We finish the cement portion of our ferrocement and meshcrete laminate roof this week (check our construction schedule link at the bottom of this page). From high atop the barrel vault of The Garage Mahal, let's take a look at our work. Our whole house fan is marked with the number 1, one of the standpipes with 2 and one of the drainage sepas with the number 3.
Visible on the other side of the house is the top of the cement elevator and a wheelbarrow. Once the cement comes up in buckets, they're transferred to the wheelbarrow for transport. The fine, #4 sand we're using for the finish coat mix makes for a smooth and even surface.
Our construction schedule calls for finishing the roof by Saturday. We'll give the ferrocement and meshcrete 30 days to cure and then seal the roof with an elastomeric waterproof coating. When dry, the coating will seal the roof with a one piece membrane, leaving no seams for water to enter.
My 70 year old mother dons kneepads and joins me on the roof to do a little cleanup. Take note of the multiple planes built into the roof for rain runoff. The parapet wall around the roof doubles as a gutter - a system the Spanish used in constructing the mission buildings in San Antonio that we are basing our design on.
A rare photo of all the members of project management simultaneously awake (they're usually off sleeping, scratching themselves, eating and doing whatever it is that project management usually does). If you're not asleep or scratching yourself, check out our construction schedule link below. Project management would approve...
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