Is that the Amazing Drunken Pirate Pole Maze?

There is no end to the amazing differences in construction practices I am seeing with the building of our new house here in Belize. I remember the first time years ago that I saw a construction site and the hundreds of gnarly wood poles underneath the 2nd floor. I had inquired and found that the Belize builders use them to support the upper structures when pouring concrete for floors above. Driving the country I started noticing them everywhere and got used to seeing them, especially the ones left behind on abandoned construction sites.

And then I started watching loads of these poles being delivered to my homesite and realized I was about to witness up close and personal, how these are used. With my upright concrete columns already poured, the forms were created cris-crossing all of them in preparation of the concrete being poured into them to support the concrete floor of the house. I watched as floor joists were hammered into concrete between the columns to support the concrete flooring, and where it definitely would need extra support.

I watched as the crew cut the poles to size, day after day, and pushed them up under the flooring above. It’s just amazing how many there are under there, and it does look like a giant maze.

The crew has had a few well deserved days off and have again returned to finish up the tying together of all the upper supports before the pouring of concrete above. I’m assuming that this will be accomplished with the massive “pumper truck” that was recently used to pour the horizontal cross pieces.

This time of year it has been unusually windy and rainy, creating almost hourly races between the crew, trying to get down from the 12-foot floor, seeking shelter under the Cabana. I’m certain my crew appreciated having the cabana here, rather than heading into the woods.

When we meet again, we should be pouring the main floor and from then, everything goes up to the sky.

From the sandy beaches of PIRATES PARAISO (Pirates Paradise),

Cheers from the crew,

The Pirate…Gary

Live like a Pirate