Archive for the ‘Nicaragua in the news’ Category
Beautiful tiles hand made in Granada arrive on Day 28
Monday, February 4th, 2008
The bond beams on the greenhouse have been poured and are ready to receive trusses. Leaving the site in the very capable hands of Phil Basehart and Seth Larsen (Earthship Biotecture), project manager Dave Kniffin headed off on a supply run.
Check out the Granada Tiles! (Granada is a beautiful historic colonial city located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua around 90 minutes drive away.) The tiles are hand made in Nicaragua and normally exported to the US and Spain. But they were virtually given to us by a neighboring land owner who likes our project and happens to own the company that makes them.
Nicaragua real estate: The buzz about the Nicaraguan Earthship is building
Monday, January 28th, 2008We’ve been keeping a daily blog on the construction of a house made out of tires which cools itself passively, creates its own power and harvests its own water. Known as an “Earthship” the house design was conceived by architect Mike Reynolds from Earthship Biotecture, in Taos, New Mexico.
Ever since the construction team arrived in Nicaragua and teamed up with the local community of El Carizal to begin the building, the buzz has been growing:
- Steve over in Newcastle, England updated his readers about the Nicaraguan Earthship
- Closer to home, MyBootsnMe visited the site and took a couple of great shots
- La Prensa, Nicaragua’s daily national newspaper wrote an article about a house made out of a thousand tires and thousands more bottles and cans (Spanish)
- And Dave Kniffen from Casa Llanta reflected on the vision behind the Nicaraguan Earthship initiative in a thoughtful article written on Day 16 of the construction.
There’s also a You Tube video for those who want to see a day by day demonstration.
[youtube]Fa-lcGJberI&rel=1[/youtube]
We are proud to market this Earthship community to our network. The location is great (only 15 minutes south of San Juan del Sur), the logic of green building can’t be faulted, and the construction quality is top class.
Download the floor plan from our property listing, spread the word, contact us for more information, and help kick start what could be the beginning of a green movement in Nicaragua real estate.
Day 16 of the Earthship Construction – A reflection by Dave Kniffin
Saturday, December 22nd, 2007Since the conception of this project, people have asked me what we are doing here, “What is the vision?” or “What is the goal?” And at any given time, the best I can do is offer a snapshot of where we are, and where we are going. It’s an evolving dream. Still, at the base of it all, it’s about community, responsibility, ecology, and logic.
Developments happen everywhere, so we’ve made a choice on how we are going to develop. If we don’t do it this way, someone else will do it their way. Maybe our way helps the local community, instead of using them to help ourselves. Maybe our way is a little better for the environment than the conventional build. At the end of the day though, it’s a logical decision.
We live in a world, especially in Nicaragua, of limited resources. A sustainable home gives you total freedom and independence. The decision to build or live in an “off grid” home is not moral, it just makes sense. Who you rely on is who controls your life.
Create your own electricity, capture your own water, treat your own sewage, and grow your own food and then you are not talking about ideals of independence or freedom, you’re living them.
And if you build a community where everyone earns the ability to provide themselves with life’s basic needs of clean water and food, you create a safe place where neighbors look after each other. We don’t give to the community, we build capacity within the community.
And this community is exceptional. I know that theft is a constant struggle in every part of the world, and I’m sure it exists here as well. But we did not lock up tools at our job site. We had no incidents of theft or vandalism. I don’t think there are many developments anywhere that could say that. It is about the community, beyond even what the locals understand, and it seems that they value that.
The crew itself is great. Eliseo and Camilo are all that anyone could ask of a cement mixing team. The pride and ownership that Eliseo has taken for the mixer is an example to even the Earthship crew. The speed at which Camilo works allows him to get ahead of schedule from time to time, and he is quick to provide comic (often mischievous) relief to the crew.
Miguel Angel and Eduardo are another great team. They both have experience in construction, but no real specialty areas. Despite any lack of knowledge, these are two guys that no one has had to tell to get to work. They are both quite, though quick to smile. And from shoveling dirt, to cleaning bottles, to lifting trusses, we have yet to find anyone more efficient.
