A Fun Day

This morning we went over to Ship Yard to take a look at how our Mennonite house was coming along. We got underway about 7:45 AM. Of course we had to stop for breakfast at the same market place eatery we ate at yesterday. Ham and eggs, refried beans, and fry-jacks, all for $5.00BZ each. Such a deal!

After breakfast, we stopped an Landy's hardware store to see if we could find an 8" cap for the pipe used in drilling the well. We got some caps but those work on the drain field not the water system.

From there, we headed on south toward Ship Yard over an unpaved road that easily is the roughest one any of us had ever been on here in Belize. And to think they move the completed house over this road. Oh my!

Since it's a series of small villages, we hoped to find a village sign announcing that this village was Ship Yard. No such luck.

Thanks to the bright eyes of Franz Wiebe, our Mennonite house builder, who saw us and hollered for us to go in this particular gate. At that point that was the first time Dianna or I had seen our house. Kinda cool.

As soon as we came up to the house we were literally surrounded by a group of very bright, inquisitive and very shy Mennonite children - all of them extremely shy.

Franz's Eldest Daughter

One of His Sons

None of the children speak English. They all speak a Mennonite dialect of Low German and Dutch mixed, that Mennonites have been speaking for over 400 years. I can slightly follow German, but this just throws me for a loop. The kids are all very polite and well-mannered. A neat batch of kids. There's seven kids here, one of them is married already. That's only half of it... Literally. Franz and his wife have 14 children! I don't know where they're all at. At least three are married, where the other four are is beyond me.

Franz's Youngest Daughter

Two More Sons

The Brood Lined up

Two More

After thrilling the children with the magic of digital photography, We went over to an adjoining field to take a look at our house. It was cool getting to step inside and walk around. Granted, it's still a bit airy, but hey, it almost has a roof!

I told Franz the insulation I ordered from the States was already in the hands of Customs at Belize City, so we shoud take delivery of it sometime this week. As soon as he gets it, they can complete the roof - plywood, then metal covering.

Looking Toward the Kitchen

Kitchen Side Exterior

Again, Looking To the Kitchen

Lounging on the Front Porch

Looking to the Kitchen on the Left

Looking to the Bedrooms

Conversation on the Porch

Another View of the Front Porch

;

Franz Admiring His Work

Here's a couple more shots of the kids with us. They just couldn't get enough of watching the digital camera. it completely captivated them.

Bob Morish

Me with the Kids

Franz and His Second-Youngest Daughter

Bob With His New Friend

After looking at the house and entertaining the kids, just like farmers everywhere, their proudest possessions are their animals. Of course we had to go to the barn to see the cows, horses, chickens, goats, turkeys, and pigs.

These Two on the Left Were a Hoot

Arnold Ziffle!

Cluck, Cluck, Clucking

and Oink

The Other Pigs

Some of the Cattle

Franz hollered at the guys in the buggy below to give him a quick guesstimate as to the value of the horse that Bob had been admiring (about $900BZ, since she was 8-years old), and to determine roughly how much a buggy like theirs would cost (about $1400BZ - including the harness for the horse).

Some Visitors Our For A Sunday Drive

One of Franz's Turkeys

Yesterday afternoon, the well drillers completed the well, going down to 60-feet. They reported that it was good water. I'm going to try to find a good price on a half-horsepower deep-water submersible pump and line. Maybe we can get that installed and ready to fire up when we get current (electricity). And maybe borrow Greg's generator for a few minutes so we can judge for ourselves the quality of water.

The Well Head

This morning, Bob lifted the lid to the septic tank and cut through the wood framing to enable a person tomorrow to go down and remove of the framing and supports, and to put the elbows and short pipe lengths that need to go on for the two inlet pipes.

The Septic Tank Opened

All-in-all, it was a very fun day. We got a lot accomplished. We even brought a short case of Belikin and shared it with Franz and his eldest son.

On our way back to Corozal, we stopped for beer and

Buying a House, Belize Style

So you want to build a semi-custom home for oh, say, $25,000US...

"Oh", you exclaim, "is this 1962"?

