We take a break but still...
Doing all kind of small things at the moment to really finish the first part of our process.
Some painting, recover the so far temporary electricity repair after a thunderstorm, plant marram grass, harvest watermelons, trimming a tree, and (because of cloudy sky at the moment) start with building the 'walls' (lines) of the labyrinth with mosaic tiles.
We even repaired, in between, the roof of the house of Phatsamon's mother.
I also started to build the contours of the campfire place. I need to wait till we get concrete again to make the small floor of the burning place fireproof.
A nice sunset and drinking a beer on the veranda in the evening a welcome friend.
Frans Captijn
e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com
We decided to make a metal sheet small roof and protection for the back of the Knock Down Home. Just to give some protection for the sink, cooking and the washing machine (on its way).
So I welded 4 beams and ordered six metal sheet covers. This time without isolation just as a kind of fire prevention. The nice thing is we now also have a place under the roof cover to dry clothes.
Phatsamon did the painting, I fixed the panels and made the laundry rail.
Two hours after we were finished a more than huge tropical thunderstorm to test the roof. Everything worked out fine but... all three roofs now did not give any protection against the rain.
The rain and wind were nearly horizontal and between the container and the sandwich top roof cover it heard as if an airplane was preparing for take of. A kind of whistle sound.
Kadhow was hiding in the truck.
Drying laundry got wet and some parts blow away. The laundry basket disappeared in the pond.
Beginning of the evening we could work again. No need to water the labyrinth and the garden this time.
With this third roof the main building activities of this first part of our process stops.
We take a break of a couple of weeks to finish some small things and prepare for the next stage. The first guest pyramid.
Frans Captijn
e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com
Yesterday the weather was not too bad. We checked the local weather forecast and it promised a tropical thunderstorm around 4 pm. Exactly as it worked out.
For today the same forecast but the thunderstorm even one hour later. We decided to make things ready for concrete pouring of the second layer of the labyrinth and to wait till this morning to decide if we should order two more concrete trucks. All together we needed 13 m3.
This morning the weather was more than fine and the weather forecast more than fine. To get the best quality of concrete rain, as I learned as constructional engineer, is not bad. Even welcome after pouring but the best is the poured, vibrated and leveled concrete gets a time of around 4 hours to settle.
We decided to order and give a 'Go' to the second round. Two more trucks.
Phatsamon ordered at 8.15 AM and the first truck should arrive at around 9 AM.
Again a situation of 'Lockdown'. We got a telephone call of the concrete company their computer was in lockdown and they could not start it up. It took a time. Two hours later the first truck of this day arrived. The second one around noon. Happy the second truck driver helped us with pouring concrete and saw it as doing merit for the Buddha.
We finished leveling around 2 PM.
Unexpected, again, 15 minutes later the 5 PM thunderstorm arrived already. Sad but true. Nothing to do than to wait nearly 45 minutes till the rain stopped. Phatsamon sat down on the stairs and was (with me) very disappointed with this too early tropical rain.
I decided to leave the situation the way it is now. Tomorrow another day.
We went for late lunch at a local shop and... a nice cold beer.
Pictures of yesterday afternoon and today.
Frans Captijn
e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com
After pouring the base concrete for the labyrinth on a daily base we have (strong) rains now.
We succeeded in buying and preparing the second (top) layer of wire mesh but had to take it out again trying to get the water out of the labyrinth 'under construction'.
As we already wrote in an earlier blog the local government is preparing a new (part of) concrete road so the entrance to our site is only available from the other side. A long dirt road.
Also unexpected a land owner on that part of the road sold soil / sand for road construction. A couple of days trucks went in and out to pick up heavy loads and totally damaged the other side of the dirt road. So... because of rain we are locked down even more during the national lock down ;).
Happy to have enough beer to survive for one month in stock (and also enough food to survive) and to have the Mazda parked at Phatsamon's moms house. We can come there (although still a bit dangerous and very slippery) by the three wheel scooter for the basic needs. We have to cross a slippery concrete bridge (concrete slab). Kadhow just walked it when I wanted to make a picture and was interested in a water snake just underneath.
Temporary our activities are 'on hold' (or at least slowed down a bit) waiting till we get some better weather. The rain now is great for our just sown rice field.
In the mean time 'our' eagle is more and more interested in what we are doing and comes closer and closer by the day to keep an eye on the progress.
Frans Captijn
e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com
This morning we prepared the labyrinth floor for concrete pouring and went to the concrete factory to discuss the concrete quality and the amount of trucks (3) for the 13 m3 of concrete we needed.
The company told us everything we wanted was possible... We ordered a higher quality as they advised.
After leveling the floor we put a foil against drying of the concrete. After that we brought in and cut the wire mesh and discovered we did not order enough. So... we had to order and buy 25 meters of length more and succeeded with that.
After talking with the concrete factory we decided to pour the concrete in 2 stages. First two trucks (one of 5 and one of 4 m3) for the basic layer and after that one truck of 4 m3 for the top layer.
Driving back home the weather was great in the afternoon for pouring the concrete so we ordered the first two trucks (not without problems ...) We placed and fixed the grounding (in the center and on the North, South, East and West side) and gave the work and base of the labyrinth a small protecting ritual with a Purba.
The first truck arrived with a big delay. Happy they put a plasticizer to keep the concrete 'fluid' enough. The first 5000 liter worked out well. Kadhow, sitting in the truck, keeping an eye on the process.
Just before we finished vibrating and leveling a huge thunderstorm came up. We cancelled the second truck and... got our labyrinth under water. Actually not bad for concrete as I once learned.
So, we need to give it some time. Tomorrow a new day to decide how to go on ;).
Pictures of the day:
Frans Captijn
e-mail: pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com
