Because Carlos' house was on a hillside, the foundation was several feet deeper on one side. The slope also made for very muddy conditions due to the nightly rain storms. | The houses are built on a very solid foundation of steel-reinforced concrete. With no worries of frost, most foundations are quite shallow. |
 
Three bands of reinforcing steel surround the entire building at the level of the 2nd, 6th, and 13th blocks. | Special U-shaped concrete blocks accommodate the steel and provide space to attach the horizontal and vertical bars together before filling with concrete. |
 | Plastic junction boxes are embedded into the block in each room for electrical outlets, and plastic conduit is buried in the walls for the wiring. |
Here is the progress on German & Maria's house at the conclusion of our work. The beginnings of the openings for the aluminum windows that will eventually be installed are now visible. | At the back of the house are the two bedrooms. Across the front are the dining room, bathroom and kitchen. The house measures about 23.5 x 21.3 feet, or about 500 square feet. |
| Our team was involved in all aspects of the work under the direction of a hired mason who supervised several job sites, and two hired masons' helpers who provided training and continuity on each site. The work included digging foundations, carrying blocks, mixing concrete, sifting sand, laying block, building and installing steel reinforcing ribs, cutting blocks, filling joints with mortar, and smoothing mortar joints. |
 
Jenny was a proficient block layer by the last day. Michael became very skilled at cutting blocks with a machete. | 
Ruth looks almost comfortable on the scaffolding as she fills mortar joints. |
Here is the progress on Carlos' house at the conclusion of our work. Though surely not "OSHA-compliant", the scaffolding was very sturdy and secure. | 
Katie, like all of us, mixed many batches of mortar |
  | Muddy shoes on tired feet at the end of a long work day. Though it rained heavily every night, construction was delayed only once by a two-hour long storm. |
The team enjoyed refreshing coconut milk from fruits knocked loose from the tree at the right. |  |
