Plinth-Stones!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">OAs always, I like to start us off with a terrible pun.<br />
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Before we get to the plinths, here's a quick update on what's happening on the site as of this morning.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLECMfaR0a4A_wz1btmIMgwmWauYk68j91fQlcpGvZsq-zcVFDFUrIaVBTfclpYQqUiLQ7sos_kQDhkq20ByQJLH5MGgT2add7zyxSJJv4sDhUJHpvT9vhLtLGUc_pcs8E2k0dWdzsqTI/s1600/panorama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLECMfaR0a4A_wz1btmIMgwmWauYk68j91fQlcpGvZsq-zcVFDFUrIaVBTfclpYQqUiLQ7sos_kQDhkq20ByQJLH5MGgT2add7zyxSJJv4sDhUJHpvT9vhLtLGUc_pcs8E2k0dWdzsqTI/s400/panorama.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> Here's what the site looked like this morning. The piles of earth are for filling in the foundation and plinth. On the right you can see the sump work.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeML5x2vgapmZ-fW62Fn35QisAVnV3lwhP28l9aL5DIGDBr_uZX3jYy6EIhqEvX3GZktPcN0CUqdDrnM3cam5qy8XCyzZGh8TU-I07Eg3jSmoL8bz6WgQ4z6kNHNpA22nbk1b9bb4sP4/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeML5x2vgapmZ-fW62Fn35QisAVnV3lwhP28l9aL5DIGDBr_uZX3jYy6EIhqEvX3GZktPcN0CUqdDrnM3cam5qy8XCyzZGh8TU-I07Eg3jSmoL8bz6WgQ4z6kNHNpA22nbk1b9bb4sP4/s200/IMG_2872.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
Two of the three remaining sumps have been plastered and water proofed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8bkNRIvN0eKUXWGzDT9FyLmFZk39kCMB_fv_u3fA36q-1LtoWChPXgOP3sw-orWosmj5viR91kxXVn_FZt-MN1T5tZUFFwLJ8HyJCWmXVJdFTs0Vrib2GsXXC8eAPLgmPDtZSTdrUiI/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8bkNRIvN0eKUXWGzDT9FyLmFZk39kCMB_fv_u3fA36q-1LtoWChPXgOP3sw-orWosmj5viR91kxXVn_FZt-MN1T5tZUFFwLJ8HyJCWmXVJdFTs0Vrib2GsXXC8eAPLgmPDtZSTdrUiI/s200/IMG_2878.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
On the left you can see the texture difference between the water proofed sump (back) and the unfinished sump (front). They cover the stones up with cement and draw all these psychedelic patterns on it. The purpose of the squigglies and whatnots is to allow the last layer of waterproofed cement to take hold. If it's too smooth, the last layer of cement would just fall off in sheets.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETiBq7gWuUWcbEXAyVxi53wj0KEUWB-mlWNRj_pi548W3CuffhpjkoZl6TgFxjmCIWAKkpC6PYOf5TyXNqbH9NIgt-I5KrLZVFbL68WlcMMynNes2ezI5lpDnYCbihuCdjwcXYMm251I/s1600/IMG_2866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjETiBq7gWuUWcbEXAyVxi53wj0KEUWB-mlWNRj_pi548W3CuffhpjkoZl6TgFxjmCIWAKkpC6PYOf5TyXNqbH9NIgt-I5KrLZVFbL68WlcMMynNes2ezI5lpDnYCbihuCdjwcXYMm251I/s200/IMG_2866.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Here they are mixing the cement for the last layer. This is not just any cement, they need to add a water proofing compound to it to seal all the gaps. Cement and concrete by themselves are quite porous. Water damage tends to get worse with time because the water that leaks in makes the cracks bigger and allows more to leak in. Hence the water proofing compound.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8cxA38IM3UXrizDRBkIDeyxPvFHAeUI32HuSH9HmYNHlX6SqR6OVNTHFl4dAHcmi9_uvRCZRybk2_aYMicpdfZAmJK3ze_Tl318QfitvVykLZvnMfrzQ8cE-WiYDJ2es3mVYlyeTxQo/s1600/IMG_2879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8cxA38IM3UXrizDRBkIDeyxPvFHAeUI32HuSH9HmYNHlX6SqR6OVNTHFl4dAHcmi9_uvRCZRybk2_aYMicpdfZAmJK3ze_Tl318QfitvVykLZvnMfrzQ8cE-WiYDJ2es3mVYlyeTxQo/s200/IMG_2879.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>They've also started building the retaining wall on the western side. They're using some of the rock that we had to drill out of the ground. Since they are oddly shaped, it's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to get them to fit together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwfsXeT4la3rhG3Mp2m0JZxok-r2CHm2oDwRX78invu-7SD8V7XOFcYNKQNtbGi_JBMeeUFPq1o3YKUWQrRxxlNxOgBuc3bq5C6PR8I-wR7Xo62swaCFplyQStRRfE-Xk22ASIPpVVPE/s1600/retaining+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwfsXeT4la3rhG3Mp2m0JZxok-r2CHm2oDwRX78invu-7SD8V7XOFcYNKQNtbGi_JBMeeUFPq1o3YKUWQrRxxlNxOgBuc3bq5C6PR8I-wR7Xo62swaCFplyQStRRfE-Xk22ASIPpVVPE/s400/retaining+wall.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I love the look and texture of it.<br />
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The construction workers have also adopted a couple of stray dogs on the site. Here you go, cute pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Fa2Pmt7LnPZu34z2sdfYn4T7_ZIhTEP1SrR_YGDWK2TQL1neZ5VGzoMzyZDDY3PTWI72lzWku0uH8blpC4rq8vjYyZeBYjS6Rwow-QhhqqMQ-NUMLGfz41rdarHLMsHVPOB1jAM1r6k/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Fa2Pmt7LnPZu34z2sdfYn4T7_ZIhTEP1SrR_YGDWK2TQL1neZ5VGzoMzyZDDY3PTWI72lzWku0uH8blpC4rq8vjYyZeBYjS6Rwow-QhhqqMQ-NUMLGfz41rdarHLMsHVPOB1jAM1r6k/s320/IMG_2867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2Zc5_Lb9JKsiP6AEqCAWSVBaep5I_qXF0vPEvQzcELdHCI3xKY8z-g_QyKb8nsNeOGJlnuA5D3aSJ2Yxfk6K2p7iKTfUO5eB6CSpo4nhi5tiMAu3dGWtJrJI7qVZgTj7QJRuYwadWo/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2Zc5_Lb9JKsiP6AEqCAWSVBaep5I_qXF0vPEvQzcELdHCI3xKY8z-g_QyKb8nsNeOGJlnuA5D3aSJ2Yxfk6K2p7iKTfUO5eB6CSpo4nhi5tiMAu3dGWtJrJI7qVZgTj7QJRuYwadWo/s320/IMG_2870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFdI1iourlrOtQt-Qrp9Y1KUh3KCTNy-RGMWm4qKXXpigC41DcPeZGTmPRexQWu8pH2KennkX5bjqKfZnVI8lDYyJSBcW4kgfnpAG-CvWUoUoi9Mo4S7BaNaY0wpXIjOdBo7eSKk8H1Y/s1600/IMG_2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFdI1iourlrOtQt-Qrp9Y1KUh3KCTNy-RGMWm4qKXXpigC41DcPeZGTmPRexQWu8pH2KennkX5bjqKfZnVI8lDYyJSBcW4kgfnpAG-CvWUoUoi9Mo4S7BaNaY0wpXIjOdBo7eSKk8H1Y/s320/IMG_2873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOzi3TfaQRdEERVDQzDaDL3FDbQRjYZ2qKdJrlTCrRu0gIGKNTLCewpQpkuKtNjHhO943qf8fqMVgu7yE19QlMwy4vgyTlhcvh0YzgTN67euMJtdREHB-WGUCEaYS_84myMAzU_OfKj4/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOzi3TfaQRdEERVDQzDaDL3FDbQRjYZ2qKdJrlTCrRu0gIGKNTLCewpQpkuKtNjHhO943qf8fqMVgu7yE19QlMwy4vgyTlhcvh0YzgTN67euMJtdREHB-WGUCEaYS_84myMAzU_OfKj4/s320/IMG_2831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now, on to the main purpose of this post:<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Enter the Plinth!</span></u></b><br />
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As I said in the last post, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plinth">plinth</a> is the bit above ground level that connects the foundation to the walls and columns above it. It also defines where your floor ends.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj9_omSzViGbH_F5JmSLMz3UrGFFjqSai6irpX98ONtP4Sxfn5NnGjBZvOwXkMEH7IsN7t1tjMEEFXw1nzBm1AE8RJQIiIbDxWdWwphb1c1rRnAHjcANI6bjhT7kEfy3W9xRf3-SgJWA/s1600/IMG_2833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj9_omSzViGbH_F5JmSLMz3UrGFFjqSai6irpX98ONtP4Sxfn5NnGjBZvOwXkMEH7IsN7t1tjMEEFXw1nzBm1AE8RJQIiIbDxWdWwphb1c1rRnAHjcANI6bjhT7kEfy3W9xRf3-SgJWA/s200/IMG_2833.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> The first thing you need is steel. Which comes in long textured rods. You then need to cut the rods into various usable lengths. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhx0MzFulshRDVMr2oa5jEGmfan7P6vW1MAVzlsuiNIzEtAr4Z6Xl1DbqnvkAn8vfnm8iowVwx9Nvq1a52JPN1vV3c_K6qT0euYhVELQ6e1U3Xy6WpdLtw0FNjwqQpkaKtr4eiXpQKC4/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhx0MzFulshRDVMr2oa5jEGmfan7P6vW1MAVzlsuiNIzEtAr4Z6Xl1DbqnvkAn8vfnm8iowVwx9Nvq1a52JPN1vV3c_K6qT0euYhVELQ6e1U3Xy6WpdLtw0FNjwqQpkaKtr4eiXpQKC4/s200/IMG_2838.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> SPARKS!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvlaI5SlwKduIj9FlNDwxh8bTrOp1ZIE1SGox1ipDmWm9CJjlJJgTNHYlpPtP3gXJPgVf2ZnCh95MCIVQqhi03wci9H6CZnsLsXF7UtYhkSAC7uLj3UaFYMfBjJw1mRd8mpEKyCx-SfM/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvlaI5SlwKduIj9FlNDwxh8bTrOp1ZIE1SGox1ipDmWm9CJjlJJgTNHYlpPtP3gXJPgVf2ZnCh95MCIVQqhi03wci9H6CZnsLsXF7UtYhkSAC7uLj3UaFYMfBjJw1mRd8mpEKyCx-SfM/s200/IMG_2842.