The Mighty Haener

Ben Larson slips a Haener block into place

Today we went a long way toward building a dream home. The  foundation was already in place, along with basic plumbing.  Our job was to raise the walls, with a roof to be added  later, perhaps by the end of the week. The speed of  construction was partly due to some very elegant technology  -- the Haener Block system, named for its inventor. The  cement block interlocks and accommodated rebar efficiently,  making it possible to erect a stable concrete block  structure without any need for mortar to join the blocks  together -- and therefore no need to repair mortar.

Mike Kline and Deana Barrow were part of the breakfast crew.

We began the day with a breakfast prepared by some of our  members, followed by a group meeting to get acquainted and  share some rules of the road. For instance, don't pet stray  dogs; even if they don't bite, they might have a disease you  don't want to pass onto the food you handle. And when you  are served a meal by the hostess you are helping, don't take  more than you can eat. They are paying for the food and  their resources are limited.

Instrucciones: Eat what you take and don't pet stray dogs!

The new home was being built for woman in center right.

We headed out to the site, met the hostess and her  helpers/friends, and got a look at the neighborhood in which  the house is situated: Rolling hills subject to washouts,  with limited government services. Water has to be trucked  in.

The neighborhood: Rolling hills subject to washouts. There is electricity, but water is trucked in.

The current home.

By the end of the day, the home to be: 10 x 30 feet inside, and plumbed for warm water.

The woman's home seemed to consist of an outhouse and a very  small structure that contained a kitchen and bedroom. By the  end of the day she would be able to stand within the walls  of her dream home -- a rectangular structure with two large  windows and a doorway that could serve as the passage way  linking her to a future addition to the house. The interior  was a whopping 10 x 30 feet, about the size of two large  bedrooms in a comfortable American home. That space would  accommodate an indoor toilet with a sink, plumbed for the  possibility of hot water. As I said, a dream home.

A "bucket brigader" hauled the Haener blocks.

The Haener Block

Our crew hauled Haener blocks bucket-brigade fashion, and  later gravel for the cement to be mixed. They installed  rebar within the rising walls, tied rebar onto frames that  would be used to add flexibility to the cement block walls,  and began stacking the blocks.
Then we mixed concrete, employing a second bucket brigade to  haul it into the house and return the empty buckets conveyor  belt style. By 3 p.m. The walls were up and the cement was  curing. Time to give it an opportunity to set up, and head back  to the posada.

Rebar lies in the groove of the Haener block and also rises through its openings, reinforcing the wall along two dimensions. Concrete is poured down hollow portions of the wall. The concrete, rebar and interlocking nature of the Haener blocks makes mortar unnecessary, and greatly shortens  construction time.

No need for a cement truck. A pickup delivered the cement mixer and the crew used mud buckets to haul cement into the house in another bucket brigade. It was a warmup for later this week, when we create a cement "roof" for the new structure.

There's more to tell, but it's late and the morning comes early. There will be more to share tomorrow. Goodnight.

Love,
Robert