Pool House Expansion Project, Day Thirty-One, 04/11/15

Today Really is the Day - Casting the Beam

Day Thirty, 03 November, 2015

It really did happen this morning. The girls and I opened the gates at 5:30 AM, as we had promised. Everyone promptly showed up at 6:35 AM of Carl's crew. The Machine crew showed up about 7:15 AM. Actually pretty good for an election day here in Belize. It's a major National election. We could have the same government by the end of the day, or it could be a new one. We'll just have to watch the streaming on Que Pasa Corozal (http://quepasacorozal.com/)since we don't have cable TV. Or maybe listen to Love FM (http://www.radioradio7.com/radio/Belize-Love-FM-981.html).

Enough of the plugs for the fifth estate. As you can see below, the guys are getting ready to pour the chain. All is in position, and the players are all ready.

Getting Set To Pour the Chain

Omar grabbed the hose for a bit from the guys at the machine and wet down the forms so that they don't leach out too much water as the concrete sets.

Omar Wetting the Forms

Omar, being the perfectionist that he is, was busy as a one-armed paper hanger, checking everything possible in the forms.

Omar Checking Polyducto

Here goes the first bucket of concrete into the form. It does tend to get to be a sloppy operation, but overall, they are quite careful with the materials.

Pouring Carefully

Here you can see they're stuffing bits of cement bag paper down into the forms in various places where the fit isn't quite as tight as it should be.

Using Cement Bag Parts to Fill Gaps in forms

The machine crew comes prepared. They even bring their own homemade ladders

Manuvering One of Their Ladders

The ballet around the machine is in full swing and goes continuosly until the pour is completed.

Loading Up the Machine

Using a prybar to lift the rebar gently, to ensure the concrete settles down with as few air gaps as possible.

Prying Up the Rebar So It Settles in Middle

Even in construction, the politics of the day is evident. UDP, the United Democratic Party (red colors), is one of the major parties contesting the election today. The other is the People's United Party (blue colors). There is another party, the Belize Progressive Party (green colors).

Politics Even on the Worksite

Much of our crew's activities during the pour is to ensure that the pour goes without a hitch and that everything is in the forms and smooth.

Smoothing Out the Pour

Again, Omar is busy with some last minute adjustments to the forms.

Omar Making Final Adjustments

Not only do these guys hump buckets, that when filled, weigh a bit over 110 lbs, but they have to have the agility to climb ladders and climb onto the forms themselves, with a full bucket, in order to deliver the concrete to the right part of the form.

Balance and Poise While Pouring

Sometimes, it's easy. Just climb and it's a straight pour. Other times, it's a bit rougher.

Another Bucketload Going In

I mentioned about the cement bag paper filling gaps. Here's what really aligns the forms with the blocks. Tying wire and wedges placed all over the pour really pull things together.

Tying Wire and Wedges Bind forms Tightly

And there's always a piece of wood or something to use to massage the mix to help get rid of air gaps.

Getting Rid of Air Gaps

Sometimes, usually right around a turn, like here, things can get a bit congested.

Another Bucket Load

Making final preparations on the forms barely can keep ahead of the guys doing the pour.

Preparing and Pouring

Once in a while a bucket become airborne as that load is deposited and the bucket tossed to the ground.

Finished With That Bucket

Here Omar is measuring for the anchors. It's critical that they be placed just so, as the spacing of the trusses, affects the roofing materials and so much more.

Omar Measuring for the Anchors

Omar has the first of the anchors in hand and ready to position it in the concrete.

Ready to Position the First Anchor

Pushing Anchor into Concrete

And, there it goes. Sunk about six inches in and with five inches still above.

Just About Perfect Placement

There's a break in the action as FatBoy, the Sandwich or Breakfast Man shows up. He's always popular. Dianna and I have eaten sandwiches he and his family prepare several times.

FatBoy the Breakfast Man

Omar and George take a moment to discuss how they're going to proceed with the pour. They better hurry. The guys humping the buckets move fast.

Omar and George Discussing the Pour

Faster than you might think. Here, they're using two ladders simultaneously to accomplish the pour. They've double-teamed our crew!

Two Ladders At A Time

At one point, the machine guys got ahead of the bucket carriers, so the Maestro (red shirt) took advantage of the lull to climb up and see how the pour was going. He's called the Maestro because he's in charge of the machine and directs all the activities associated with it. The name always reminds me of that Seinfeld episode for some reason.

Maestro Checking Out the Pour

You can see the anchors all lined up along the whole length. In a few days, they'll be bolted to each of the trusses. Then it'll look like we're really getting somewhere.

Anchors All the Way

One of the last areas to get poured is the middle sections. But still, it's no less work.

Pouring the Middle

Here's a shot showing a run that is almost finished.

