My Summer 2008 (part 3): The Great Wall of Panjeet
By bluepanjeet on Jun 6, 2008 in Around The Sun, Part Of A Series

My summer 2008 was a busy one. Not just pleasure but a lot of business tasks and responsibilities given to me. Of the hundreds of responsibilities I am tasked of doing, assisting my Pudra on our construction business was one heck of an interesting work for me. Of the many project sites I’ve been to this past summer of 2008, (the work is tedious such as such as doing roads, buildings, schools, pathways, irrigations etc on far flung areas), constructing our gate and wall in our compound was the easiest of them all. Not only I got the luxury to stay out of the burning sun and have my time in the cool shades of our house, I also had the pleasure of blogging once in a while and doing some routine Ka Pepe. Part and parcel of my responsibilities in our small fry business is to do the inventory of materials, act as the executive secretary of my dad (doing phone calls, schedule follow ups etc), keeps the budget safe, act as a cook and server for the workers, and of course, act as a buffer when Pudra goes ballistic over some materials that were either delayed in the delivery or missing in the inventory. So as a third part of My Summer 2008 series, here is a partial glimpse of why I wasn’t able to attend some important EB and trips that Reyna Elena, Chuvaness, Mommy Beng, Doc Joy, Mommy Kengkay and Pinoy Ambisyoso planned.

Before our front yard looks like this whenever it rains. My parents thought it would be cool to put bamboo fence all over the compound so that the ambiance will look rustic, but the cows roaming around always crashes on our fence and the rain soaks our mini garden turning it into an instant swamp land. So we decided to put a permanent boundary all over the compound.

Front view of the compound before the construction began



We needed materials of course before beginning construction. almost 5,000 Hollow block were used

We call this “parilya” for the base of the wall’s foundation. See the girth of the steel?

This serves as the skeleton of the foundation

We initially ordered 2000 pieces of hollowblocks

Gravels must be placed in sacks for easy transportation to the mixer

Sands of course, but not salt water sands because it tends to soften and disintegrates the cement. You should always check the source of your sand because fresh water sands are more feasible to use.

They initially dug layout for the wall

Our compound is formerly a rice field that is why the soil component is soft and muddy. The water just springs out of nowhere ha! And to counter act this condition, the foundation should be stronger than normal standards. This is the reason why we still have to pour cement on the base of the wall so that it wouldn’t lean in the near future.

The foundations were set and sealed with cements. Hollow blocks are aligned for easy access

After 8 hours, the wall now stands.

The quality of cement used in adhering the hollow blocks to one another is different from the quality of cement mixture used for the foundation. The less the sand, the harder and concentrated the cement


The next day, they did the right side of the compound

The small gate we built for those who are buying drinking water from us. Drinking water here is scarce and some of the farmers cannot avail to get their own line of fresh water so as a public service we let them fetch their drinking water from our faucet. Before we came here, the farmers and residents here have to walk at least 2 kilometers just to get a decent drinking water.

Details of the right wall

we also took the initiative of paving this pathway for the residents beside our compound. This pathway gets muddy during rainy season and wearing shoes for the office or work is really a drag when you try to pass here.

Do you know that it takes a whole day for a mason to perfect and smoothen this corner foundation? I asked our mason why it takes him so long in doing this small portion of the wall. There was no pun intended. I was really curious because I saw the man already soaked in his own sweat doing this. It is because that the cornes of this foundation should be leveled and equaled by virtue of the earth’s gravity. Layman’s term: kailangan pantay ang mga kanto ayon sa fravitational pull nung aparato na ginagamit nila na ang tawag ay level bar o level hose

after an entire grueling day, the corner foundation was finished.

The front gate of our house. Para kaming nasa Lord of the rings haha

One proof that our yard’s soil is soft as a quick sand, this delivery truck was stuck on the ground because the night before, t was raining heavily.

Half of the wheel got buried in our yard.

oops close up… It took the driver 4 hours to remove the wheel and a lot of curses haha

And because of that incident we decided to dump more gravel and hard soil on our front yard to harden the ground. I think we consumed 10 truckloads of these babies in our entire front yard alone and it seems that they were not enough…

And because we do not want another “Bahura” incident happening in our front yard, we decided to initially dump the dirt on the farm road which we hurriedly shoveled on the side for vehicles to pass.


o ayan tambak na.

and we still have 20 truckloads of dirt to dump before we finally coat our front yard with garden soil and bermuda grass…
Construction is a risky business. Prices of materials just soar without prior notice. So if I were you, I would invest my money not cars and gadgets but on your own home because the cost of construction is getting higher every year. A house construction for a 200 sq m lot worth 500k 7 years ago would presently amount to 1 Million or more depending on the price of materials and the value of labor…
Sequels:
TO BE CONTINUED…



































