Home Construction
Techniques & Methods Mexico...

I am going to post a few of the interesting things I have photographed while following the construction of our home in Morelia. These are techniques and methods that are very much different than what I'm familiar with and have interested me. I am no expert in construction in the U.S. as my only experience is wood frame homes in Salinas, but from what I am witnessing the Mexican workers are very ingenious and find ways to make things work. Thus far, no electrical machinery or tools have been used, everything is hard, physical manual labor. It seems that construction technique is passed from grandfather, to father, to son. I'm sure much of their construction has been done in this manner for hundreds of years. The buildings are very strong, as evidenced by the buildings in Morelia that go back 450 years.

The two photos above show concrete being mixed on the ground and the finished concrete being carried in a bucket. Even though there is a mixer, the workers prefer the ground. After mixing, the concrete is carried to the job in buckets. No wheel barrels used her!

The boy in the orange shirt standing on the ground is throwing bricks up to the brick layer on the top. The bricks are tossed up one at a time. I was impressed, no fumbles or errors.

I'm not up on my Greek history, but I seem to remember Archimedes or some other Greek scientist using water to level things. Well, the workers have levels, but it is very interesting for me to see this water level that the workers also use. The water level is pictured above, it is the white tubing laying along side the column. They use this type of level to measure and level things around corners or objects where a conventional level would not work.

This truck above is delivering wood that will be used for forms and supports. Since wood is not used in most Mexican homes, this wood is rented by the square meter. After it is used it is returned to the warehouse to be used for the next home construction. One advantage to no wood is there is very little danger of home fires in Mexico. Most homes do not carry fire insurance. The two photos below show how this wood is used. The first photo is the construction shed, which holds tools, cement, mortar, etc.

All the wood in these photos will be returned after the project is completed. I imagine there will be a charge for any shortage when returning.

The two photos above show the same wood, photos taken from below and above. It is very interesting that the man is walking on wood trays which are also rented. I used to dry fruit on wooden trays exactly like these that are used for the ceiling and flooring. The photo below shows a stack of these wood trays.

These are the wood supports for the concrete slab that will be poured for the roofing and flooring. These trays are well oiled so that the concrete doesn't stick to them when they are pulled off. About 4 inches of concrete are used for the ceilings.

Lunch time in Mexico is nothing like my experience in the U.S. No brown bagging it here! About 10 minutes before the workers stop for lunch, the youngest boys gather wood and build a fire under these metal covers. The boys cook tortillas, the men bring rice, beans, pork, chicken, beef from home and they all share in making tacos. Sandra and I had the pleasure of joining in for this lunch and boy was it tasty. The men say you can't beat the food from the ranches where they all live.
I have not tried to make judgments on the way these men work, all I know is that it sure is effective. It is an experience to watch their enginuity and problem solving skills. I am getting an education following their progress.