On to the roof

A building isn´t a building without a roof. Although one might argue that the foundations are the most crucial element of a structure, its roof is the most visible feature. The look of the roofs on Totoco´s cabins will be a big factor in determinig the overall style of the lodge and we are excited to see the wood going up on cabin #1.

The so-called chowiton natural thatching requires a steep gradient which will give a distinctive look from without and a spacious ambience from within. The apex of the roof on cabin#1 is around 4m above the height of the interior walls. Set against the backdrop of the volcano it makes for a pretty picture.

The foundation pillars for cabin #2 are also complete and the metal grid which will hold the floating floor is being tied and welded this week. Once that is cemented and cured work can begin on the actual structure.

For obvious reasons the progress on the main lodge is slower than that of the cabins but significantly all work on the foundations are now complete leaving ´only´ the posts and roof and interior to do. A seperate team has started the extensive task of preparing the ´footers´ for all the eucalypt posts which are set in a cross of two metal plates.


The necessary roundabout at the top of the property is shaping up nicely with detailed measurements helping to direct water flows over the surface so that it suffers as little damage as possible during the few torrential rains that hit the island every wet season. About a third of the work has been completed but we havn´t had a heavy storm to test it so the jury is still out.