Construction Observations

I enjoyed seeing variations in construction that differ from what I am used to seeing.   While in Sindangan, I would take walks about town going into out of the way stores and roads to see what was there to be seen.

I don’t necessarily mean that it is better or worse, but different.

I watched two men chip up concrete to run a waterline through a sidewalk and into a building.   They didn’t get the pneumatic jackhammer out to break up the concrete.  No, they took turns patiently chipping away at the concrete with a hammer and – – – no it wasn’t a chisel, it was a piece of plastic pipe with a nail in the end of it.   Chip, chip, chip and more.  When the nail bent, they pounded it straight and kept on working.  It got done finally.

I was interested in seeing that the concrete blocks on a truck for delivery were already chipping and crumbling.   They didn’t even have to spend extra money to buy the tumbled blocks like Menards or Lowes sell.

There was a road widening project and except for the machine to compact it and the trucks that were hauling the materials, everything else was done by hand.

I was very impressed at the quality of the roads until I realized that they didn’t have to contend with frost.  Also, the majority of the traffic was motorcycles and tricycles so I am sure that the reduced weight was a big help.

The last thing I will mention is that I am accustomed to seeing blocks laid in courses that use a stair step method to change height.  There was a large building that I would guess was going to be an apartment building or a row of businesses that had been started.   The blocks followed the contour of the ground up and down.

There were also trees that hadn’t been cleared from inside the perimeter of the building under construction.  I said something to the man asking if they were going to remove them or if it would be part of the finished building.  I was thinking a courtyard or something similar.

He explained that it kept it cooler and gave them shade while they worked.   They would take them down when they were ready to put in the floor or ceiling.    I then understood the planning for the crew.