Poured & Started Walls

Those of you following the blog may have been disappointed to see that there was no post last week: Unfortunately it was on and off bad weather on Faial last week (unlike the UK, that was, as they say, 'scorchio'), with gales and a lot of rain. It happens. So, there was not a great deal to report.

But still some work continued when possible. Essentially the slabs got poured over the Rebar (Rebar is the trade name for re-inforcement steel bars), and this has had a couple of weeks to 'go off' and set. Of course the concrete could only be poured when the conditions allowed.

Part Pour - the Rebar is sticking out of the slab ready to be covered. As an aside, the more I see this photo the more I go F**k Me! That is beautiful. Certainly better than a view of the A57.

This slab is a major construction item (and cost), as it supports a substantial part of the kitchen and living area, forms the main deck and the roof of the under-house garage and workshop, as well as forming the path along the side of the house.

I've made this photo monochrome - as it's easier to see the Rebar above the first pour of the slab: also worth noting is the large bundle of re-inforcement ready to be used for the foreground areas. Also, worth noting is the pathway to the right of the house. This leads from the main deck, down the side of the house and from there, down to the garage and workshop.

You may remember earlier that I had 'scrubbed' the path from the main deck to the lower land area, due to cost. However, the builder has gone ahead and put this onto one side of the house. My reckoning is that it is a health and safety issue: If there was a fire then it provides an alternative route out of the house onto the land below - without this, the only exit would be through the house itself, or jump over the balcony and land 3 meters below. Ouch. Makes sense.

After the slab was laid I was a bit in the dark about what happened next. Looking at the Rebar sticking up for the pillars, I thought this might be next. So imagine my surprise when the project manager emailed me with photos of walls going up!

Here the main deck slab has been poured and the walls are being built. Nearest is the kitchen window with the large living area sliding door beyond. The decking Rebar has now been covered and forms a monolithic slab, ready for tiles.

Here is the path down the side of the house - note how this comes off the main deck. Very useful and allows access to all areas without entering the house. Also a great place to park a bike!

It is awesome to see. The best thing is to see where the kitchen window sits, as well as the living area sliding door onto the deck. The image below shows the view from the kitchen window. Washing the dishes will not be a chore with this view.

View from kitchen window. Happy days with the washing up. I have not made provision for a dishwasher (for pussies anyway), and with this view you can see why. Just outside the kitchen window, on the deck, will be a BBQ and dining table for al-fresco eating during the summer. It is shaded past noon. Good.

All in all, it's just another brick in the wall. Stack of bricks to be used usefully. Meanwhile cement mixer takes time out.

Next Up: Walls Up?