18 Comment(s)
By chuvaness on Jun 6, 2008 | Reply
HOYYY!!! haciendero ka din palaaaaaaa hahahahaha
chuvanesss last blog post..Does my ex want me back?
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By Kotsengkuba on Jun 7, 2008 | Reply
pre, ayus yung music. david cook version ba’yan?
ngayon ko lang nalaman ang difference between salt and fresh water sands when it comes to construction. hahaha, di naman ako CE no. at ayus ang summer, multi-tasking to infinity and beyond. hahaha
and what is “Bahura?”
Kotsengkubas last blog post..15 June 2008 » Philippine National Day Picnic in Shanghai
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 7, 2008 | Reply
haha oist di naman haha
bluepanjeets last blog post..Celtics won over Lakers, 98-88 in Game 1 of the NBA best of seven
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 7, 2008 | Reply
oo david cook. sayang nga walang studio recording version eh
mas matibay daw pag fresh water kasi salt tends to brittle the cement. haha sinabi mo pa. para akong curacha sa dami ng trabaho
bahura ay nalubog sa putik yung gulong. i don’t know what is the other tagalog word for that
bluepanjeets last blog post..Celtics won over Lakers, 98-88 in Game 1 of the NBA best of seven
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By Rebecca on Jun 8, 2008 | Reply
ang galing naman ng outcome ng project…ganda!
Rebeccas last blog post..Loving You ENDLESSLY
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By Ambo on Jun 8, 2008 | Reply
Naku brother nagulat ako sa ganda na pala ng daan. Nung pumunta kami jan lubak pa. Ngayon wow sa ganda! nagpabakod na din pala kayo. Naks naman yumayaman an besprend ko ah. Balato nga jan! Hahaha. Parang mas masarap lalong magtanim ng gulay jan sa frontyard nyo kasi me harang na. About sa construction business, naku totoo yan. Taon-taon nagmamahal ang materyales. Lalo na ngayon ang mahal lalo. Kaya nga ang hirap na ding magbenta ng bahay pati kotse sa hiap ng buhay. Hays buhays lols.
Ambos last blog post..Manny Pacquiao Short Bio
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By ifoundme on Jun 8, 2008 | Reply
pwede na ba magbakasyon dyan? hehehe!
ifoundmes last blog post..fear
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By reyna elena on Jun 8, 2008 | Reply
you have no idea! kayang kaya ko yan! you could have called me! wa biro! pramis! it would have been LOVELY! naka-bestida pa ako habang pinapala ko ang mga yan and i’d be in heels habang pina-plantsa yang bakod na yan! Haller!!!! ako ang nagbakod nang palasyo namen sa bikol at ako rin ang naghalo nang semento! all down in gown! laban kayo????? HAHAHAHAH
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By kengkay on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
ay, ganyan din ang pinagkabisihan ni kengkoy ngayon. yung terrace wall namin. ang pagkakaiba, dyan daming mangagawa, dito isa lang syang gumagawa. atsaka dito yung lupang sobra, kailangan mong idispose ng mabuti at sempre may bayad pa yon. lahat do it yourself talaga. sa sunod nyan magiging karpintero na rin si mommy kengkay para makatipid at seryus yan ha
kengkays last blog post..EB with Chuva?
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By jun.anteola on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
haha! parang ang simpleng project lang, pero ang sakit sa ulo nyan, i’m sure! right? a friend decided to make his family a house middle of last year, hindi kalakihan, pero it did bust his budget. up until now, palaging may nakikitang kulang na kelangan ihabol.
salamat nga pala sa pagbisita.
jun.anteolas last blog post..Just Venting Off Some More Steam
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By Leap of Faith! on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
Bluep, ang sarap naman diyan sa inyo… punong-puno pa ng mga halaman at puno… sobrang berde ng buong kapiligiran. Nakakatuwa pa at may mga baka pang naninira ng mga poste niyo.
Leap of Faith!s last blog post..18x
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
hehe syempre ako ata ang Master Builder LOL joke
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
ambo, nung pumunta kayo ginagawa pa lang yung daan eh.
Hoy hindi kami yumayaman hanubeh haha. Nakakaipon lang kami kasi maliit lang naman ang cost of living dito sa province. Kung dyan sa manila kami nagpabakod pihado milyon magagastos namin.
haha ambo ang mga gulay ay laging sa likod ng bakuran tinatanim, at mga bulaklak at ornamental plants ay sa unahan LOL halatang di ka promdi.
oist mura na nga ngayon ang 2nd hand na kotse, kasi yung iba after 6 months or 1 year pinagbibili na, then bili sila ng bago. ang mahal ay gasolina hindi kotse haha. kami nga kalesa gamit namin papunta maynila eh sa mahal ng krudo LOL
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
Naku IFM pwedeng pwede walang problema basta matapos lang namin ang mga gawain dito. magpapatayo pa kasi ako ng parola sa gitna ng palayan eh ahahahaha
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
hahahaha araguy ang sakit ng tyan ko hahaha
naku mahal na reyna bilib na talaga ako sayo. All around ka. kahit siguro may korona ka at kapa kayang kaya mo siguro magpalitada ng pader ano haha
paguwi mo uli kunin kitang forewoman haha
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
honga mami kengs, mukhang sa abroad mahal ang mga mason at karpintero kaya kalimitan doon ay self made lahat. napapanood ko din kasi sa tv pag my makeover ng bahay, yung mga kapitbahay at kamag-anak ang gumagawa. Yung nag paplumber sina mama at at gardener sa tate ay $300 daw per day. ewan kung ganun nga ba ang rate ng mga yun. after nun di na sila umulit haha sila na lang gumawa nung iba sira sa bahay haha
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
hehe sinabi mo pa doc. lagi maiinit ulo ni pudra. haha minsan nga ako na lang nagpapakalma sa kanya kasi pag talaga construction ang dami hassle lalo na sa delivery ng materyales. di maiiwasan ang delay
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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By bluepanjeet on Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
naku tol oo kaya nga ba tamad na tamad ako bumaba ng bayan kasi kahit medyo minsan maiinit dito eh may hangin pa rin. sa bayan puro alikabok na at usok ng sasakyan. di ako nakakatagal talaga.
madami pa baka sa may likudan namin LOL minsan nga pag naglalakad ako dito sa likod bahay may sumisiaw “ay naka-alpas ang baboy” haha
bluepanjeets last blog post..Rallying 2-0, Celtics fends off Lakers in their 2nd game for the NBA Finals 2008: 108 - 102
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