In this last week it has been fun to watch leaders emerge. Marlo, 35, with a family of five is an exemplary figure to the younger boys both on the site and in the community. He neither smokes nor drinks, and goes hard everyday. He is often the last to leave at the end of the day, refusing to depart before the tools have been properly cleaned and stored.
Fernando Contreraz, son of Efrain, is another strong presence. He is both intelligent and determined, a gentleman with a firm handshake and skilled hands. One of the few literate men on the workforce, I hope that he will continue to develop his building skills while taking on more of a managerial role with the crew.
Jose is the youngest on the crew at 16 years old. He has just graduated sixth grade which means is now attending school only once a week. My understanding is that this is typical in the community since at this point he is expected to start working. Although his age limits his ability to lead, his work ethic is exceptional and his smile is priceless. Someday he’ll grow into that red baseball cap that still slides around on his head.
There are others that have shown strengths and overall it has been a very productive time. Mostly though, it’s about the community. Getting to know these people has been a pleasure. From here, most of them take next week off for the holidays and then begin the endless quest for obtaining temporary jobs to support themselves and their families.
When I return, I look forward to getting as many of them back onboard as possible. Realistically, work will slow slightly as we move into more complex systems and the finer details of the building, so I’ll probably take five to seven and train them as we plan out the next phase. Maybe if this first project gets sold, I can start on another structure or two and have the crew on a permanent basis. We’ll see what the New Year brings…
We’re currently talking about moving forward with five “Tire House Cabanas” (for sale or rent) in an effort to get more people involved in the community and project. I think we’ll run an internship program/tour this spring where we can use the funds to bring a few members from the Taos Crew back down for a week or two. The itinerary is evolving, but could consist of a few days of work, a day of surfing, a Nicaragua real estate presentation, and a canopy tour, amongst all the other local activities and great food of course. Anyone interested should contact casallanta@gmail.com. We’ll lock down dates in the next few weeks.
Whatever happens, we’ve started something pretty special here. I’ll move forward with that. The rest will take care of itself.
Saludos,
David Kniffin
www.casallanta.com
Earthship construction: Day 14 and Day 15
Friday, December 21st, 2007
The building is taking shape and as hard as it is to put the project on hold for the holidays, we have made great progress. Since Monday, we have been working with a local crew of fifteen as well as three experts in sustainable building from Taos, New Mexico who have stayed to continue to train the local force, and project manager David Kniffin.
There are so many small jobs that need to be done before a project goes on hold for any length of time. Much of the morning was spent cleaning and organizing. But once realistic goals were established and more cement arrived, thanks to the endless trips to the local ferriterias by Lydia Kniffin (of Casa Llanta), the crew eased back into their routine.
The bond beam for the smallest room (systems, washing, and storage), was poured today meaning that the only structural part of the main building left to complete will be the smallest dome.
A third of the front face (the greenhouse) is complete, with three trusses locked into place. The front bottle wall climbed steadily today as well.
The insides of all three rooms have been sight leveled and are just about ready for flooring. We are waiting to see how the first adobe coat cures in this environment before committing to an adobe or concrete plaster finish.
The tools are stored and holiday greetings are exchanged.
Feliz Navidad and we’ll see what the New Year brings for Casa Llanta and the community in El Carrizal.
Earthship construction: Day 13
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
The day was rainy but spirits were high. Luckily down here in Nicaragua the rain is soft and warm. Presently half of the house is harvesting water into the east cistern when it rains. This means that the oxcarts may not have to haul water for the construction of the project anymore.
Part of the goal for the remaining American team is to hand off to the Nicaraguan crew the techniques for building and Earthship. The intention is to train the local crew to be proficient in this unusual type of construction as they will be the ones building the remaining homes in the community.
Today the Nicaraguan crew plastered the bedroom dome and laid the bottle bricks. Justin worked on establishing the remaining interior arches which hold up the bond beam for the north side of the wood trusses while Demain and Ted built the forework for a portion of the bond beam on the exterior arched wall.
During lunch the sky let loose with a deluge of water making the building a slippery and muddy mess.
It certainly didn’t stop progress on the building though.
The remaining bottle formwork was completed for the systems room, more bottle work on the south wall was done and the whole site received a thorough internal cleanup as the rain has a tendency to send people inside looking for things to do in the dry.
