Plot Preparations 9 and House Foundation

As we are back in Darwin, Roland is sending us updates by email.  There are many people working now.  Two crews are working on the retaining walls.

North Wall - East End

North Wall Looking East

Stairs Down to the Water Storage Area

West Wall

An additional two crews are working on the house foundation.  In addition, earth moving equipment and crew are onsite for another 4 weeks.

Looking Northwest

Looking North

Moving Earth up to the New Walls

Plot Preparations 8

We have decided to buy an additional 17.2 Are of land adjacent to the first plot.  These 1720 square meters will give us an area to spread out the driveway and the garage and some nicely contoured land for gardens to the east.  The earthmoving machine will stay a few more weeks to prepare that area too. This land is the big earth wall you see in the back of the first photo below.

Today Roland drove us around to the other side of the valley so that we could see how the walls look from there.  Note in the photo below that there are few leaves on the trees.  It is the dry season.

Villa Cengkeh plot from the southwest.

The retaining walls are coming along very nicely and the house foundation has been laid out and they will begin to pour the it on Tuesday, the day after theIndependence Holiday.  

Roland gave me a chance to practice driving the earthmover today.  What a trip, what every kid wished for Christmas!

The project is led by Roland and there are two team members from Tropis Living also involved in overseeing the construction.  Kedek is the architect and Wilhelm is the engineer.

Wilhelm, Roland and Kadek

Southwest retaining wall

Upacara 1: The Ceremony for laying the foundation + Susan's birthday

What an auspicious day it was!  9 August is Susan's birthday and it was also deemed an auspicious day to begin the foundation on our new home in Bali.  A Balinese priest had to be consulted to find the best day for this ceremony.  What a surprize, he suggested 9 August!

The Balinese calendar is very, very complicated, each day belonging to each of the 1 to 10 day long weeks that run simultaneously.  Therefore, each day has a combination of 10 weekday names.  The combination for the 5 day week and the 7 day week are the most critical for deciding when something should be done.

We gathered at 9am on the building site and watched the team including one priest, one ceremonial specialist and others make the blessings and then we participated in placing the offerings and first stones into the foundation.

Fondation Laying Ceremony for Villa Cengkeh in Kayuputih

Susan putting cement on the stones

Top Left: Nyoman, Susan and Roland; Bottom Left: The Priest and his Assistants

In the evening Susan and I were treated to a birthday dinner at the Spice Beach Club.  Many of the Tropis Living Team were able to join and celebrate with us.

Top Right: Tropis Livings' Kadek (architect), Roland, Jeroen and Wilhelm (clockwise from 11 o'clock around.

Plot Preparations 7

We are now at the point where we can "stake" out the foundation of the house.  Yesterday Roland, his colleague Wilhelm and our architect, Kadek, spent the afternoon measuring and coming up with a suggestion for the placement of the foundation.  Below is Susan and Roland standing where the door from the garden (and garage) will enter the house.

Roland and Susan standing in the front door

The retaining walls continue to grow and the earth continues to be moved.  Some of the earth will go over the wall shown to form a terrace lower down.

Facing north, the tree will go :(

Western retaining wall

Steps down to the water tanks and the lower terrace

A Neighbors Sow, What a Sweetheart!

Plot Preparations 6

The plot is getting more level very quickly.  It is expected that we will be able to work with the architect, Kadeh and the head contractor, Roland Leijten, to place the stakes in the ground for the house and pool location on 8 August.  That means it will mostly be leveled in the area for them within one week!