Building

building houses and schools, >>>and in Jinotega yet! Well, at least they are not missionaries. . .

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leader...

Wait, ,, WAIT..... they might be . . . .

http://www.bridgestocommunity.org/

our friend Holly Beck's on-going adventure:

http://hipehabitat.com/2011/09/20/building-in-nicaragua-concrete-floor-t...

http://hipehabitat.com/2013/03/20/bodega-progress/

Living the dream -whatever it is. Gives me hope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBkv5jjjhJ0

This one claims to have been built in Mexico!

Last week we drove out to our finca in Pantasma (Esteli to La Concordia past Apanas Lake to Las Praderas to Pantasma). They was a news photographer at the entrance to Las Praderas and we stopped to talk to him. He said the World Bank had approved money to pave the road from Las Praderas to Wiwilli (border of Honduras). As we drove through Praderas there were graders leveling the road so it looks like he was right. Anyone have more information?

I thought my neighbor's horrible experience with Danya Windows in Rivas was a unique bad experience. They just took the money and never completed the work.

Now Jinotepe Danya is showing how little business savvy they have. First they took a $200 cord deposit to give me an estimate. Then they didn't show up when scheduled. After installation we asked where were the screens? Ah ha. The screens are extra and "you need to give us another $200 cords to come out and measure the windows we just installed." Go figure!

Try not to use them unless your life depends on it!

I'm interested in improving a currently bare concrete floor in a house in Esteli. I got one estimate for ceramic tile that was $18 per square meter, but that's higher than I'd like to pay... Plus, the tile is imported and I'd prefer to use something more sustainable -- or at least local.

Can anyone give me an idea of what I should be looking for? Bamboo interests me, but I'm not sure it's readily available here. Also, I know cement tiles are an option, but there's also the sustainability issue with them.

http://www.casadetierra.com/index.html

Austin & Michelle Drill

grupoferromax.com, with branches in several locations in Nic.

I was in town today with some time to kill and happened to be at ferromax when they were firing up their machine to make roofing out of a roll of sheet steel ( they can cut it to your length to the nearest centimeter.).

at the exhib. center palza inter managua..had some interesting things..tonight sat and sunday

Hi, I ran across an old blog "Building with Liteblok 2008/08/30" when I was researching compressed earth blocks (CEBs). I couldn't see how to add to the older blog, so I started this one.

Buying a smaller Nica type house near Tipitapa. Looking for basic costs for materials to remodel/upgrade, I know the labor costs.

Just looking for round numbers to make a starting budget.

Need a concrete pad in the back for a porch. Need to build a kitchen counter. I am thinking do the nica style block and concrete counter with ceramic and then add cabinets under later.

Need ceramic floors.

need to skim coat nica block walls to make em nicer.

Need to install drop ceilings and some basic plumbing and electric.

Tomorrow's Del Sur will have this linked article in it. It briefly describes the casita I've had built over the past few months, (though not a caretaker's house - it's really a guest house that I'll live in while my Big House is being built) and Austin Drill's wonderful work and wonderful crew. I couldn't be happier - unless I was still there! Unfortunately, I had to go back to the US on Monday, so I'll have to wait a while....

http://delsurnewsonline.com/7483/alternative-building-methods-nicaragua/

in or near SJDS. We need some cabinetry made to order in mid May.

We have heard the concrete blocks here are not suitable for structural elements story before. And even that there are some that are. I am building a wall and will be doing it the way I would in the US. That is, stacked block with rebar and concrete fill in some of the holes. Whether the blocks are structural or not is a non-issue as it is just a wall rather than part of a building where a roof needs to be supported.

I just bought land on the hill in poneloya. I am looking for a contractor so to speak who could oversee construction of a very modest house i would like to build. My spanish is basic and i live full time in the US so ideally it would be someone who lives in the Poneloya area and who could stay in touch with me electronically. Does anyone know of someone who could help me in any way?