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> The smaller pieces are then bent and worked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i1lgeSpwW5oIjDXAWv38Xmg_M9wXK-ZmOtbewoKbkxvhyphenhyphenRATPxsX6sKnS4empTMk6mmjpQX6Y5wAftAtA7cu2xV0Z_Ce0QI9yTt2RKmvC_3DGSkPur6ALlYgGliEKQ8_IPRVdAiCAqw/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_i1lgeSpwW5oIjDXAWv38Xmg_M9wXK-ZmOtbewoKbkxvhyphenhyphenRATPxsX6sKnS4empTMk6mmjpQX6Y5wAftAtA7cu2xV0Z_Ce0QI9yTt2RKmvC_3DGSkPur6ALlYgGliEKQ8_IPRVdAiCAqw/s200/IMG_2844.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;">These are then put together into a sort of ribwork. The pieces are not welded together, they are merely tied with some really thin metal string. You don't need to weld them together because the concrete will support it later. </div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX16sz6Ztc2fzgy9wpMOKA6bukeyySi2y63MmD87lmKMadmg4sQx18enZEsCaWWy30elQ-GCuK5HrDsqWR4LtoVmH_w9PH0pr-py9ikyAd_zcO4_3kvFu53z_KbuosUdCJUxz9KIrTzkY/s1600/IMG_2826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX16sz6Ztc2fzgy9wpMOKA6bukeyySi2y63MmD87lmKMadmg4sQx18enZEsCaWWy30elQ-GCuK5HrDsqWR4LtoVmH_w9PH0pr-py9ikyAd_zcO4_3kvFu53z_KbuosUdCJUxz9KIrTzkY/s200/IMG_2826.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Then you get wood. (Insert adolescent joke here). Incidentally, the team that is working on the plint is different from the foundation team. It obviously requires a different skill set.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGu0t2xURCR4B_33P99oyUJKYvdyh195ELGPiAyDg_J_QJM8P92S1TAL3-n2JzrhKJSza5T2umm87t8fB20apnEr43weTIH0srCwh8TqvYwYTty6sg6bIQl0b-KyuO7hpY2VuWW1wSr_M/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGu0t2xURCR4B_33P99oyUJKYvdyh195ELGPiAyDg_J_QJM8P92S1TAL3-n2JzrhKJSza5T2umm87t8fB20apnEr43weTIH0srCwh8TqvYwYTty6sg6bIQl0b-KyuO7hpY2VuWW1wSr_M/s200/IMG_2852.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Wherever there is a foundation, the plinth follows it. It's just a matter of building a mould with the planks and putting the metal ribs inside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSFIYpO83IOAIPX7WJQKn4kyxxus9iH0XSpbe045O_ZvY-Et3Yzko9jzQI4vVlOreiwMsrJfq4GlLl3tg2YwvhKNphLJW0wLK4qlVPk4oZS5nJRP_xNc0FmG_keqcai2agNA2HC4HV68/s1600/IMG_2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSFIYpO83IOAIPX7WJQKn4kyxxus9iH0XSpbe045O_ZvY-Et3Yzko9jzQI4vVlOreiwMsrJfq4GlLl3tg2YwvhKNphLJW0wLK4qlVPk4oZS5nJRP_xNc0FmG_keqcai2agNA2HC4HV68/s200/IMG_2851.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>And pouring in the concrete. As you can see from this picture, wherever there are two walls meeting, the ribs are worked together and the concrete poured at one shot. So it works out to be one giant piece of reinforced concrete without any joints.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6PcjGW84xNoLikqG-z4a-XWeD1gz5eQ61wShUYUiTSCsHqePJgrjY6dnywv-Kmp9v97_VjhE-jfUKCuYdetTmMRxmIW1GvEtZSSv0Ee2AurSH0w0tvVH0pRMTyPrJun56PlvNwkSEf0/s1600/IMG_2827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6PcjGW84xNoLikqG-z4a-XWeD1gz5eQ61wShUYUiTSCsHqePJgrjY6dnywv-Kmp9v97_VjhE-jfUKCuYdetTmMRxmIW1GvEtZSSv0Ee2AurSH0w0tvVH0pRMTyPrJun56PlvNwkSEf0/s200/IMG_2827.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> Here's the utility sump. They covered it up with wood and metal held up by some temporary scaffolding. They then created a reinforced concrete slab above it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAe89aj8rdc3q1bY220IgrgwuSwTwBy1naJcg6MCSxsRIQ2Sq6UHMS__Vd7te24MFtg2v7nsNyjCPM8wrF4Na8QlnR9sBOP3ohIG536rdoZop6YP0Cc5xf-MyIPj8zwWIlGUr9_nEwb8/s1600/IMG_2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAe89aj8rdc3q1bY220IgrgwuSwTwBy1naJcg6MCSxsRIQ2Sq6UHMS__Vd7te24MFtg2v7nsNyjCPM8wrF4Na8QlnR9sBOP3ohIG536rdoZop6YP0Cc5xf-MyIPj8zwWIlGUr9_nEwb8/s200/IMG_2853.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Which looks like this. The water is there to allow the slab to cure without cracking.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyacd1V2mJQb5nWzN5QId1LvhyNDoOYYPcVbfDjJ3umXg67RDP1rdfZiE992TgNP1caFcjZcRO7gPbxTBddrYsjeZLKKJBaHdrfW-UgDKi9aewmtGa_wGKR0EW3tU7DTOKsS2ely1GSE/s1600/IMG_2864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyacd1V2mJQb5nWzN5QId1LvhyNDoOYYPcVbfDjJ3umXg67RDP1rdfZiE992TgNP1caFcjZcRO7gPbxTBddrYsjeZLKKJBaHdrfW-UgDKi9aewmtGa_wGKR0EW3tU7DTOKsS2ely1GSE/s200/IMG_2864.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> Where there isn't any foundation, you first need to stamp down and compress the earth and apply a thin layer of cement above it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPN-XSk04167RMnzFyjBVgTr0M-vMT6RFhYyjbZi7APa0c0Gk0hqrK9poS6Lqb7yGRPcK9YRifWkY5SKHOVj90_QNXkObDd5OXjmCcqp3uQ9opwVKo9azWkgeiCg5NZjaP6a07lDrh9w/s1600/IMG_2859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPN-XSk04167RMnzFyjBVgTr0M-vMT6RFhYyjbZi7APa0c0Gk0hqrK9poS6Lqb7yGRPcK9YRifWkY5SKHOVj90_QNXkObDd5OXjmCcqp3uQ9opwVKo9azWkgeiCg5NZjaP6a07lDrh9w/s200/IMG_2859.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> This would be where you measure and define where your rebar is going to hang and where you are going to build your mould. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQw63ESzP1hLGxP3lP6BFYgYM4myg2fXZMN442ek-J_geJoXasxbeNYuLBxcWBco8U6rAJCcrs7HdaKjT3Yp5cBYefDqHI_vcTsi0S2vp6pvsJ3VyBBG88IDWag-GpMwThcDqtIM_F9A/s1600/IMG_2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQw63ESzP1hLGxP3lP6BFYgYM4myg2fXZMN442ek-J_geJoXasxbeNYuLBxcWBco8U6rAJCcrs7HdaKjT3Yp5cBYefDqHI_vcTsi0S2vp6pvsJ3VyBBG88IDWag-GpMwThcDqtIM_F9A/s200/IMG_2860.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> The metal rods are then worked into the columns that they are connected to. As opposed to the foundation, the metal ribs are put together on the spot here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7OaO1kpY9nViNnGYent8_b5FdU_B4fWV_XP0u9jlb43ge47xvvcM-Mi8TuE8qkMQNo2wX42aLaP4sW248a93WvnSOiWy-t2PJSRBs0k5N8T2zSrY8GsGYxNUsogY2qcpOsBCIdrnx4c/s1600/IMG_2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7OaO1kpY9nViNnGYent8_b5FdU_B4fWV_XP0u9jlb43ge47xvvcM-Mi8TuE8qkMQNo2wX42aLaP4sW248a93WvnSOiWy-t2PJSRBs0k5N8T2zSrY8GsGYxNUsogY2qcpOsBCIdrnx4c/s200/IMG_2857.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> Here, the ribs are being tied to the rods. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GYpG6q8ZFKCjxpB3yAFOcfJF1XrcjrELGEXcuauvaHZsmmgv64RPs-VSA4jLK6UDcLJ_0BIbcNI7ldOqlpYmowuglLh7GHNm4FsQjNs0rMUmA3QzwOcpMbEaAD0z7-L8eRBashTPTns/s1600/IMG_2863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GYpG6q8ZFKCjxpB3yAFOcfJF1XrcjrELGEXcuauvaHZsmmgv64RPs-VSA4jLK6UDcLJ_0BIbcNI7ldOqlpYmowuglLh7GHNm4FsQjNs0rMUmA3QzwOcpMbEaAD0z7-L8eRBashTPTns/s200/IMG_2863.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"> The metal rods are also worked into the ribs that were laid down over the foundation. Again, this is to make sure that it sets as one piece of concrete. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEh43SYFUBhyphenhyphenSWeig6VWFE4DwACo044EbPI0GrOja78u9dGqVEmiMC66M_cPtW5pcXS5eb2LMNjv81A4GG0pv6r3NTIAd8ovMUywsYWIsI_dySl_fdu5qUSsb4wZu3oCtaXMnWk0dEJY/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEh43SYFUBhyphenhyphenSWeig6VWFE4DwACo044EbPI0GrOja78u9dGqVEmiMC66M_cPtW5pcXS5eb2LMNjv81A4GG0pv6r3NTIAd8ovMUywsYWIsI_dySl_fdu5qUSsb4wZu3oCtaXMnWk0dEJY/s320/IMG_2868.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;">Here's a close up of the finished ribs connected to a column. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> So that's about it for today. If you have any questions about the construction process. Feel free to comment or drop me a line.<br />
