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Building a Concrete Block House – part 4

Building a Concrete Block House – part 4

Building a Concrete Block House in the Philippines – part 4 Making coco lumber! We are now in the process of lining up the materials to be used on the roof. Coconut lumber is going to be used for the roof trusses even though it is not the ideal building material due to it’s susceptibility […]

Building a Concrete Block House – part 3

Building a Concrete Block House – part 3

Building a concrete block house in the Philippines – part 3 Our plan is to get the outer shell of this house done and the finishing work can be done at some time in the future – possibly next year. The costs in building this house might seem insignificant to readers from western countries but […]

Building a Concrete Block House – part 2

Building a Concrete Block House – part 2

Building a concrete block house in the Philippines- part 2 We are now into the third week of building this modest concrete block house out in the mountains in Leyte. Progress is steadily clicking along especially considering everything is being done by hand, including mixing the concrete. The block wall perimeter is taking shape and […]

Building a Concrete Block House – part 1

Building a Concrete Block House – part 1

How to build a concrete block house in the Philippines – part 1 Here are the steps for building a modest block house in the mountains in the Philippines. I plan to follow the construction of this concrete block house from beginning to completion and will outline the basic process. The first thing to line […]

Furniture from recycled wood

Furniture from recycled wood

Making cabinets from old pallets. Used shipping crates crates are dropped off at workshops on the side of the road in Ormoc City. The craftsmen there tear the crates apart and use the bits to make some  decent low cost cabinets. Figure on spending around 2,400 pesos (50 USD) to 3,500 pesos for a completed […]

Farmer with carabao and plow

Farmer with carabao and plow

Farmer and carabao with mud rake preparing rice field   video Rice farming fascinates me so I had to pull over and take a few pictures when I noticed this farmer and his caribao preparing the field for planting. My pocket camera is good for taking youtube videos and candid day to day pictures for this […]

Traffic Cop in Ormoc City

Traffic Cop in Ormoc City

Traffic Cop in Ormoc City You can’t help but laugh at the antics of this traffic enforcer on Rizal Ave in Ormoc City. He works the morning shift, keeping traffic flowing at this busy intersection by the Petron Station. I made a youtube video of him this morning – directing traffic I have never witnessed […]

Planting Rice Paddies

Planting Rice Paddies

Transplanting rice seedlings. Planting rice is a communal activity where everyone gets involved in this labor intensive project. Most of the group works on gathering the seedlings, washing the roots, and tying them into bundles to get ready for planting in the afternoon. This field is just down the street from my place and I […]

Sugar Cane Trucks of Leyte

Sugar Cane Trucks of Leyte

Sugar Cane Trucks of Leyte – Philippines It’s cane cutting season in Leyte right now. These pictures were taken yesterday at one of the transfer stations alongside the road near Ormoc. Sugar cane harvesting in Leyte. Sugar cane Rene Tan is the owner of this place – kind of a cool guy that lived in […]