20X30 Going up in Northern Spain

[viriatvs]

Wanted to post this  a while back but been busy.
A different twist, though. It's made out of cinder blocks (wood is very expensive over there).

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Here is the link to pictures with the progress.
https://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll170/deguacas/Cabin%20in%20Galicia/?albumview=slideshow&mediafilter=images

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for posting that - welcome to the forum.

How is the inside going to be finished?  Windows?

I see a vineyard and a massive rock pile I think - what were the rocks about?

[MountainDon]

Hi!!

Maybe it's going to be the place where all the barrels of wine are held till the wine is ready to bottle? 

What part of Northern Spain?

[Redoverfarm]

viriatvs    As I was looking throuogh the photo's I started to wonder about a couple of things.  Are there any building codes that you have to adhere to there?  The reason i was asking is that there only appears to be one entrance to the structure and no windows.  Secondly what are the block size?  They look longer than our standard block 15-5/8".  Lastly when you purchased the land was it an abandoned vinyard.  I lived in orchard country in the eastern pandhandle of WV and they often would sell off orchards, subdivide and then sell the lots.  Sometimes they would clear but more often they would leave the apple trees for the new owners.  Are the vines still producing?

[viriatvs]

Glenn,
Vapor barrier, 2" foam, then pre-finished wood slates.
The way they build over there, they cut the walls latter, put a prefab bean on top and install the windows, (it's different from the way we do it in the States but saves a lot of money).

The vineyard...!!! ...ahhhh sooooo sweet... After I purchased the land, I found out that "if it wasn't previously registered as a vineyard , you couldn't grow grapes..." ...IT WAS...

The massive rock pile... The land in the back of me belongs to a Slate quarry.
They can fill up to 10 metters from the back "road" and when they reach that limit, they stop, fill with regular dirt and plant tree & grasses. (it's the law over there).

[viriatvs]

MountainDon,

It's going to be your traditional 20X30, 1 and 3/4 floors with exterior stucko walls (latter), and ...yes, there's going to be some wine bottling in an adjacent "cellar" that's going to be built latter.

Spanish region of Galicia, province of Lugo,  (very) near the town of Quiroga, on Spanish national road 120, Riverfront with the river SIL (I didn't show any pics of the river but it's in the back from the pic with the the car)

By the way, BARCA DEL CASTILLO (or BARCA DO CASTELO, as they say in the Galician dialect) translates into "the barge of the castle".

Legend has it that way back when, there was a Castle on top of the slope on the other side of the river, and the only way to get there was to cross the river on a barge, ence "The Barge of the Castle"

[glenn kangiser]

Cool - thanks.  There is a slate quarry across the valley from me visible from the front window.  You can build a lot of neat stuff from slate.

I was wondering if they may cut the openings later.  It's getting easier all the time.

[viriatvs]

Glenn,

The Slate leftovers are free for the taking (a lot of paving is going to be done with it).

The roof tiles on our cabin are Black Slate that we got for free, courtesy of the Manager of the local quarry (my beloved half brother).

The builder quotes two prices: with the window oppenings being left as you go, or... being cut latter at savings of about 2,000.00 Euros (about USD $3,200.00). Just couldn't pass that one up... besides, since it has to stay "abandoned" until our next trip, it's safer that way (not that there is any crime or vadanlism, or any other sort of peril over there but it keeps the neighbour from snooping - a very local past-time).

The main entrance (the door) will eventually be raised another three courses on blocs.

That oppening was originally left there for what was going to be a "raised, filled-up around-the-outside basement  -the land is flat-) But it would have cost an aditional USD $15,000.00, so, we gave up on the idea.

[glenn kangiser]

Slate is a great natural resource - looks great too.  Even better free.

You can sand set them with sand under and between rather than mortar - not as permanent but easy.  Works great with bricks too.

[viriatvs]

I may use Lime mortar. It's more earth friendly than cement & lasts longer than just sand. .

Here is a picture from across the river (it's about 75ft wide). A lot of cleaning & three thining needs to be done.
And....... (drum roll; please...) 12 inch long sugar beet harvested there last summer... How do you like that...

https://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll170/deguacas/?albumview=grid&mediafilter=images

[jwv]

How cool is that?!-such a beautiful setting.  Love the pics, thanks for letting us follow along.
Have you read Driving Over Lemons?  The author writes about the difficulty of obtaining wood and all the ins and outs of the process.  Kind of a "I know a guy who knows a guy who has a cousin who might have the wood you need."

It's fun to read about building in other countries.

Judy
(will plaster for a place to park the Airstream in Spain) now where are those giant waterwings?

[glenn kangiser]

Lime sounds good -- I may use it by the pool slate now that you mention it.  I didn't want to use cement either.

Nice beet. If you lay the slate out and spray it with stone sealer before grouting it cleans easier.

[John Raabe]

What a great site and interesting neighborhood.

I'll post a couple of pics here from your gallery. Fascinating how different ways of building have evolved.

[viriatvs]

Judy,
The wood is available over there (they import it from USA, Canada & Finland) but it much more expensive than cinder blocks.

You did interest me in the book and I'm going to read it (...you're not kidding about the ..."I know a guy who has a brother, who know somebody, who has a cousin, who..."
because even though I love my Spaniard -Galician- half brother very much, the rest of the Spaniards have a saying that goes "...when you see a Galician in the distance, you can't tell whether he is coming or going..." and I can atest to the fact that they, themselves don't know either, but, generous, helpful, kind, sincere, honorable and any other positive adjective that you can pin on them, they are that and much more.
Just don't try to figure whether they are coming or going because it would be futile.

I'm myself born in Northern Portugal & raised in Lisbon, and a lot of people -including myself- think that Northern Spaniards -Galicians- and Northern Portuguese -Lusitanians- are the same race(we do share the same costums, food, Bagpipes and lenguage; Galician being a dialect of portuguese, I can't speak it but I understand everything when they talk.
We are 50% Celts (or Kelts, depending who you ask...) and the other 50% up for grabs between Iberians, Suevs, Alans, Visigods, Vandals, Phoenicians, Greeks, Cartaghinians, Romans, Moors and heck knows what else. (that's provably why...)

Glenn,
Thanks for the advice.

John,
Thank you for posting the pics (I wouldn't know how to do it... )