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</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-86427803063346886222011-05-26T05:03:00.000-07:002011-05-26T05:03:15.486-07:00Foundations, Columns and Plinths<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">TYThere's been a fair amount of work on the site over the last couple of weeks. I wanted to show it all together, so you could see the progress. Also, I was <strike>lazy</strike> busy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkXYUmvP4ijlu2-h2bp5kZUIXCmfNk7com1Ss3IDQG4_kvHRdbLzTIfrXC9DTGVwAcsh9d4RlGRzX9jN_bHbKhGSZqvHunIyC4ksp6S0o02GZRfEkfg_vnTbVLmXxaBK_oz9orpLNlNE/s1600/site+panorama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkXYUmvP4ijlu2-h2bp5kZUIXCmfNk7com1Ss3IDQG4_kvHRdbLzTIfrXC9DTGVwAcsh9d4RlGRzX9jN_bHbKhGSZqvHunIyC4ksp6S0o02GZRfEkfg_vnTbVLmXxaBK_oz9orpLNlNE/s400/site+panorama.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here's what the site looked like on the 5th of May. Still drilling and digging the sumps in the foreground and working on the foundations starting from the north east.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUhSg11KT93zlkBFWBUxn-RPQxuu_eE9RhCDZg3aeIFqxeQJBBP_FVeZAHr0kBz9uIvVPlZLJb3-GAfTiuCYelpZDmdQ7J4e05NW46LOp_2mnLG4lSFm4fUkDZwFLV3WSj_FdBo9PLVg/s1600/IMG_2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUhSg11KT93zlkBFWBUxn-RPQxuu_eE9RhCDZg3aeIFqxeQJBBP_FVeZAHr0kBz9uIvVPlZLJb3-GAfTiuCYelpZDmdQ7J4e05NW46LOp_2mnLG4lSFm4fUkDZwFLV3WSj_FdBo9PLVg/s320/IMG_2747.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>There was still some measuring of walls to do to figure out where the sumps should end. This gets done with twine and measuring tape, because that is still the best way to do it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvu933Mkpj3QIeCc31jXHL5M-augJPGDUw5pLPaflFWq8JbFWTqKekd0f20vsZ8r8FIpHSxE_m8m58AEZ8bd6AK1Avn0TlQBVG16KAbFppYlwTxSwDm2RdzZWuk4LDnWo43fJ4UR7UzE/s1600/IMG_2744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvu933Mkpj3QIeCc31jXHL5M-augJPGDUw5pLPaflFWq8JbFWTqKekd0f20vsZ8r8FIpHSxE_m8m58AEZ8bd6AK1Avn0TlQBVG16KAbFppYlwTxSwDm2RdzZWuk4LDnWo43fJ4UR7UzE/s320/IMG_2744.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>On the left is my slightly crazy swiss architect, Georg, wearing the cycling shorts. He and I had cycled out to the site on that day to take a look at it. Incidentally, he's the chap that got me hooked on bikes in the first place.<br />
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He's talking to the contractor and site engineer. Behind him you can see where they've started work on a couple of columns.<br />
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Foundational work holds up load bearing walls. Columns are used either where you don't have walls or where you don't want load bearing walls. They are made of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_concrete">reinforced concrete</a>. You take some metal rods, worked into a shape, plop that in the ground and pour concrete around it. There are three columns in the house. Two over here, the third one is out on the left out f frame.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTaYfnyouCd4QD27xaM1yOs0SCGU3sHgRC0QewaY0b7UdagxCEN2RgvXfixj-gYClHmSSl_RD_g_qJkPp_Lg55GKbiD8udtdfqicbG-8KU2Mnogl84llC7TwOyjKbJ3RkxDKBhPZH7Gc/s1600/IMG_2745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTaYfnyouCd4QD27xaM1yOs0SCGU3sHgRC0QewaY0b7UdagxCEN2RgvXfixj-gYClHmSSl_RD_g_qJkPp_Lg55GKbiD8udtdfqicbG-8KU2Mnogl84llC7TwOyjKbJ3RkxDKBhPZH7Gc/s200/IMG_2745.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>On the right is the first batch of steel I bought. I have since then bought another batch. Some of this is for columns and the rest is for the the plinth work.<br />
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The plinth is the a reinforced concrete structure that the holds the floor and holds up the walls. It lies in between the foundation and the brick walls.<br />
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More about plinth work later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeAtHsmXaxEZV0x91GmcW6PteR2AdpvtYxHvW1M2KoySu0hQnDAOY4JpYdmiXwHI3qAgSOC400ulyM4FLln2jkPwAAUbd5dkb4OGzcY_Y7Bnu02XCCwaNd90fEB463fEuMKYsOFdDw6s/s1600/IMG_2822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxeAtHsmXaxEZV0x91GmcW6PteR2AdpvtYxHvW1M2KoySu0hQnDAOY4JpYdmiXwHI3qAgSOC400ulyM4FLln2jkPwAAUbd5dkb4OGzcY_Y7Bnu02XCCwaNd90fEB463fEuMKYsOFdDw6s/s320/IMG_2822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A week later, they had finished about half the foundation and sump work for the other three sumps. The two large ones are for rain water. The smaller one on the bottom right is for borewell or corporation water (if it ever comes).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerQAn-xBrpBbbL4UBx-h7NT7ISPAH5iP2MXs8EpNhDIASCXQ9o7aXs5eRl_0ThSjJDy31RRPC5pn-fF_w_tgvx06O_v_-4DK4Tp5r40rlWmB1O0_9GSChAtQI5h0fUFskX_51WFDxGNc/s1600/sumps.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerQAn-xBrpBbbL4UBx-h7NT7ISPAH5iP2MXs8EpNhDIASCXQ9o7aXs5eRl_0ThSjJDy31RRPC5pn-fF_w_tgvx06O_v_-4DK4Tp5r40rlWmB1O0_9GSChAtQI5h0fUFskX_51WFDxGNc/s400/sumps.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>And here's what it looked like a week after that. It's at full height now and they've started working on the internal plastering and water proofing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPrlbHiQH5GqoXf8_HLKfVrEL4iscamKeAbzbmDOVh9HS7WIIktl55GwaLQQgXv9W6a_bzR8_Q4rV1s6vCJsmf7VDiRSIEwho0anrK9L6WJDcLE2B_o24EYNCB3RhFD39S4-oN7QL-jA/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPrlbHiQH5GqoXf8_HLKfVrEL4iscamKeAbzbmDOVh9HS7WIIktl55GwaLQQgXv9W6a_bzR8_Q4rV1s6vCJsmf7VDiRSIEwho0anrK9L6WJDcLE2B_o24EYNCB3RhFD39S4-oN7QL-jA/s320/IMG_2850.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>They've started digging to put in a retaining wall on the western side of the plot. This is because we're bringing in a lot of earth to flatten the site which drops about 4 feet east to west.<br />
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I think this entry has gotten quite large already. I'll talk about the plinth work that has been started in the next update.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-51414306117137191592011-04-28T23:10:00.000-07:002011-04-28T23:10:52.754-07:00Foundation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">And no, I'm not talking about the sci-fi series.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFko3-IylWfZzQ7vYAMbYHfX_UGSJTny1SSWs4g4S_KI0T68YsU6gyWFAupmkvBQh-So7wDZbB0XZMyq66Gv5R7oqnVIc0W6dl6gr_dKzfjfijOMbv9idE-KY8fnaFD9SLg-a2Nda8sr0/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFko3-IylWfZzQ7vYAMbYHfX_UGSJTny1SSWs4g4S_KI0T68YsU6gyWFAupmkvBQh-So7wDZbB0XZMyq66Gv5R7oqnVIc0W6dl6gr_dKzfjfijOMbv9idE-KY8fnaFD9SLg-a2Nda8sr0/s320/IMG_2570.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We started foundation work on the site last week. The first part to be completed was the north east rain water sump so that we shored up our neighbour's walls.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67b1RK38S_RHw-QRvwpvzLryZc0jQDjQDzNwHk3NjyksiRH7lLGndGS3JROLx36W4hGb8eitrsGhRBDiZhiQtCwSLtEp2wsB7_PhuE_g22-Mh9bD2ayWF_QsB83DDqA6xLt1pui-kG54/s1600/IMG_2571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67b1RK38S_RHw-QRvwpvzLryZc0jQDjQDzNwHk3NjyksiRH7lLGndGS3JROLx36W4hGb8eitrsGhRBDiZhiQtCwSLtEp2wsB7_PhuE_g22-Mh9bD2ayWF_QsB83DDqA6xLt1pui-kG54/s320/IMG_2571.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I am amazed everyday at the amount of skill and precession that is required to build something. I am also sickened that these people, who actually have real skills, get paid less than HR executives and call-center automatons. Also, things haven't changed that much in terms of tools... Plumb Lines for verticals and a pipe filled with water as a leveller.<br />
