16-20jul07 Plates and uncommon heat...

20jul07
On site finishing round one of exterior plates and laying the first interior plate, set with a demising wall concept with sheathing similar to what we do in Kitsap County. Hot but breezy, yet still a challenge on the open concrete deck; started at 0700 instead of 0800 to get ahead of the heat for a wee while.

An interesting question was posed from Levi re women build projects; he was curious about the politics of the concept, and whether or not it was discriminatory in the sense that only women were involved. I offered that the concept is to encourage and increase women’s’ volunteerism in Habitat by creating an environment where women may feel more comfortable on the work site as they learn to build, some for the first time. More to it than this, but a good question, yes?

19jul07
Today even warmer than yesterday, at home this morning working on GV materials for next week…trialing different and expanded info in the team booklets each worker receives, and helping to set up their itinerary. The director of the national office is also here today doing evaluations and checking in with everyone, myself included. Lunch was with the full staff with much of the conversation in Hungarian….interesting yet again.

18jul07
The hottest day in 100 years here, working 0800-1200 laying plates for framing next week. Just movement alone has us drenched in sweat, with minimal shade on site.

I’ve spent a bit of time with VBS kids “teaching English” (a very loosely defined description!) through shared pictures and words related to Habitat and construction, home and family over three days. No idea whether they liked any of it or not, but it was interesting and a nice change of pace as my first official foray into working in a community setting outside Habitat.

17ul07
On site beginning to lay bottom plates on this the hottest day in the last century here due to winds blowing a climate shift our way from Africa…

Though an “open” week in the sense that we’ve no GV team here, Levi is training Alex, a young man that will begin building with Habitat in his hometown of Hidu this fall. It will be a stretch in listening and learning; all those working this week (beside myself) are Hungarian, so Levi gives me an overview in English, and much of the remainder of the day’s instruction/conversation is Hungarian. I am thankful for the knowledge I cam with and the ability to catch on quickly (and having played charades and Pictionary!). Ever the adventure, and with each new “opportunity” come insights and lessons in patience, communication, and living the present moment. Very cool.

As part of that process we all work together on site in the morning (preparing plates for framing with next week’s GV team) and in the afternoons Levi and Alex work through the paperwork and the “business end” of Habitat Hungary that he will need to know to operate effectively.

About this week’s work:
The concrete floor just completed is actually just the first layer rather than the final surface. As in Kitsap County, WA, we are attaching bottom plates using a J-bolt/washer/nut system, but since this first concrete layer is not exact, the plates are laid relative to snap lines set around the entire foundation, and leveled using shims.

Each bottom plate is set individually, held over the bolts and tapped with a small sledge to mark the exact bolt positions. The plate is flipped over and the bolt holes drilled from these marks, then laid onto the bolts, fastened with washer and nuts, and leveled with shims where needed. Once attached, the tops of the J-bolts extending above the nuts are cut off to prepare for the second bottom plate. This second plate “layer” will be laid out much like the first (sans shims) and works much like our second top plate in the states, interlocking inside and outside walls, and also creates the “form” for the final layer of concrete floor which will be poured in the spring inside each individual unit.

Following this, framing will be done in sections in the same way as we approach it in Kitsap County, but with stabilizing bars of wood across the studs versus exterior sheathing to hold it square; the OSB Is applied later and screwed rather than nailed in place. Top plates and trusses or “rafters” follow, all built on site.

Note: Part of the reason for working this way is due to the quality of wood available. 5cm x 15cm timber (similar to a 2 x 6) is delivered untreated, rough milled and relatively green. It is treated on site in a chemical bath and set out to dry, and in this process much of it warps and is inexact in dimension, particularly in the excessive heat they are experiencing here this year. The ends of all pieces must be squared off before we can use them, and the rough nature of the wood makes splinters a common “hazard”. Milled lumber like we use in the states costs 144 Ft per meter, making the milling cost per board higher than eh cost of the timber itself.


16jul07
Starting quietly with a office day and meeting with Levi and Gabi to my first 4 weeks and where to go from here.

My on-site responsibilities will increase with the advent of the next round of GV teams (YAY!) and there are many areas that I can work with administratively as well…bottom line…they are pleased with what has been done to date, and we continue to enjoy and work well with one another. Levi and I are fairly similar in our approaches to the work site, volunteers and family involvement, and the same is true in working with Gabi re work ethics, vision, and passion for what we seek to do. Very cool.