No, my dear. This is 2007, and we're buying a 20' x 30' Mennonite, wood-framed house to be built and erected on our property. We'll be living in it for the next few months as we design and build the "big house" as we've taken to calling it.

The Mennonite house will be ready for occupancy before 1 November, when Tony and Nelly, our landlords here at Casa Ranchito, come back from the Low Lands. We're putting it close to the road, so that the big house will occupy the land closer to the canal, and once we move into the big house, the Mennonite one will become a separate guest house.

Initial Drawing for the Mennonite House

The plans above are what I drew up to give to Franz Wiebe, the builder. He's located in Shipyard, Belize, but is spending a significant portion of his time up in the "Free Zone" at the border, building a hotel extension for the Las Vegas Casino.

We've met two times now with Franz to nail down what we want, what he will do, etc. to deliver us a house. The first meeting was scheduled for 6 PM. He showed up at about 9:30 PM. We forgot, Belize time... Duh.

For our second meeting, we agreed over the phone to meet at the same time. Well, we weren't sure if that meant 6 or 9:30. So, we had a delicious spaghetti dinner with sauce that Dianna had made and simmered for a day-and-a-half in our new crock pot at about 5 PM. We did that so we could be ready from 6 PM on. Franz arrived right on time - at 9:30, and we got to work.

To give you an idea about business here in Belize, we asked about a contract. Franz' answer, was "Well, sure if you want to write one up, we can have a contract". Which is what we did - just for our peace of mind. It is disconcerting, but also refreshing to deal with people in a land where a handshake seals a deal. A man's word is his bond - literally. That is taken very seriously here.

We made a production out of reading the agreement out loud, penciling in changes and re-printing the thing in two copies. Then, when we had all agreed on what it said, all of us signed it, with Elsie also signing as the witness.

When it gets down to it, what was important was the verbal agreement and handshake. The paper doesn't mean a thing.

The way the payment works is this: half down up front, then when it is framed up, another quarter is paid, and upon delivery and setup, the final quarter is paid. We wrote a check to Franz for half last night, and the ball is rolling.

So far, the whole process has consisted of two or three brief phone calls, and two evening meetings here at the house. And writing a check. That's it. If it wasn't for our Gringo need for detail and paper, we really didn't need a drawing or even the agreement. That's strictly for us. Oh, sure. Franz will use the drawing, but if we hadn't had one, that would not have impeded the deal.

You might be curious how we found Franz. There are three Mennonite house builders on the Internet in Belize - Plett's Home Builders (http://www.mauricefield.net/belize/plett.shtml); Linda Vista Lumber and Homes (http://www.waterskibelize.com/images/Linda%20Vist%20Lumber%20Yard%20Home%20Prices.jpg); and Midwest Lumber Mill (http://www.midwestlumbermill.com/). All three are located in Spanish Lookout, Belize. Franz' company is not one of those, and he's located in Shipyard, Belize.

We liked the looks of Mae and Craig's Mennonite house. They used Franz to build theirs, so we contacted him by phone and here we are.

I don't have a picture yet of Franz. He's a little shorter than I am, and very solidly built. Blond, curly hair, freckles, and Ben Franklin-style glasses, he looks Nordic. As soon as he starts to talk you know. With the Germanic and Kreol (local spelling) mingling of accents, there is no doubt. English as spoken by a Belizean. Franz is of Mennonite extraction - Germany to Canada to Mexico to Belize is the trail his family took over the past years.

Anyway, he's a busy, no-nonsense builder. He doesn't dress as a typical Mennonite - no denim coveralls, no blue shirt, no light straw cowboy hat. Blue jeans, work boots and short-sleeved work shirt. He drinks beer and whiskey (although he'll tipple rum if need be). He uses a cell phone and carries a sort of brief case affair with all his papers and tools of the trade.

So, there you have it. The deal was sealed at our kitchen table. No real estate agents, no attorneys, no bankers, no financiers, no nothing except us. A great way to work.

Oh, and by the way, we'll be talking to Franz about building the big house, the property fencing, the well, septic system, etc., etc. He can either do it or he has a cousin who can. One stop shopping.