Ladders are at a premium so the crew has become creative in building quick scaffolding to access the areas up high. The formwork on the south side is ready for concrete.
The structure is close to being built and it is now easy to imagine the proportion and location of the spaces. Two more days for the three amigos from Taos. Time has passed by too quickly and San Juan del Sur has been a beautiful and friendly temporary home.
Earthship construction: Day 12
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
No fibers this morning. Lydia and Jo have volunteered to drive to Managua to buy fibers at the one store in the country that sells them. That drive is a minimum five hours return trip on a less than perfect road, so their efforts are appreciated even before they depart.
At the job-site, the morning is running notably smoother than the previous day despite the few hours of rain last night. It’s a muddy start to the day, but the Nicaraguans glide through the mud like hockey players on ice. It is clear that the mud will not slow us down.
Nevertheless, rain this time of year is strange and we hope that it doesn’t continue. Until the roads are prepped for rain, they are nothing more than flat canals that will simply channel the water in small rivers, cutting away at the soft, exposed topsoil.
There are probably too many hands considering the skill sets of the local crew, the materials, and the technical work that is needed today.
But, it’s a great group of people and the individual personalities are an addition to the site. The people here are eager to work, but the work is new, so it is expected that there will be some standing around.
By the end of the day, Demian has a small section of the front face up to Bond Beam height. Justin has the door-frame placed in the systems room. And Ted has bounced around every spot on site, making sure that everything is up to Earthship standards.
Good forward progress today.
Earthship construction: Day 11
Monday, December 17th, 2007
Today this unique Nicaraguan real estate project entered a new phase. Of the 11 Earthship experts from Taos, New Mexico, USA, only three remain. Ted Elsasser, Justin S, and Demian Larsen have all stayed on to continue to teach the local crew. Two new locals have joined the workforce. They had been observing the work on the site all week and volunteering their hands here and there. It seemed appropriate to make their involvement official.
It’s Monday and there is a different energy surrounding the site. With increased responsibility on the Nicaraguan crew, everything seems a little slow before lunch as adjustments are made. It is a great opportunity to observe how each person handles the new team dynamic.
By mid morning, it is announced that we are out of engineering fibers – a very difficult item to obtain in Nicaragua where most people simply use blocks and rebar.In our case, we are using bottles, cans, and even rebar as “forms” for the concrete pours, so we rely on the strength of the concrete we form. The fibers help strengthen the mix.
Ted, our architect on site, decides to reinforce a portion of the front wall with steel in order to continue working. Looks like we’ll be making a trip to Managua in the morning to find a replacement…
The afternoon seems slow as well. And then it’s 4:00p and we have a look around at the progress made.The vapor barrier has been placed and partially buried. A new truckload of cement and sand has arrived. The site is clean and organized with a good inventory of supplies. It looks like we’re in position to make some good progress this week.
Earthship construction: Day 10
Friday, December 14th, 2007
The nightly rains caused delays in the delivery of supplies and the lack of materials were today’s limiting factor.
Everyone was acutely aware that it was their last day on the site together. The majority of the Taos crew departs this weekend and, as a result, the crew seemed to push harder than ever to realize their daily goals.
The second dome was lifted before lunch to create the bedroom roof. The locals continued to mold the steal arches around the southern wall. An adobe mud mixture was made with local dirt and straw which was used to pack out the living and utility room.
The living room dome received a floated cement plaster coat. The outside cap of the cooling tube was removed confirming and demonstrating to the locals how cool air could enter and thereby lower the temperature of the Earthship. We placed our heads against the entryway to feel the flow of air entering the dome.
The learning curve has been steep but forgiving and the connections between the foreigners and locals have grown deep enough for a few individuals of the Toas crew to commit to designing a locally applicable structure that can be utilized in the Carizal community.
The Earthship spirit continues.
Earthship construction: Day 9
Thursday, December 13th, 2007Day Nine dawns, another bright and beautiful morning in El Carrizal, Nicaragua. The Earthship crew arrives and the Nicas are already at it. They bring out all of the tools for us every morning, which is great.
The building is starting to really take shape, highlighted by the main room with it’s twin arched entrance and dome. The dome gets another coat of cement shaping today, by Rory, Phil and Seth. Ted and Demian work on the rebar arches for the front face, and are forming and pouring the columns. Lionel and Jose help them and by the end of the day, the columns are poured up to three feet, ready for can and bottle work tomorrow.