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That was completed last week. Just in time for the weekend of incessant rain.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOnCyxagLFu9ifQ_61gQLNY0Gcg8mShaSPgzIzALmvWq5SgxEXu9NkAqQDJQMhyvT57cdglwrDAXd1zkAYObAaJPbM-MFKSAssTgZIHaBYqHLibS9yeil-40Im3iKJwM03y1yJmoOxZ8/s1600/IMG_2732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOnCyxagLFu9ifQ_61gQLNY0Gcg8mShaSPgzIzALmvWq5SgxEXu9NkAqQDJQMhyvT57cdglwrDAXd1zkAYObAaJPbM-MFKSAssTgZIHaBYqHLibS9yeil-40Im3iKJwM03y1yJmoOxZ8/s320/IMG_2732.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This is all good news. The sump works, clearly. And we have extra water that we are now using in the foundations.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeDe_JGs5FmPHsQXuPwoCSswPlz-H0F-qmIeOXinJ8nBt6iwg482jWkKAyIuxx1F6ydtjJHTcYTkHcH3e5m6gEjEVeRGFiS9ezXZJMRSL94kbxLH_MQhAbeKmfP3BCZKRnZxqB29oEPY/s1600/IMG_2742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeDe_JGs5FmPHsQXuPwoCSswPlz-H0F-qmIeOXinJ8nBt6iwg482jWkKAyIuxx1F6ydtjJHTcYTkHcH3e5m6gEjEVeRGFiS9ezXZJMRSL94kbxLH_MQhAbeKmfP3BCZKRnZxqB29oEPY/s320/IMG_2742.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The pace is picking up on the site, and there are a lot more people doing various things: mixing cement, laying the foundations, shifting materials, measuring, digging. It's quite fascinating to sit and watch. You get sucked into it sometimes. Until you are told to move by someone carrying a heavy load of mixed cement.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeKEi7dZTuAQOC_QziBFuOEa5lSiJWt7S4Je8qI-O8b-PkQOdlS_5sE_Lw_oIrOHXn7ir4WqmcT6LR8K8FaOSEHPcszkcRq9L-xmM7lYmBj8pnB1YFXOQzo4-3uA7k1ywJP8yI3XFM4k/s1600/IMG_2730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeKEi7dZTuAQOC_QziBFuOEa5lSiJWt7S4Je8qI-O8b-PkQOdlS_5sE_Lw_oIrOHXn7ir4WqmcT6LR8K8FaOSEHPcszkcRq9L-xmM7lYmBj8pnB1YFXOQzo4-3uA7k1ywJP8yI3XFM4k/s320/IMG_2730.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is what the foundations are looking like right now. If you're wondering why the lines aren't straight it's because the house is full of odd and interesting angles. Which makes the measuring and building even tougher.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgap1sQH5rVuQAMqscvXVeQ2I_JusUZu4IiuTiNk0hh_7koEUAlisk9K1GKLu4wAKVzpdeAuEXLy_BxvV7DE9kvw1tLg-uDqhaAcJ9ZpZwJlMEnoIoOEW8LImaG7iMMF4NTzAr5x92AdR0/s1600/IMG_2729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgap1sQH5rVuQAMqscvXVeQ2I_JusUZu4IiuTiNk0hh_7koEUAlisk9K1GKLu4wAKVzpdeAuEXLy_BxvV7DE9kvw1tLg-uDqhaAcJ9ZpZwJlMEnoIoOEW8LImaG7iMMF4NTzAr5x92AdR0/s320/IMG_2729.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is what a foundation looks like. They dig really deep and pack it up. There's going to be another 3 feet or so above this before you hit "plinth level." That's the level where you have the slab on which your place your floor. The stacked cement bricks just above the trench end at floor level. The plot itself slopes down about 4 feet, from east to west. We've taken a decision to keep the floor level one foot above road level. This means that the house is going to be quite high and we're going to have to fill in the garden on the west side and build a retaining wall.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ1FcoRP3J_x9Eox8CHyPJMdwk-WVjW2pCWnD-zrTdS9xOnZ5UP8mT4D5XJrEd7eXVQFIGGQFDIg11r7jGVb9ngxVzhOGw8Red7chlPDvjU3nPvzBH4fD_hZ62c5HnzNcIWOMbPqcL3o/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ1FcoRP3J_x9Eox8CHyPJMdwk-WVjW2pCWnD-zrTdS9xOnZ5UP8mT4D5XJrEd7eXVQFIGGQFDIg11r7jGVb9ngxVzhOGw8Red7chlPDvjU3nPvzBH4fD_hZ62c5HnzNcIWOMbPqcL3o/s320/IMG_2735.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The little red mark is where the floor is going to be. This is on the north east side of the plot, marked against the neighbour's wall. The man on the left is Ravi, the site engineer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTthKhKLk7IITbEEdDsMVZ8H9DRRta_L1ib3_8i4eski8KgS4IkNMeG865CJCGf4kfCB4FgwOEZwxmI3QJRc8CeU9rehZTXAAwWwrpO2pcS9i1Ecmhjk5McB7kAxWWCA155a-a3bllxm8/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTthKhKLk7IITbEEdDsMVZ8H9DRRta_L1ib3_8i4eski8KgS4IkNMeG865CJCGf4kfCB4FgwOEZwxmI3QJRc8CeU9rehZTXAAwWwrpO2pcS9i1Ecmhjk5McB7kAxWWCA155a-a3bllxm8/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This is what a cross section of one of the thicker walls looks like. After this, they fill it with irregular rocks and cement. We had to buy the rectangular rocks. But we will be filling it with the rocks that we have been quarrying to dig out the sump.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YQIJ6VuIbvJWeYCbzeLFCbGZUh-18UHLmvBsnE4pHIoxeEdpdrU-lMcNmhjIZameg2-0Zz6PX-G7_U0jzlCOTr_dexHN5xo633a7G8bF-KNuSBMLnYQaNDKsCAZ7e3i0gcfLmeWuTJU/s1600/IMG_2736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YQIJ6VuIbvJWeYCbzeLFCbGZUh-18UHLmvBsnE4pHIoxeEdpdrU-lMcNmhjIZameg2-0Zz6PX-G7_U0jzlCOTr_dexHN5xo633a7G8bF-KNuSBMLnYQaNDKsCAZ7e3i0gcfLmeWuTJU/s320/IMG_2736.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And that's a lot of rocks right now. There was some kind of sorting going on when I landed up there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSFEFkjMdaq2I8wnL96Y1IrmTAko-umDfUF9P4UpgIbzA4LmKvtCE6TV-H7qmWlHAGTt37Jiado_kzN4JK4FhF_EVhWTKfLR60IQVIPE3tDS_md56I3Y886O_jnAhuiKpUf5Fh4hjNUs/s1600/IMG_2737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSFEFkjMdaq2I8wnL96Y1IrmTAko-umDfUF9P4UpgIbzA4LmKvtCE6TV-H7qmWlHAGTt37Jiado_kzN4JK4FhF_EVhWTKfLR60IQVIPE3tDS_md56I3Y886O_jnAhuiKpUf5Fh4hjNUs/s320/IMG_2737.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Another major component is sand. Which comes in by the lorry load.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLaKQ9DbfZUDocd18M7UaB977byMn8IjfXRQNjLGBo6_DQWz7TsP8Z_RXDvIRatNs8i5f4Ge2C_v01x_wtb4JaYkXFvdMGHRZiIZIlDSrJVc7KKqbYIJLI-1u7fq2mkLYczcZx7SyJ4o/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLaKQ9DbfZUDocd18M7UaB977byMn8IjfXRQNjLGBo6_DQWz7TsP8Z_RXDvIRatNs8i5f4Ge2C_v01x_wtb4JaYkXFvdMGHRZiIZIlDSrJVc7KKqbYIJLI-1u7fq2mkLYczcZx7SyJ4o/s320/IMG_2738.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is my favourite picture of the site so far...<br />
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So far we haven't been involved much in anything. It's all very standard and our contractor and architect are talking to each other on a regular basis. Things are moving along at a quick pace without my wife and I having to make too many decisions. I suspect all that wil change once the foundation work is done.</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-25368590365133199642011-04-28T05:35:00.000-07:002011-04-28T05:37:22.327-07:00Thoughts on working with an architect<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We may have done this completely the wrong way, but these are my thoughts on the matter.<br />
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One thing that you want to do is spend as much time as you can on this part of the process. You want a "perfect" plan before you start building a house. The more changes you make while building, the longer it will take and the more the cost overruns. Don't rush the discussions or the design.<br />
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<b>Step 1: Requirements</b><br />
Before you start any discussions with an architect, even before you choose an architect, make sure you've listed all your requirements. You don't hire an architect who specializes in modern lines and then realize that you want something traditional.<br />
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Here were our requirements, in no particular order:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1. Traditional sensibilities: We both like red oxide flooring, open verandahs, courtyards and tile roofs. Neither of us likes the "modern" look that so many houses in Bangalore seem to have these days. We're not saying that it has to be uber traditional, but we like the sensibilities.</li>
<li>2. Courtyards, verandahs and openness: We wanted an open space where there wasn't a defining line between outside and inside. The indoors should be open and they should flow into the outdoor spaces.</li>
