Casa Mascotas: January 2016

January 26,2016
The excavation was finished as planned last night.
Large gravel and the Lime powder was delivered to the site.
Today four people started on the foundation work. Come Monday, we will have a team of eight.
Oscar estimates that it would take three weeks to do the foundation.
PROBLEM #1
The stump of the huge tree that once lived in the middle of the double lot and which is close to our lot line has part of the root inside our foundation trench. We need to cut the root, treat it immediately with Roundup (glyphosate), drill some deep holes, and inject that stuff. After the soil comes off of the top of the stump, we need to make a FRESH cut and drill holes and treat the edge of the tree, the layer under the bark with that stuff.
We also need to get the dead tree on the sidewalk removed.

Stump root in the way...

Future Kitchen

January 27, 2016

We lost a full day almost, because of the tree root. Enormous, very hard wood but luckily DEAD and dry, so it will not pose growing problems.

They started the Cal (the white stuff) on the bottom of the foundation trench, large gravel and "hand positioned and cemented in" rock foundation wall. This is the right way of doing it. Some other people just throw the large rocks in the hole and pour a slurry of cement over it. The rocks will settle when the weight of the masonry goes on top and the walls crack.

Cal at the bottom, will expand with moisture and act as a water barrier.

The large root half cut off.

The START of the foundation wall

Detail of the darned root

Picture taken from the Trenches...

January 28, 2016
Oscar set the levels for the house. There will be a step up from the sidewalk into the property at the pedestrian gate but the sidewalk itself, in front of the house will be about 4" higher than the adjacent sidewalks. The lot has a natural small slope from back to the front of the lot favoring drainage towards the street. We may need drainage holes or pipes toward the street.
The Eastside neighbor's trees, at the sidewalk, may have to be trimmed as they interfere with the electrical lines on the street and may make difficult our connection to CFE.

The fun thing today occurred when Jim downloaded the photos he took today. The mason building the foundation WALL at the front fence of the house was wearing a Baseball cap with Pink Floyd "The Wall" on it.

Part of the root stump is still there, they gave up for now to make progress on the foundation wall.
There is a "cave" under the stump root. It is dead, for sure, but still giving us a lot of work to do.

We are making nice progress. It is amazing how much manual labor is involved in setting stone by stone into the mortar for the foundation wall, including under the fence wall...

January 29, 2016

The work is progressing nicely. The stump root is all out, the front fence wall foundation is done. The stone wall is up to the sidewalk level and the front yard level.

The gap in the foundation wall is for a reinforced concrete post called Castillo.

Every 9 feet or so they have a Castillo, which is a little concrete column imbedded in the masonry wall, from the foundation, through the concrete slab. Horizontally, on each floor you have two Dalas, which are reinforced concrete beams tying together the Castillos and providing structural stability to the masonry construction. Amazingly strong construction...

I am sure having a good time... I missed it...

Week of February 8, 2016

One more week and the foundation wall is finished. They are on schedule and making good progress.

They still have to do the Kitchen and Dining Room.

This is the East wall separating our house from the adjacent lot.

The pile of dirt on the left is our Master Bedroom.

The little openings in the foundation wall are for the castillos (reinforced concrete little columns) which will strengthen the masonry walls. The foundation walls are at least twice as thick as the masonry walls on top of them will be.

Standing in the future Bathroom, the walk in closet is behind me and on my left the Bedroom.

We need to cut down soon the dead tree on the sidewalk in the front of the house so we can build the masonry fence wall so we would be able to enclose the yard to store materials.

Week of February 15, 2016

Foundation work is done. One can finally see the house layout. The foundation walls are about three times thicker than the brick walls to be built. There will be an 8" "dala" (reinforced concrete bean) on top of the foundation wall and the brick walls will go on top of that. All those interruptions in the foundation walls will receive a reinforced concrete column (the castillos).

With this, we move on to SMALLER posts/topics. The foundation work took exactly 3 weeks, to the day, as scheduled. Good job guys and Oscar.

The first of the R-bars on February 16.

INTRODUCTION

February 2015,

I met Oscar on the Internet. We clicked immediately.

Oscar Chavez Orozco- architect/developer/builder had a home under construction and he did not hesitate to try to work with us to see if we can adapt/change elements already built to see if we can make the house work for us. His remarkable professionalism and competence made it an easy decision for us: we will have Oscar build our new home for us in Ajijic.

March 2015,

Jim and I flew to Mexico for a week, looked at a lot of homes in the Ajijic area, but nothing could accommodate our four pets needs and our requirements for living.

Towards the end of the stay, on a Friday, we had the day reserved for meeting Oscar.

Oscar shows up at our hotel on time and … with his mother, Lourdes.

I had no idea Oscar is 28 years old. I had no idea that his Mom is an accomplished architect, I had no idea his father is an accomplished engineer.

He is showing us some of his work. Magnificent, solid, classy, impressive…

On Sunday, we went to see a lot in upper Riberas. Lourdes, in boots and tape measure in hand, walks the lot every which way and comes back to me: “This lot is not good.”

Hopes to buy a lot before we leave (Monday afternoon) shattered… I say: “Lourdes if this lot is not good enough for you, it is not good enough for me either”.

Oscar, fully understanding the implications of the moment: “Ilana, for the last week, as I ride my bicycle to the gym, I saw in Lower Riberas a lot being cleared, I think it is for sale by owner.” Let’s go see it.

Love at first sight. All four of us liked it, Lourdes calls the owner, makes the deal.

She also makes the arrangements with a Notario, and on Monday morning, in Jocotopec we signed the purchase papers.

The bond and new friendship with Oscar and Lourdes was absolutely thrilling. We knew that moment we will be coming to Ajijic to “family”, not to a foreign and scary land.

We went back to Texas, and we had a lot on Avenida de la Riberas.

I work out an “American layout” and Oscar sends me his schematic for his layout.

I LOVED the concept of his layout immediately. His layout took into consideration ALL the elements of our previous conversation. It was just an easy task for me to finesse the layout…we had a winner!

Oscar Sr., the father, whom we didn’t meet in March, turns out to be total “soul mate” material for my husband Jim and I. He is into photography like Jim and into dogs, like me. A sophisticated gentleman, well read and fluently reading in English, Oscar Sr. is, a dog show judge and training his working Pointers (Perrasi and Holand) at the lake 3-4 times a week, then takes his Kayak out on the lake.

This soulful gentleman, without knowing us personally, offered to rent out to us, for the year of construction, one of his homes, right next to their house in La Floresta.

Mexico is waiting for us with wide-open arms!

In October 2015 we came to Mexico to be with our new Mexican family.

January 23, 2016
It is Saturday, but Oscar went to the lot and staked/chalked the house.
I just finished the last revisions to the plans on Autocad. I will give them to Oscar tomorrow on a USB.

January 24, 2016
Oscar came to the La Floresta house. We reviewed all the changes on the screen and I gave him the USB with the revisions for his "working drawings". Jim, myself, and Oscar, we all went to the site to see the plans laid out on the ground. Looks really nice.

The layout of the house —looks soooo small...

January 25, 2016

Monday. At 2 pm today Oscar started the excavation for the foundations. Jim and I went to the job site to see Earth being moved. Oscar is happy he found a lot or rock in the soil and did NOT hit any water. The soil is nice and black and smells delicious.