Day 10 - house finished

Day 9 - raising the roof

So today is the day that the roof is finally going on the house!!!! We lined the roof with tarp yesterday, on top of the tarp we put polystyrene then plastic roofing panels. The roofing panels are nailed into the roof beams with bottle caps - such creative technology :)

Loving the two course lunches with three different types of carbs!

F really does like kids...

We named the house for you guys

My first graffiti work- a special thanks x

Paula laying the polystyrene on the roof

On the roof

His best hammering pose

The perfect shutters made my Martyn

Paula crawling along the roof beams nailing bottle caps into the roof

Martyn at work fixing the gate assisted by Kim

Still getting along

I spent the morning making window shutters with the resident joiner Martyn who has not yet discovered 'Pisco Perfect' and tries to get everything he does to the standard he is use to at home - bless. At the house they took down the existing front fence and added a second coat to the white paint. When I arrived I had a little fun with the paint out the front of the house - check out the photos. THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO KINDLY DONATED TO THIS WORTHY CAUSE, YOUR NAMES WERE TOO MANY TO WRITE ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE :) Thanks also to those PSF volunteers who have worked so hard to make this house happen. Another kiwi joined the crew today - thanks Paula from Christchurch for nailing down the roof panels, I was too much of a chicken to get up there for very long... after my last roof experience I think it is best.

Day 8 - the last walls and some ceiling

Today started off with a visit to the local timber yard where the cut the wood to size using a massive saw. The wood is then planed using a very antique looking machine - it does the job so we are not complaining.

The saw

Fanny weight lifting in the timber yard

The saw in action - we will have 4 x 3.5m 3"x2" and 4 x 4.5m 2"x2" cut to size

The plane

Sawdust by the machine - the rainbow of colours

back walking through the streets of Pisco with wood on our shoulders

 The wood we bought this morning was for the roof beams. They are spaced out every 1.25m in each of the rooms. From here we line the ceiling beneath the beams with tarp, lay polystyrene on top and them red plastic corrigated roof panels.

Fanny and Kim holding the tarp while F staples it in place

 While the roofing tream was putting the tarp in place I set out painting the outside of the modular home. The paint comes in a 5kg bag of white paste which you ahve to mix with water. It goes on much like water - clear and liquidy and dries white.

The polystyrene panels for the roof

One part of a painted wall - first coat done

Only the other half of the wall to go

The tarp attached to the ceiling beams with recycled beer bottle caps

 So all the beer the we drink has a purpose... we collect the beer bottle caps flatten them out and we use them as a washer device to keep the tap up and stop it from tearing in our modular homes. Make sure the beer brand name goes up - or it gives the children bad brand placement...

The paint paste and me covered in it!!!

View over the top of the house with the tarp and roof beams in place

Carl and Kim hard at work flattening bottle caps

Day 7 - the last of the walls almost...

So today was a bitsy day, we finished off putting up the walls (well all but one). The bathroom is now complete and functioning, which is a relief to the family. Salledi the little girl was caught short the other day shen she came home from school and needed to use the bathroom with no doors!!!! We headed off from site after lunch to the woods shed to build the window shutters and the doors. Tomorrow is going to be a great day.

Day 6 - some more walls

Today we continued to put up the exterior wall panels on the Kiwi Casa. The bathroom is now complete apart from a door and in the main building we are 5 exterior panels and 2 interior panels short of finishing. It was a good day of just getting on with it with a good crew of F, Fanny, Kim and I joined by Carl in the afternoon.

Day 5 - lets put the walls up

In Pisco we allow for 2 days for the concrete to set. the concrete slabs are only 10cm thick, it never rains here has very little wind and the slab supports little weight - add in we are in a dessert and the concrete dries in 2 days.
Still no truck to be seen so w e have to continue transporting everything by hand. In total the house will have 33 panels which we have to transport on the trike 4 at a time. In some ways it works out well as FMB where the panels are made are still building them so it works out that as soon as they are built they are wheeled out the door and put up at the house.
The wood is recycled as we get it free from ACEROS Arequipa in the form of pallets, we take them apart and build houses. The wood is untreated but it really doesnt matter here since there is no rain. If you want to learn more about the panel making process read the previous blog on making modular homes. F and I have bought white tarp to line the panels with as we feel it creates a much more homely feel and additional light and space than the traditional black tarp that is used - the black we get free from ACEROS.
A chalk line is drawn on the concrete and we line the panels up. Holes are drilled through the bottom beam in the panel with a wood drill then followed through with the concrete hammer drill straight through onto the concrete. The panels are removed and the concrete holes are deepened. Plastic screw anchors are placed in the holes, then the panels lined up and screws put through to anchor the panels in place. Bolts are placed at the top and bottom of the panels to join them together. It is important to get the top lined up for the roof so a fair bit of maneuvering is done.
Today we manged to get up 9 panels including the window. We had a few black panels already made up at Bollywood and they are being used on one wall in the 4m x4m room and a wall in the bathroom.

Ben and F

Ben and Magda lining up the first panel

Me and Saboya hanging out while the others do the work...

F and Lega (the jacket dog)

Ben, Magda and I using the hammer drill

Saboya cleaning in the background while Jia and I sort things out

Saboy and Princessa who had three outfit changes this day

Ben andMagda lining out the wood drill holes with the concrete ones ready to put the screws in.

The exterior walls of the house.