Day Four of Block Making - Foundations - Latrine digging

looking south across sight down valley - foundation stone and clay mortar is all in - next is 2 bags of cement pointing

373 blocks made, with ratio of 36:1:1 of earth lime and cement - so far we have used just one bag of cement - cement in £10 a 50kg bag where as lime in 50p for the equivalent - acting as a pozzolana which extends the properties of of the cement and earth. - blocks should be covered and left to dry for at least two weeks

mixing ratio of 36:1:1 of earth lime and cement with some water makes for cost effective durable block

detail close up of foundation - builder often enjoy knocking the stones into squares and circles -enjoying the strength of the strong purple grain in the stone

the production line - earth is brought in a wheel barrow in top left - sieved over box through 5mm gapped mesh - mixed in tarp with cement, lime and water - after completing drop test the mixture is ready for machine - four people is idea for operating machine for maximum output.

overview of site

overview of site - local stone and clay mortar foundation create level base for block work to be built off - block making shelter close by prepare blocks

the owner of the house - shows me proudly 2 of his 12 rabbits  - he also has a cow and a goat - yes he is keeping animals to eat them not for domestic entertainment 

interior of house, where food is prepared and rabbits are kept - this is one of three rooms - others are a bedroom for husband, wife and two children  and a reception room

latrine hole being dug - 1 meter in diameter - earth also used for blocks making - contains many stones - rate agreed at £5 per meter down - i think building in the fact that the last few meters of a 10 meter latrine are a lot harder work

latrine digger waits for his turn - the alternate - pick, shovel and rake with short handles are used

earth changes as with depth - top soil is removed - then organic soil can be still prevalent at 40 or 50 cm - colour changes and become brighter and more orange with depth - near the surface there is a mixture of particle sizes - ground in overall softer and less compacted - after 50 cm earth becomes harder with a more consistent particle size - earth has a good mixture of clay, sand and gravel as well as variety types.

quarry at the top of the ridge some 50m from the house provides fantastic stone for strong foundations

government lead planned artificial forests provide a sustainable source of timbers for building
- as you can see the timbers are coppiced from the base never killing the tree