Stuccoing the second floor

Had to rent three sets of staging (andamios, torres) to safely stucco the 2nd floor of the laundry room. I was relieved that they were a sturdy as they were when locked together. Last thing we need is someone getting hurt. Oscar will do the 'fine' coat today so we can return the third andamio. The two remaining sets will be used by a neighbor who will start to stucco the front of the house and front walls.

Oscar almost finished with first coat of stucco

The stuccoing has started

They did the upstairs laundry room in the last few days and today the stairs. To do the outside wall of the wash area they need three sets of "staging" (andamios) and we won't have those until next week. Stairs look nice but this is not the final coat. Finished will be much smoother.

We're now talking about cutting air vents in every room, size they should be, where located and what tools we will need. Need to do that before stucco and the stucco needs to be finished before the wiring, electrical fixtures installed and bathrooms are finished. I'm thinking of using a ventilation block (design that air passes thru) and mosquito net behind it.

Jimmy, Sandy and I are going to Home Depot in Colima this Sunday to look at doors, tools and block designs. The two of my interior doors are going to be wood and I want to have one on hand to make an exact fit.

Stairs looking good

Roof area looking from front to back

Painting rebar is my game

Painting rebar is my latest activity after cleaning up when the new roof supports where taken down yesterday. I was amazed at how much stuff was left either on the floor or still embedded in the ceiling. Half the rebar still there will be cut off because it won't be used to continue building but the other half needs paint or it will rust quickly.

Then there's the sand ... and lots of it. This time we ordered clean sand for less work 'screening' the rocks out of it. Not as important with cement but stucco needs a uniformly fine sand.

My rebar art

More sand

Stucco work on upstairs laundry room

Building a house in Melaque Mexico

New walls around the roof and Jimmy's place

Got walls almost all around the roof area now. The last section needs castillos (posts) to support a future screened room plalapa and I picked up the materials for that last night. Even included two galvanized posts for a future clothes line.

We're hoping the guys that put up the wood supports for the roof will take them down today so we can start work inside the house next week. Lots of cleanup and wiring yet to do before any stucco work can be done.

The two fotos below are of Jimmy and Sandy's place behind me. The house represents about 6 weeks work. Still another course of bricks before he does the roof. Their garden is looking good and is about two years along. I still don't have room for much in the way of plants.

Yesterday Sandy was taking down clothes from the line when she was stung by a scorpion hiding in a clothes pin. They are here without a car so I drove them both to Centro de Salud to get the normal anti-venom injection and pain pill. Doctor said that getting her there within 20 minutes saved her from a major reaction. All is well

Roof walls and clothes line

Six weeks into Jimmy's house

Jimmy and Sandy's garden - they live in the garage on right

The roof, the wash area and the stairs

Today they finished putting up the Panel-MG for the hand rail (pasa mano) and started a one meter wall around edge of the roof. The wash area still has it's roof supports so work there will wait a few more days. The main roof still has a week to go before the supports come down.

I'm anxious to see the work on the handrail as I've never seem them work with the Styrofoam panel. We decided to put four cut-outs for looks and a little more light in the evening.

Sad to say we are stuck with Mexican steps (short run almost equal to the rise). One fewer step with more foot space on each would be nicer. The maestro has some good ideas for the steps but that's finish work and will have to wait.

The roof

Panel-MG on the stairs

The stairs and a bit of the upstairs wall

Neighbor kids watching the roof pour

Watching a cement roof pour is interesting for everyone

Is all that gonna fit on my roof

Two loads of sand, one and a half loads of gravel and 100 bags of cement. Of all that we had about a half load of sand left, a quarter load of gravel and used exactly 100 bags of cement. There is also about 120 pieces of six meter rebar under the cement on a 120 square meter roof.

No cement pumpers used here - it was the bucket by bucket brigade up the street side of the house. Street was closed to all but bicycles for almost 4 hours. The roof foto only shows the beginning of the pour but it is all up there. My job now is to water the roof at sunrise and sunset so it dries slowly.

Sand and gravel in the street

100 bags of cement

About a quarter of the way thru the pour

Cement crew in the street