<li>3. A large kitchen.</li>
<li>4. General guiding statement: No such thing as too much utility space.</li>
<li>5. An office space that is accessible from outside so that visitors would not have to trudge through the house.</li>
<li>6. A large garden.</li>
<li>7. The ground floor on one level, with a large bedroom there. All of which should be wheelchair friendly.</li>
<li>8. A rehearsal space. Well, a flexible open space where we could have rehearsals, jam sessions, or a place where I could play around with my manly tool kit or papier mache dolls. With an easily accessible toilet.</li>
<li>9. A sustainable house: Rain water harvesting and storage. Water recycling. Wired so that when solar technology and batteries becomes cheaper and safer in the next few years, we'll be able to just plug them in.</li>
<li>10. No marble or any other high maintenance materials.</li>
<li>11. We don't care about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastu">vastu</a> .</li>
</ul>Some of these are quite vague and some of these were quite specific. They're all important. We didn't compromise on the spirit of any of these. Don't be afraid to add things or modify specifics as long as the spirit is there. <br />
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You'll notice that, except for bedroom on the ground floor, we haven't really talked about layout. This is the job of the architect. Before we started, I had the idea of an internal courtyard that you see in really traditional houses. <br />
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<u><i>Mistake # 1: Don't try and be too specific about layout. That's what the architect is for. State your requirements and let them put it into a plan.</i></u><br />
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Our architect pointed out very early on that this isn't really feasible in a plot like ours because it takes up too much space. However, when we get our own farm (to sustain us through the coming apocalypse), we're going to have a lovely internal courtyard and be as traditional about it as we want.<br />
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<b>Step 2: Discussion and understanding</b><br />
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Here our architect sat us down and had long involved chats with us about what we wanted and why. Questions about what we like to do in our spare time, what our daily routine was like… Some of the questions were tough because we hadn't gotten married yet and we hadn't moved in together!<br />
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He also visited the site and got a feel for the neighbourhood so that the house design would fit in with the surroundings. <br />
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All this is vitally important because your architect is designing the building that you will be living in for, hopefully, the rest of your life. This is time well spent.<br />
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<b>Step 3: The first plans</b><br />
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The first plans will be bad. Just like the first draft of a novel. This is a fact. Your architect is still trying to figure you out. They're trying to figure out your requirements. You're still trying to figure out your requirements. <br />
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It's a start of a long journey, keep that in mind.<br />
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<i><u>Mistake # 2: We (my wife and I) tried to fix the problems with the layout. What we should have been doing is identifying all the problems and / or concerns and asking our architect to fix it</u></i>.<br />
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We moved rooms to odd places and ended up with a plan where you have to walk through a laundry room to get to one of the bedrooms. This didn't solve any problem and made many more problems. And that was only one thing we did.<br />
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Instead trying to move things around, ask yourself "what is wrong with this? Why do I feel that this is wrong?"<br />
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You'll get an interesting answer like: The utility spaces are not large enough and seems to be woven into the living areas. Once you give this feedback to an architect, they can work with it and actually come up with a better plan.<br />
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Step 4: Changes and refinement<br />
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At some point, we felt that we were hitting a wall with our architect. So we sent him the following email.<br />
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<blockquote>When we first met you, you were full of really far out ideas. I remember, at our first meeting, you pulled out a model of a cooling tower. On our second meeting, we had a long conversation about a two story kitchen and solar cooking! These ideas were, quite frankly, scary.<br />
But that's why we hired you! We wanted an architect who would challenge our notions and constantly push us to try new things. We want to be at meetings where you will come up with far-out ideas and we will pull them back or trim them down.<br />
The design at this point doesn't really push the envelope. It's certainly different and interesting, but we would like to see more of that first person we met. We want to see interesting and weird environmentally sustainable ideas... If you want a cooling tower, put it in and sell it to us! Please don't hold back, have fun!<br />
We'll play the role of editors, and we'll trim it down or cut it out if we're too uncomfortable with it.</blockquote>That made things much better. And we had many long fruitful discussions and arguments after that. Just like running a business, you don't want to surround yourself with Yes Men. We won some arguments, they won some arguments. In the end, the house has evolved much better.<br />
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After this, it's a lot of sitting around, picking at things, moving walls slightly… lots of tiny changes.<br />
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<i><u>Mistake #3: We asked our families for their opinions. </u></i><br />
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Two head are better than one, but too many cooks spoil the broth (and don't count your chickens when they are in one basket). They had too many ideas, often conflicting with what you want and with each other. Choose one or two trust worthy people who have run households. Their feedback is very good.<br />
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Also, they will tend to commit mistake #2. Listen to what they say and try and figure out why they feel that way. Communicate the "why" to the architect.<br />
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That's about all I have to say. It's a long process. We've been at it for more than a year. But it's a year well spent.Now that we've started building. We don't have to worry about making changes to the plans.<br />
