Concrete Blocks: 12 x 20 x 40 cm

These blocks, which measure approx. 12cm x 20cm x 40cm, are used in the foundations of the house and for building the walls. Some have a rectangular hole in the middle to make them easier to split in half with a hammer. The climate where we are means that there is no need for a wall cavity to insulate the house - temperatures rarely fall below 10 degrees centigrade or 50 fahrenheit, even at night.

This means the walls will be the thickness of these blocks (12cm) plus a little extra for the plaster / cement coating.



In the background of the photo you can see the wooden structure put together to mark out the location of the trenches to be dug.

The ground needed no cleaning or levelling before they started these layout preparations. I was expecting them to check it was completely level but it seems it was already level enough.