Nearing the End of this Run

Once the pour was finished, the machine crew cleaned up and departed. Carl's crew stuck around and really cleaned up the work area, and then filled up our trash bin with the empty cement bags, before departing to go vote. They finished roughly about 10:30 AM. A good day's work all around. Thanks Guys.

There's many more photos than appear in each posting. You can see all the photos of the construction project on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/winjama/0wVc3s. There will be new photos added each day of the project.

Spa Is Nearly Done

More good news. The spa is well on its way to completion. We might actually have a filled pool by sometime this next week!

Hard at Work on the Spa

More Work on the Spa

Here you can see John positioning the venturi controls for the jets. They control how much air is let in and mixed with the water flowing through the jets, making for a bubbling good time.

Venturi Control

Jet Body In Position

Mariano is under the deck busy gluing bits together so the jet and venturi controls all work as planned.

John and Mariano Adjusting Jets

You can see how the blocks are cut to allow the jet body to fit closely. Manuel does the cutting with a power grinder tool and Emir fits and mortars each block after the cut.

Emir Fitting Blocks

Mariano Sees the Light of Day

Casting the beam and filling the blocks - last item on the agenda for the day. Makes for an interesting form layout.

Beam Casting Underway

Another View of theCasting

And, here it is - all done for the day. The forms will be removed and tiles adhered, then the Diamond Brite will be applied. Then we fill the pool!

Final Step of the Casting Completed

A Closer View

Other parts of the project - Cody is busy priming the pump house. It takes time because of the rough texture of the plastering. It will be the same color as the fence. That is, except for the waterfall area. We're hoping to have a mural painted there, possibly by Gale Peterson or one of the other local artists. We'll see.

Priming the Pump House

Dianna, being somewhat anxious to use the pool, is busy chipping "tweeters" of Diamond Brite so the steps are nice and smooth.

Hard at Work

Meanwhile, Zooming Along

Here's a couple I missed on posting. The actual pouring of the pump house roof. Here you go... Watch out for splashes!

Incidentally, the two pipes you see sticking up are the supply and return for the solar heater (black pipe) that we'll have up there eventually.

Mariano Pouring the Roof

Floating the same

Yesterday, they plastered the inside walls of the pump house. Really cleans it up a lot.

Mariano Plastering the Pump House

Pretty Well Done

Today, John tiled the floor of the pump house. I had to run into town to Creative Tile and get another box of matching tile. He can't complete it though, until the door is installed. Which may be next week, or may be not.

Pump House Tiling In Progress

Grouting the Tile

Here's some shots of the rebar for the top beam around the pool. It's being done in about three sections.

Rebar Tied in Place for the Ring

Ring Rebar Tied in Place

Lots of form work to get ready to pour. But, once the forms are up, then the pour goes real quick.

Manuel and Agusto Putting the Form Up Around the Steps

The Form Around the Steps

It takes quite a bit of lumber and hard work to get these forms in place. Remember, hard wood here is the order of the day. None of it is light, easy to saw, drill, or nail.

Backside Forms Going Up

Inside the Forms

Concrete actually making it into the forms. And, each bit has the vibrator applied to it to settle the mix into place.

Concrete Beam Forms Being Filled

Concrete Beam Forms Filled

Yesterday it rained hard enough in the evening that when the Mariners' game came on TV, I couldn't watch it as the satellite was blanked out - all evening long. It rained so hard the swimming pool had over a foot of water in it this morning.

Originally, we thought that was just due to extremely heavy rainfall. We found out this afternoon that it was mostly due to accumulation of rain outside the pool and flowing into it through the spa area, which is significantly lower than the other wall sections of the pool.

Here, you can see the water beginning to collect over the parking area of our place, and the water flowing through the palapa, where John, Cody and I had been sitting for protection from the rain.

Parking Area Flooding

Water Flowing Through the Palapa

And here, looking east from the palapa, you can see the swimming pool to the left, and all that water everywhere else. Luckily, earlier today, I had Cody bore three drain holes in the fence at the canalside. He inserted 1 1/4" PVC pipe into each and mortared them in. Just in time to. as this batch of rain started about 3:00 PM.

Water, Water, Water

The rain slacked off for a while around 5:30 PM, and picked up again about 6:30 PM. And, it continues to the present time, 8:50 PM. Thankfully, Cody's drain holes are working perfectly.

More Water, with More On The Way

Before Cody went home for the weekend we discussed putting in a whole 'nuther 3" drain pipe roughly paralleling the pool length-wise. It'll run under the fence at the canal to drain into the canal just like the other 3" drain. I'll add one or two round 4" floor drains in gravel fields and I'm thinking about a 24' long French drain tied into it that would be in a gravel bed right beside the pool running east-west.

We keep getting rain like this, It will get installed soon. It should go a long way to prevent this bodacious pooling that is going on right now.