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Next up: How our plans evolved, and how the construction is going.</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-75951329590578788422011-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:002011-04-20T06:30:11.798-07:00Thoughts on selecting an architect<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><link href="file://localhost/Users/venky/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was discussing this blog with a friend and we started talking about how we chose our architect. Just google “How to choose an architect” and you will get pretty much the same list of things to do. This is about our journey in choosing our architect. It reflects our tastes and working style.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><u>1. Why get an architect</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">You know what a room should look like. You know what a house should have. Don’t put the doors too close to each other. Try and place the toilets close to each other to make piping easier. That’s about it, right? Why get an architect.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">You know what a novel looks like. You know the basic rules of grammar. Don’t make the hero unsympathetic. Try and structure the overall story from the start. That’s about it, right? Why aren’t you JK Rowling?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u>2. Payment differences</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">One thing that most websites don’t tell you is the difference in payment and approaches. Here are three comparisons we received from three different firms.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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</style> </div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 300px;"><colgroup><col span="4" width="75"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13" width="75"></td> <td width="75"> A </td> <td width="75"> B</td> <td width="75"> C</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Fee percentage on total building cost</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.1"> 10%</td> <td align="right" class="xl25" x:num="0.075"> 7.50%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.1"> 10%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13"></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Conceptual Design Stage</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.1">10%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.1">10%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Preliminary stage </td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.2">20%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Working Drawing Stage</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.5">50%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.25">25%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Construction Stage</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.5">50%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.15">15%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Supervision stage</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.0">0%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.0">0%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.35">35%</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Last Stage</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.05">5%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.05">5%</td> <td align="right" class="xl24" x:num="0.0">0%</td> </tr>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">So, if your house is going to cost 50,00,000...</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><link href="file://localhost/Users/venky/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip.htm" id="Main-File" rel="Main-File"></link> <style>
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</style> </div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 300px;"><colgroup><col span="4" width="75"></col> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13" width="75"></td> <td width="75"> A</td> <td width="75"> B</td> <td width="75"> C</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Conceptual Design Stage</td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> <td align="right" x:num="37500.0">37500</td> <td align="right" x:num="50000.0">50000</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Preliminary stage </td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Working Drawing Stage</td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> <td align="right" x:num="187500.0"> 187500</td> <td align="right" x:num="125000.0">125000</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Construction Stage</td> <td align="right" x:num="250000.0">250000</td> <td align="right" x:num="56250.0">56250</td> <td align="right" x:num="75000.0">75000</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Supervision stage</td> <td align="right" x:num="0.0">0</td> <td align="right" x:num="0.0">0</td> <td align="right" x:num="175000.0"> 175000</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Last Stage</td> <td align="right" x:num="25000.0">25000</td> <td align="right" x:num="18750.0">18750</td> <td align="right" x:num="0.0">0</td> </tr>
<tr height="13"> <td height="13">Total</td> <td align="right" x:num="500000.0">500000</td> <td align="right" x:num="375000.0">375000</td> <td align="right" x:num="500000.0">500000</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Firms A and C are pretty much the same. Firm B is where the big difference is. They’re charging less overall, but they are saying that once they hand over the technical drawings they’re not going to be involved. This means that through the actual construction, they’re not going to do jack. They won’t help with changes to the plans. They won’t discuss issues with the contractor. They won’t guide the contractor on the minutiae of drawings. They won’t explain what is where.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The design process for a house does not end when construction starts, even if you aren’t making any changes to your plans. You need to decide where piping is going, wiring, what kind of toilets you want. There will always be some change as the house progresses. It could be something as simple as the way doors open, or moving a window from here to there. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A plan is only that, a plan. It’s like the script for a play. There is a lot of work to be done, choices to be made and possible a couple of edits before you have an end product. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Make sure you get an architect who will be available and will visit the site regularly. Their knowledge of the construction process is immensely valuable.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Incidentally, we chose firm A. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u>3. What to look for</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We sat down and listed all the things we wanted from a house. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We then listed a bunch of architects in town and started the interviews and portfolio viewing. Don’t skip the interview part! You cannot learn what you need from websites and online portfolios. They’ll take great pictures of fancy staircases and not talk about where the washing machine is going to go. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We looked at their portfolios and asked them why they had made certain decisions. This was really useful. We asked an architect why he put a little turn in a wall, changing the room from a rectangle to something resembling a boomerang. He said something like “We wanted to challenge the monotony of the space.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">All this sounds lovely, but honestly, it’s not useful when you are planning furniture and trying to hang paintings. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Looking at the portfolios with the architects you can very quickly see what their standard tricks are and what their design aesthetics are. You know they like to work with exposed concrete, or like blocky houses. You also get an idea of what kind of experience they’ve had. We spoke to one architect who had only done interiors and insisted there was no difference when it came to building a house. The only thing they had built as a small bedroom extension to a pre-existing house. