Week 1 ----- (12 - 19 April 2017) ----- Excavations and start footings

What a week! We get all the excavation done for the deep structures - pool and machine room, cistern for rainwater (there is no mains water here, so all rainwater is harvested from the roofs of the house) and septic tank. A concrete base is built for pool and cistern. This is  just a clean base upon which the reinforced concrete floor will be built later on.

The footings for the house are excavated and shuttering is started. These are built of wood on the clean concrete base, supported with a mishmash of steel struts, wooden supports and a lot of  pragmatism. It's a long job, getting everything in the right place and at the correct depth. The footings are 30 cm thick and around 40 cm high.
The steel reinforcement cages are built onsite and then placed in the shuttering. We have a big steel cutter and two rod benders, both driven by a 360 V generator. 240 V tools are powered from our existing supply using very long extensions, and water is being taken from our existing cistern which Antonio refills as needed.

Footings marked up.

Pool and cistern excavated, concrete base laid.

 Wood shuttering being built for the footings, with pool and machine room in the foreground.

Lots of shuttering, and the start of steelwork for the reinforced concrete footings.

Vasile using the steel cutter/bender.