Cleaning up the yard

I had a section of grass that seemed unable to recover mostly due to traffic and a dog that excavates to cool off so this is what we came up with. The problem with bricking it all is water drainage from the shed roof above so I decided on that gravel strip. If that area wasn't dirt it was mud and both getting tracked everywhere. This is going to be so much better.

For a long time I've talked about filling in the door in my front wall that was originally designed as a second entrance to the other lot. The lots won't ever be separated so it's only a window for my dog to bark at kids passing in the street. It wasn't very attractive and the metal requires upkeep. I ordered way too many bricks for the patio so Hugo said why not use them for the door. And he needed the work.

New patio with shed roof above

No dirt showing now

Hugo filling in the door

Pumphouse, bath, wash area, well and patio

I originally went down for one week but ran into some workers that could really crank it out. Rather than getting the place livable in November I decided to get it done so I can move right in.

We first brought electric to the pump house to a 4 breaker box. Installed lights, outlets for trailer, washing machine and two pumps. Two pumps because we hadn't had city water for two weeks so I decided on a well. The second pump is from the cistern to the tinaco when there is no city water for short periods. The tinaco has an automatic float switch to request water when needed.

The albañiles (masons) were great and fast. They stuccoed the pump house, in and outside of the bathroom under the stairs, made a cement pad for the wash area, support for the clothes wash basin and a small container for the well pump.

During the end of the 2 1/2 weeks my neighbor built a flower bed around the wall near the trailer and started on a patio. He also had some old palapa wood that we used to make a lamina ramada over the wash area.

So generally the place will be ready to move into in November except I'm not sure the fridge in the trailer will work well enough. Will have to get a reefer guy to check it or just buy another fridge.

Starting the stucco work

Setting up for the pad in the wash area

Bath under stairs and pump house (jail)

Lavadero and well pump area

Patio and flower bed

Cistern patio and walls - Week seventeen

The top of the cistern would have made a huge table but at only knee high we would have had to excavate for seating. Nope wasn't gonna work so I asked them to make a rectangle we could use it as a small patio - covered someday. Here they are blending the rectangle top with the circular one.

The bottom foto is the foundation for the lot sidewall. Just ordered another 1000 blocks for the front wall foundation and the septic tank.

Cistern patio from the corner of the lot

Sidewall foundation

Construction of small house in Pinal Villa, Costalegre