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Most of the architects we met were screened out from the moment we started talking to them. They just didn’t gel with what we wanted. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Once we had shortlisted a couple of architects we made physical inspections of actual houses they had built already. Again, asking questions about their decisions gave more information than the actual house. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We chose our architect because he answered questions with practical answers like “We put the wall there because we needed some privacy in the kitchen” or, my favourtie, “that was a mistake, I wouldn’t do it that way again.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Don’t go with your first gut instincts. Our architect didn’t make the best first impression, but we’re really happy with the choice we’ve made.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Those are my thoughts on choosing an architect. Sometime later I’ll talk about the challenges of working with one.</div></div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-72340372333261818392011-04-16T21:04:00.000-07:002011-04-16T21:04:23.802-07:00Drilling and Digging<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm now the proud owner of 200 bags of cement. Not a lot, I know. But I try.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg1uXKp_rQ49yz9yoU5mXNysXMD6M7-64B6Km3K-XxPpmTsx4v4sRm_LlA2JPxkp7nKPBTQVo-He1U8GfAx5Jw9zSu_5AQrFicmm2y_96F7vgyyhZOsOzuDK0FG3myfmpnahCALhOwfs/s1600/IMG_2552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg1uXKp_rQ49yz9yoU5mXNysXMD6M7-64B6Km3K-XxPpmTsx4v4sRm_LlA2JPxkp7nKPBTQVo-He1U8GfAx5Jw9zSu_5AQrFicmm2y_96F7vgyyhZOsOzuDK0FG3myfmpnahCALhOwfs/s320/IMG_2552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>These are the guys who were hired to drill away at the hard rock. I had a small chat with them while they were on a break. The hard and soft rock are all mixed together in this vein. Make's it difficult to take out quickly. They were very confused as to why we needed such a big sump. I explained to them it was for rainwater storage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BULlGB1RrAMU9RkFHjhD-v-knAEFfD6P1yX5yugl1YiG2E3E5EgGFEzpSPn4INd2AsjYPgGkbf-Y70wyX_W0r0gmwiKRAPGo1-UJzng7KZaIiLtfUIuJZhHf23_LqUnR843W-asjHpw/s1600/IMG_2555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BULlGB1RrAMU9RkFHjhD-v-knAEFfD6P1yX5yugl1YiG2E3E5EgGFEzpSPn4INd2AsjYPgGkbf-Y70wyX_W0r0gmwiKRAPGo1-UJzng7KZaIiLtfUIuJZhHf23_LqUnR843W-asjHpw/s320/IMG_2555.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is what has been quarried so far. We'll be using whatever we can in the foundation. But all the soft rock is useless. That's going to have to be removed from the site.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA67AIePGfN_pNMVPXfh-JrP5EUtqrDsHHf45XfZpjlXKQYUSyBNTceVGXpfDhCs7qTGU5kCSfuxtdXsdjdZMkWi4PKA1HbPgSMgnbylEepQkQETNIruDR9a65vuxCe8N4WTNzH0u_ZrI/s1600/IMG_2561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA67AIePGfN_pNMVPXfh-JrP5EUtqrDsHHf45XfZpjlXKQYUSyBNTceVGXpfDhCs7qTGU5kCSfuxtdXsdjdZMkWi4PKA1HbPgSMgnbylEepQkQETNIruDR9a65vuxCe8N4WTNzH0u_ZrI/s320/IMG_2561.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've started digging in the north west corner for the sewage treatment system. There's more hard rock there, so the guys with the powered tools will take over for that section.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2l8NImXnDkgrLStrqGYOm0CJi6UzbgsRr5EcsSH6HV9pkZwi5imlcxAPaf86qqFEcnKYOEfX9BkUca5fgXbSM9LJ6nn4tcS1sYwY0P-TuT_IzH9r8Y0OL-gy5RRes4Aluws3c2TfrAHY/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2l8NImXnDkgrLStrqGYOm0CJi6UzbgsRr5EcsSH6HV9pkZwi5imlcxAPaf86qqFEcnKYOEfX9BkUca5fgXbSM9LJ6nn4tcS1sYwY0P-TuT_IzH9r8Y0OL-gy5RRes4Aluws3c2TfrAHY/s320/IMG_2560.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of the compressed air drills they brought.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oR1pugiafN76mILxgCK8_Bl6hcVKlet7voH9GJ5FWlDMTBXEFDgz4GtyO0EskZDIUgJUrpfoj4_3R4NJAvTG0RERiKSKwjQrQUjqqD4SyFu58Gx1BJ6h5zveCkmgdSKb2i8kTHzkcvY/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oR1pugiafN76mILxgCK8_Bl6hcVKlet7voH9GJ5FWlDMTBXEFDgz4GtyO0EskZDIUgJUrpfoj4_3R4NJAvTG0RERiKSKwjQrQUjqqD4SyFu58Gx1BJ6h5zveCkmgdSKb2i8kTHzkcvY/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They're also using sledge hammers, depending on the type of rock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJhhg99RTvxVA_v_srufh5dMGkx-K0XPD9M1_YI1oNp3nM-lio1-6qTw2EKd4RDsYPIDEySEWB-3P2Z59VH6haS7cXNkInghctRCJOiYND8XCEPWH0uk5TPAZDOwNu6Q_PRsfaV1Va84/s1600/IMG_2569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJhhg99RTvxVA_v_srufh5dMGkx-K0XPD9M1_YI1oNp3nM-lio1-6qTw2EKd4RDsYPIDEySEWB-3P2Z59VH6haS7cXNkInghctRCJOiYND8XCEPWH0uk5TPAZDOwNu6Q_PRsfaV1Va84/s320/IMG_2569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've finished digging the sump in the north east corner. This is the baby pit, where we will be putting the <s>dead babies</s> water pump. This is right next to my neighbour's wall. He's been nervous about this dig, understandable. We'll be cementing this by the end of the week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next, we have to cement the sumps and start off on the foundation work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-4305643727244077592011-04-06T06:27:00.000-07:002011-04-06T06:27:05.358-07:00Pumps and Sumps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Back in May of 2010, we decided that it was time to drill a bore well on the plot. We hired a bore well chap who showed up with another chap who had coconuts and some copper wire thingies. He walked around the plot, dropped a coconut in two places, pointed the copper at them and told us where to dig.<br />
<br />
The bore well chap we hired turned out to be a giant flake who kept postponing the work. So we hired another chap. By this time, it was about the third week of June. We started drilling, and I developed a 104 fever that day. They next day I was in hospital with 106. Yay. Anyhoo, we drilled down to 890 feet and got half an inch of water at 270 feet. I'm not sure what the 1/2 inch measures, I think it is somehow a measure of how quickly the column will fill up again. I've been told that it is enough water to run a house on.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, the 2nd of April, 2011, we installed the pump. We went with a 3 HP 40 stage pump, 800 feet down. This means that, when full, we will have a column of water 530 feet high and 6 inches in diameter. This is about 2,900 litres of water.<br />
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The installation was interesting. They first tied one end of the 800 foot piping to an auto who drove up the road and let it uncoil.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then they attached this end to the pump (the long metalic thing)...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPd-WhFcJQmFd-y0H2tezkCXjV33hCTgkO9PE-XoPx152kyrAeu5XfYQ41Vu6HWmVLQJy2FFetx7OY4i6u3gi8sROeInMEsSZvY8h_hixtPmeLGC_EaIvYmd4XoOwIxNoOkF8gLvuYfk/s1600/IMG_2535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPd-WhFcJQmFd-y0H2tezkCXjV33hCTgkO9PE-XoPx152kyrAeu5XfYQ41Vu6HWmVLQJy2FFetx7OY4i6u3gi8sROeInMEsSZvY8h_hixtPmeLGC_EaIvYmd4XoOwIxNoOkF8gLvuYfk/s320/IMG_2535.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>And dropped it down the well. That reminds me, I need a schedule a prostrate exam...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBk6tRShDgi-9EOam_5gkmviQ6f7MUyTuJBEJ9ZqopIYvqHDqz9c7a0WYekgHtYGxXA3iYMwKyNds8FywI4-fQkiFqiQimbYTa-hudieNiqkmDrSFiaNjYocu86TLPIKEr3lmJHemNxx0/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBk6tRShDgi-9EOam_5gkmviQ6f7MUyTuJBEJ9ZqopIYvqHDqz9c7a0WYekgHtYGxXA3iYMwKyNds8FywI4-fQkiFqiQimbYTa-hudieNiqkmDrSFiaNjYocu86TLPIKEr3lmJHemNxx0/s320/IMG_2537.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The weight of the pump basically dragged the piping down. They had to just control the descent. Every once in a while they'd stop and tape the electric cable to the pipe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfS35_66FpDlvu1inpf_orG2F9VpAaCwtU7wCtLdw6ZBFni_hHIM0GlkWPIKT2ecmBvGEPJ4z5x0kw7wuuyUpjXOOS9Fz-sPBwmuyNJc29TZYvihX0PgQrFEWqtGzWHvvomce5lQBhvNU/s1600/IMG_2542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfS35_66FpDlvu1inpf_orG2F9VpAaCwtU7wCtLdw6ZBFni_hHIM0GlkWPIKT2ecmBvGEPJ4z5x0kw7wuuyUpjXOOS9Fz-sPBwmuyNJc29TZYvihX0PgQrFEWqtGzWHvvomce5lQBhvNU/s320/IMG_2542.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