Amy and Lydia work on finishing up the bottle brick wall in the bedroom. Seth and Demian have gone to great expense and endured tremendous hardship to personally buy and empty two large Patron bottles for a special central bottle brick that Amy puts in today.
Chris (that’s me) grooms the bottle bricks in the main room. Jonah and Mike are working on the flying buttress can arch that will later receive the truss roof, connecting the main building to the front face arches. Justin begins work on the living room skylight with Fernando helping him. Justin, Fernando and Faustino also bent flashing for the skylight on a pile of lumber. No easy feat. Lots of packing out of the walls is still being done.
The tireless Nicaraguan crew are throwing loads of cement all day long, with Eliseo at the helm. He comes to me to borrow my hammer, my “matilla,” and he always thanks me in English…which sounds like “Sank You,” but hey, I’m pretty sure my mangled Spanish is way worse.
It’s another scorching hot day and Dave brings in some ice cold water for us. He pours some on me. Mike is loving the cold water. He and his helper, Marlo are a four-handed can laying machine. Marlo is a sweetheart, who everyone likes, although all of the Nicas are unfailingly helpful, friendly and polite. At one point in my day, my “cemento” has become a big hard unworkable mess. I ask the Nicas for help, and they’re quick to come and rescue me. Of course, I have lent out my fascinating cordless drill a lot…
After lunch, Seth and Phil started on forming the second bond beam for the bedroom dome. We don’t have enough cans to do it in that method, so we’re using scraps of leftover plywood to form it. Amy is trying to get the leftover cement off the bottle bricks, getting them ready to groom.
The Nicas are working on the long tire footing for the full length front face wall. Luckily, it’s only 2 tires high, since we’re short on tires now. Old Faustino has been working quietly in the yard, under the “ramada” making lots of nice bottle bricks. Tomorrow, Amy and I will start laying them in the spaces between the arches on the new front face wall. Amy, at 6′2″, will have a definite height advantage on this project, with me at only 5′4″.
After work, there is a lot of talk about “glomming,” which is a Mike-coined term that probably deserves it’s own blog. It basically refers to Mike’s tendency to be a somewhat casual builder (to put it nicely). Though in his own words, his description of the technique is “Let go and let glom.”
At the end of the day, we were visited by a bus load of Dutch students on tour hoping to catch a little extra cultural flavor. Word is spreading in San Juan and the construction site now appears to be gaining the recognition of a tourist attraction.
Earthship construction: Day 8
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
Our inter-cultural crew continued its total dominance of all things Earthship. The twins have excelled in winning the love of the local builders as they have developed a strange pigeon language mixed with Taos slang and Nicaraguan highlander Spanish.
Monkeys barked at me today as I drank a coke. The kids in the valley have been studying us and I’m interested in their judgment. The crew surfed on Sunday and we picked up a truckload of bottles. Many were from Asia.
The weather was perfect early in the morning for Earthship building. The second dome was completed and is waiting for the concrete bond beam to be poured before lifting it into place. All morning long, the two ox-carts hauled materials for each aspect of the build: cement, earth, aggregate, whatever was heavy and needed hauling.
The house looks like a huge sculpture.
Three workers pounded tires on the south green house wall and a small team of Americans and Nicaraguans plugged away on the west retaining tire wall. Phil and Seth erected the bedroom dome hub and inner roof structure out of wood and built the formwork for the bond beam on the bedroom.
Half of the south wall tires were completed yesterday in preparation for the concrete beam which will hold up the arched openings. After lunch there was a frenzy of activity to mix and pour the beam. It’s completed and will be initially cured by tomorrow and ready for steel work.
Mike Reynolds continued to lay cans and bottles to hold up the north end of the wood roof structure.
The site is constantly being visited by people who have heard about the project in the town (San Juan del Sur) and the crew holds massive resentment against those who are spotless in their flip flops. Each day a local Nica woman brings frescas for sale and enchiladas. For a brief moment she is the most popular person around
Once again, the day ended with cervezas and friendly Spanglish.
(Tom Duke reporting)
