Week 2 - Building at San Cristobal and El Jicaro

The past few days have been incredibly busy. Our Habitat team have returned to Guastatoya after a few days in Antigua and surrounding area refreshed and eager to build. This morning, we began with breakfast, maybe with just a touch more quiet confidence and believing that neither the incredibly hot weather nor other circumstances would prevent us from completing as much as possible at each of our worksites. As we have done for the past few build days, our team travels by the van or truck and we head off to the worksites just past 7:00am with a 40 minute ride ahead to each of our build sites. As we arrive, the masons and family members are already onsite and working away.

Worksite El Jicaro
This morning began overcast , very humid and the temperature started off in the mid 30s but by the afternoon had climbed back into the 40C range. Homeowner Alex and the two masons were hard at work as usual. Our team missed the ever present children of Alex’s neighbourhood who today had returned back to school following the Easter Holiday break…

El Jicaro gables and bathroom foundation

The house is looking close to being ready to accept its’ roof. It has front and rear walls completed, the center interior wall stands at 16 concrete block courses high and will be the backbone, the main support for the roof system. The masons work on both gable ends in preparation for the next phase of the roof system. There was much cutting of various angled concrete blocks. In addition, work continued on the add-on bathroom. With the foundation complete the 1st course of blocks for the walls were laid today.

Norm, Audrey and Alex dig ditch

Alex finds water main

Several of our team members helped to dig a a trench, a meter deep and several meters long, for the water supply and sewage pipes from the new bathroom area out to the street. There they would tap into the existing main water. We may have tapped a little more than expected…oops….a bit of a burst from the water supply line which was later fixed and didn’t delay things by too much. Our first power tool was used on site today, an electric, small-bladed masonry block cutter. The electric power was obtained from one of Alex’s friendly neighbours with the use of a home made extension cord and it worked fine….most of the time.

El Jicaro siesta

Lunch was a welcome break and a few of our team from this site took the opportunity to have a siesta by the river. The day ended with both gable ends nearing completion, the water supply and sewage pipe trench completed and team members a little dirtier than when they started.








Worksite San Cristobal
Just as with the other worksite, San Cristobal began overcast , very humid and the temperature started off in the mid 30s but by the afternoon had climbed again with not as much breeze present today, as usual.

Mike surveys work done over weekend-San Cristobal

Many new course of block

Much progress had taken place at homeowner Anna’s new home, as the masons had unexpectedly worked both Thursday and Friday laying many courses of concrete block had been laid both around the exterior as well as interior walls.

Jonas (Mason) sets plumb/level Course

Eric laying course of blocks

Yin filling mortar in blocks

Steve laying course of blocks

Today the courses of concrete block would continue with the masons actually allowing members of the team to actually lay the courses after they set the plumb and level lines. As the day continued a need for more scaffolding was required and with bits of board and tree branches having already been used for this purpose more supplies were required. Our head mason, Hernan, told our translator Ed that we should slow down and go for a walk. Off Hernan went with Steve, myself and Ed in tow, not certain where we were headed. At his leisurely pace, and without providing further details as to where we were going, Hernan led us down a small road, into and up the other side of a gulch and up a hill to a small partly completed structure. Via our translator Ed, Hernan explained this was another small building he was working on. We didn't realize that this was more then a simple walk until Hernan pointed out additional planks of wood for the scaffolding needs back at our site.While at this area, Hernan took the time to point south across the valley at several small mountains, explaining he was born in a small town behind the 3rd hill. In later conversation Hernan provided further details regarding his life including his current residence as being located in a small Barrio (Neighborhood) 3 street east from our build site. This may well have explained why Hernan left on his bike on occasion..... truly a local worker.

Hernan and helper build scaffolding

Scaffolding (enter at your own risk)

As with the other build site, the further the house progresses, the higher the concrete blocks courses reach, the more wood and concrete block is needed for scaffolding which can make for less things there are to sit on….unless you can make a pile of sand your new recliner !! Work-safe BC would have a field day here with safety issues, or lack thereof. But this after all is Guatemala and you're on your own!! Scaffolding would be put up in a haphazard manner and if it didn't come down with a few quick jumps on it then it was presumed safe.

Steve and Ed have siesta

Eric and Debbie have a siesta

Mike having a lunchtime siesta

Polly having a siesta

Work in the heat and the sun continued to beat us down and lunch breaks often found team members at this site taking a siesta from the heat. Several team members wired more rebar strips and wood was used to build forms surrounding re-bar columns between sections of concrete block walls. This along with the horizontal re-bar laid every 5th course of concrete block tied the walls together to withstand frequent earthquakes that occur in Guatemala. At the end of the day, both teams felt pretty satisfied that we had accomplished as much as possible and looked forward to the goals and challenges that tomorrow would bring.