And we got water! Yay. We weren't entirely sure if there would be water because of the abuse the water table in Bangalore has suffered. The next step is putting in a timer and sensor to make sure the pump doesn't run when the column has been drained...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72UmFj7Aabq_73Q0MB89nr-cDyYmTXdpODE5BEO7AbQ3y6WhVBOiWjUOTurl3k0Rrz23Y10T-eayJxoAEXQiqQwH7YXHbHslj4DqyQJwyA2T2ywjRPunu4gIqx1pVyESlY_3-gCFIirg/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72UmFj7Aabq_73Q0MB89nr-cDyYmTXdpODE5BEO7AbQ3y6WhVBOiWjUOTurl3k0Rrz23Y10T-eayJxoAEXQiqQwH7YXHbHslj4DqyQJwyA2T2ywjRPunu4gIqx1pVyESlY_3-gCFIirg/s320/IMG_2544.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>This is what the site looked like on that day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPF90z2Q4bVOWq3bNmZ_Bj4WfQ0S1qczzr9syUksXRZGQO6b8UQqx4HocowqdLhp6KhZO0a05dkTAZlyTMbvB7w2psD2JjrbFXGopnNyxLBFsuvI4HZ6ZRUovqmFxGJU1io-hlOagZQo/s1600/IMG_2531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPF90z2Q4bVOWq3bNmZ_Bj4WfQ0S1qczzr9syUksXRZGQO6b8UQqx4HocowqdLhp6KhZO0a05dkTAZlyTMbvB7w2psD2JjrbFXGopnNyxLBFsuvI4HZ6ZRUovqmFxGJU1io-hlOagZQo/s320/IMG_2531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The water situation in Bangalore is precarious and is only going to get worse. So we are going to set up sumps for storing rain water as well as a decentralized wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) for processing all our waste which will be fed to the garden.<br />
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The site is pretty rocky, and we've discovered three veins of rock running through it under the surface. Luckily, one is a soft rock that crumbles quite easily.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGNDuz1dYQwo01WJKnDEt2UUI79FX4fJhA2SRXLgn_1P_rQNRuAyLSerAXIT2SN5WaBv2_PacSeWarAFR_rMRnbraBkMiX6E6oRJTu_vq28Ke8d2bR4-ofaqqCd7qAqzix8RzrgVamAs/s1600/IMG_2547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGNDuz1dYQwo01WJKnDEt2UUI79FX4fJhA2SRXLgn_1P_rQNRuAyLSerAXIT2SN5WaBv2_PacSeWarAFR_rMRnbraBkMiX6E6oRJTu_vq28Ke8d2bR4-ofaqqCd7qAqzix8RzrgVamAs/s320/IMG_2547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here's Ravi, he's the site engineer. This is going to be under the verandah and we're hoping to get about 27 KL of storage here. We're going to dig deeper here as well. To the right of the picture, you can see the soft rock that's being dug up. Just above his head is the hard granite. We're going to bring in some compressor tools and dig up some of that so we can expand the sump to below the driveway (top right of the picture.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQMTwzUjEOFR0hh6-9qm5fNftcU5f2FPKeABPwNITCSOVFcoA6i3s6tH9ZC783SItrtmJ-LgMgKeeOno7JzSBWc55an80SHYFDT48FZBmNZ0OYPsQ3_rACnbpNSAsBNk8veHL5uYpJq0/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQMTwzUjEOFR0hh6-9qm5fNftcU5f2FPKeABPwNITCSOVFcoA6i3s6tH9ZC783SItrtmJ-LgMgKeeOno7JzSBWc55an80SHYFDT48FZBmNZ0OYPsQ3_rACnbpNSAsBNk8veHL5uYpJq0/s320/IMG_2548.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>We're also going to put another sump in the north east corner under the utility area. That pile near the white wall is going to go away and the hole will become deeper.<br />
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This is our architect documenting the site with his own camera.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyiQKi4hk1Yk7tSoUtXH3hl-xWENkmtq2uRn1GRP4qv0tko8vJIcpO4Vfbh7fDdx5tfMmqv9UqfjcJ9VQjy2FyQr8FG_BbxzSngsfoMHo43Y4w5lLZHRiSENnpZvDzirzCiAgMG84eCE/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyiQKi4hk1Yk7tSoUtXH3hl-xWENkmtq2uRn1GRP4qv0tko8vJIcpO4Vfbh7fDdx5tfMmqv9UqfjcJ9VQjy2FyQr8FG_BbxzSngsfoMHo43Y4w5lLZHRiSENnpZvDzirzCiAgMG84eCE/s320/IMG_2546.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Once the sumps have been excavated, the next step is starting the foundation work. At which point we will have to say goodbye to one of the trees thats on the site. It's on the edge of the foundation and will be removed in a week or so. You can see that half its root structure has already been chopped off. Goodbye tree.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUiZ0zK95aSFCjatu4FJ88R3KjANrHJ6DGaQ5o6IK5RteQbPjhFJcynBLYrh3vmy_r5rSgfYa7vR1RKNg8KLxOuoP4ZM59Da-r-mUMdUElQoU4gms96M_gg4WEkVz4ac9wdnQRz0_G5A/s1600/IMG_2549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUiZ0zK95aSFCjatu4FJ88R3KjANrHJ6DGaQ5o6IK5RteQbPjhFJcynBLYrh3vmy_r5rSgfYa7vR1RKNg8KLxOuoP4ZM59Da-r-mUMdUElQoU4gms96M_gg4WEkVz4ac9wdnQRz0_G5A/s320/IMG_2549.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16077488656996072.post-27987678038782087122011-03-24T00:09:00.000-07:002011-03-24T00:09:39.297-07:00The start of the project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hello everyone, I'm starting this blog to document the start of possibly the biggest projects in my life: Building my house.<br />
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The title of the blog comes from a Tamil saying which toughly translates as "Run a wedding, build a house. Then talk."<br />
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Where are we now? My wife and I have been working with a fantastic architect over the last year and a bit. We finally got the plan approved by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike - Bangalore's Municipality), after waiting for months and a little oiling of the squeaky wheels.<br />
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We've got a contractor waiting and we're on our way. YAY!<br />
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I'll be updating this with pictures and more as we go along.<br />
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Here's what the site looked like before any construction started.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThyphenhyphenMBHVTq0yn5pLRXdeGJkjcXJsA7y030IwxIWWUgG0xnJ32rQhQEP3LaFEfFvLiTNQ9yNqDgTJ4OcQ0YFibQbqwZ3hCkzFwmkWA1DELhIF-8n6Wadn0ryjjG43xchHmMQ0SeG5y1j14/s1600/xDSC04266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThyphenhyphenMBHVTq0yn5pLRXdeGJkjcXJsA7y030IwxIWWUgG0xnJ32rQhQEP3LaFEfFvLiTNQ9yNqDgTJ4OcQ0YFibQbqwZ3hCkzFwmkWA1DELhIF-8n6Wadn0ryjjG43xchHmMQ0SeG5y1j14/s320/xDSC04266.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> It's a south west corner plot, and this is what is looks like from that corner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jUZ036LKpqJaxTy-15tXXUFkVjA_C7wm-ra0ASF7PO_l1WwRgClaTL9tNwXVnVWpwoCVO5a5dw6rsNRYq47sXlql2WgDppLpnrMNDDDZykleswxjM7xNKgx7l-pNjCeqRZ-pkzpJpoA/s1600/xDSC04274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jUZ036LKpqJaxTy-15tXXUFkVjA_C7wm-ra0ASF7PO_l1WwRgClaTL9tNwXVnVWpwoCVO5a5dw6rsNRYq47sXlql2WgDppLpnrMNDDDZykleswxjM7xNKgx7l-pNjCeqRZ-pkzpJpoA/s320/xDSC04274.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And here it is from the south east corner.<br />
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The site is pretty rocky, so we had to test where the rocks start. Hence the holes.<br />
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That's the starting point.</div>Venkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07315959496572858491noreply@blogger.com0