The Wall: Phase 1 Concrete

This is a brief blog entry, really the step between REBAR and laying the block is filling the rebar cages with concrete; leveling that out so that there is a sound base for laying  concrete block. 

In this project, Alvarro has put in some dams with fibrolet pieces to form a step that will provision for a change of level. 





In this second photo, Marlon, Alvarro's son, is preparing to put concrete in the rebar cages which attach to the main house foundation. 











Unlike the United States, there are no "Ready Mix" cement trucks hauling concrete to job sites.  Even if there were though, it would be very difficult for a number of reasons to bring such a truck up the Alazan mountain safely, and without damage to our mountain roadway. 

So in this photo, you can see how our crew mixes cement.  If you compare the size of Erazmo to the mixer, you can see that the machine is about the size of a small SUV.  So several wheel barrows full of concrete is mixed at a time and then carried by wheel barrow to wherever it needs to be places.  Tamping (to work out air bubbles) is done by hand. 


To the left in this photo, you can see the screen that is used to sift the river sand that is part of the concrete mix, so the crew gets the proportions done correctly to make a strong mix. 

Thanks for reading our blog!

Dick and Jim