Home Construction Week 5 July 3-9

It has been 5 weeks since ground was cleared on the lot. The two pictures above show the work on the foundation for the house. It is slow manual labor, as the men chisel and hammer each rock into the proper shape to fit into the puzzle. Cement is embedded between these rocks to anchor them into place. When finished the wall will be about 6 feet tall and the lower floor of the house will sit on a leveled concrete platform upon the wall. Stairs will lead from the house down the rock wall and provide access to the upper garden, which will be about 35 feet by 120 feet. In this garden we plan to have a waterfall and fish pond, along with a palapa for entertaining. Sandra wants to landscape this garden with many beautiful flowers. The two pictures below show the progress on the lower retaining wall along the back and side property lines

These retaining walls will level the bottom portion of our lot and allow us to have a lower garden where I plan on having fruit trees and a vegetable garden. This garden is slightly smaller than the upper garden. The walls are nearing completion and should be completed by the time we return from our trip to Fort Worth for my mother's 80th birthday celebration.