Casa – 12.19.13

Posted on December 19, 2013July 21, 2017 by patrice

: Ahhh getting ready for the next layer, the bamboo sheets that they have been hand wiring

: The roof is being put on – just in time for the roof party, Minga Huasy Cumbay, on Friday! There will be 6 layers on the roof by the time it is completed that plastic is really the first layer

: This is the great room area and the area where the swing will be set up Friday. You can see that the first thing that is done is put up these wood slats before they lay the plastic down.

: This is from inside my office you can see the wood and the plastic over it. Look a little closer and you can see that the round beams will be exposed on the ceiling.

: Just happened to look out at the house this morning and caught them putting one of the bamboo latices up on the roof of our house. If you didn’t realize how big the sheets are – this should give you a sense of the size.

: Swings are all ready for the Minga Huasy Cumbay in the morning – It should be a swinging time. We will put pictures of it up in a separate album after the party.

Casa – 12.14.13

Posted on December 14, 2013July 21, 2017 by patrice

: Roof beams all up and now preparing to put the roof on the house

: From the street the porch roof is covering some of the roof lines but you can see most of them.

: This is looking from the front door and that hole you see up high in the middle of the picture is where a round window will be. It is going to be made of wine bottles. Next week when we have the Huasy Cumbay, or roof party, where we get to swing over a fire in the house to prove the roof is strong, we will use the bottles from that event for the window.

: The purpose of this picture is to explain the wire. Many have asked what that is for and we have the answers, naturally. If they just used the nail, the bamboo could split and not hold. So what they do is take the wire and wrap it around each nail head and go to the next nail, then they pound the nail in the rest of the way. This way if is does split it will be held firmly in place.

: More of the roof line and the curved inside wall (we will have a fireplace in the corner on the left.

: This is taken from where the stove will set in the kitchen. You can see the ceiling work over the beam from the kitchen and to the round wall where the fireplace will be. That niche you see to the right is where “Mr Bojangles” will be all lit up, for those that have already seen him. For those that haven’t, you will have to wait till he moves in. Oh, Mr Butts will be there over the fireplace.

Casa – 12.12.13

Posted on December 12, 2013July 21, 2017 by patrice

: What is this? Based on the size of the end of the place where they soak the poles and beams that is a little larger than a meter… I would guess this is about 40×40 feet or somewhere around that size. But what is it good for?

: The next evening I came back and there were two of these. The top one was still in progress. But what is it good for? Well I found out what it is for… They are making it for the roof and they will cut it for the sizes they need. Way cool! This is truly a hand crafted house. There isn’t anything that is not made on site.

: Look how labor intensive this is. This is a close up of the bamboo lattice work. Notice that every intersection is hand wired.

: Here is a shot of the wire they are using to fasten all this together with the bamboo lattice in the background.

Casa – 12.8.13

Posted on December 7, 2013July 21, 2017 by patrice

: The tower just inside the front door only needs a roof to be complete.

: This is looking through the front door, you can see all the way to the Master Bedroom hallway.

: Wow, the bodega almost has walls, they are really adding this fast

: Gives you an idea how the work the beams to fit in place

: Just a little more over the Master bedroom and the structure for the roof will be complete.

Casa – 12.6.13

Posted on December 6, 2013July 21, 2017 by patrice

: You can see the Cupola just inside the front door. It will have a dome on top.

: From the outdoor kitchen; front door is the opening on the left; indoor patio center; through the kitchen and into the breakfast room on the right. Ceiling details are appearing.

: My, in just a few days the foundation and floor are done to our outside bodega.

Casa 11.30.13

Posted on November 30, 2013April 29, 2014 by patrice

Today marks three months since the house was started. Every day we fall more in love with the house. There are new elements that we didn’t expect – barrel ceilings in the hallways … WOW hard to see in the pictures but when you come for a visit … you can see for yourself.

So many things to be thankful for – our new life here in Ecuador is wonderful!!

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