TECH-Nica S.A. : Green Construction and Technology in Nicaragua

Marbello Project: January 2012 Photos

leegreenberg — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:06:14 +0000

We had a a photo session last week with Dan & Cesar, and they took some amazing photos! Thanks again for a fun morning. All photos courtesy of dancesar.com.

More to come, so stay tuned!

Click to view slideshow.

Marbello Project: Update December 2011

leegreenberg — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:53:34 +0000

As end of the year rapidly approaches we have been diligently working on completing the project. Here are our latest updates and Happy Holidays to everyone following the project.

We have the floor of the pool poured. The blocks are being set for the walls. We expect to have the pool completed by the third week of January including the solar pool pump and filter.

The Kitchen has been completed and came out great! I am amazed at how big the kitchen feels even though it takes up the same space as a 20’ container. I reworked the design about a dozen times and I feel it was worth the extra effort.

The second story guest bedroom is finished and looks great! We have the new railing up on the second story veranda and furniture out on the second story screened in porch. Now both the master bedroom and the guest bedroom have access to the porch. The custom weather proof cushions being made for the set should be here by the end of the week.

We are starting work on extending the ground level stone work. We will have a longer stone driveway and the stone will also wrap around the house and pool.

We have a nice outdoor table and chair set on the rooftop terrace complete with a shade umbrella. The crew is working on the final coat of floor paint for the terrace as well.

Most of the work remaining on the inside of the house is all esthetic.

We have also been listing the container home on various sites for rentals. We have already started to receive inquiries and we hope others enjoy the house as much as we do.

I will begin shooting a promotional video for the container in the next few days and hope to have that on the web soon.

Marbello Project: Cisterns and Stonework

leegreenberg — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:28:43 +0000

The rain water catchment system is complete. We got it finished just in time to catch over 1000 liters from what I think is one of the last big rains of the season. You can see the access points to the two underground cisterns in the photos.

We have a big hole where the pool is going to be. We will be working on the slab for the pool early next week.

We have made very good progress on the stonework for the driveway. The stonework will eventually go around the house and cover the pool area as well.

Marbello Project: October 2011

leegreenberg — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:11:55 +0000

We are back on track after suffering from a six day power outage along with shorter ones, severe rains and equipment failures.

We have been working on shelving for three large closets, the kitchen cabinets, generator house and captain’s beds.

The pictures illustrate the progress we have made on these projects. The generator house is almost done. I’m proud that we have managed to use almost every piece of aluminum that we cut out of the containers. I have been trying to reach the zero waste mark for the project. The double roof of the generator house is made from the walls of the containers that we cut out.

The captain’s beds are done. One of the closets is finished and the other two are under construction. I will need some more wood to complete the project.

One side of the kitchen is almost completed. The wood cabinets are in and the kitchen counter has been poured. We will be using a stain and finishing coat once the concrete has cured. We should be done with the other half in the next two weeks or so. It’s a matter of keeping the quality up and getting the wood as dry as possible before using it.

The water catchment system has been designed. We have started to run the pipes from the terrace and stairwell drains to the location that we will install the tanks in. We are using a 1500 liter and a 2500 liter tank. If we conserve water we will have storage for 90 days.

We have installed three more solar assisted air conditioners in the three bedrooms that didn’t have one. These units are much more efficient than traditional air conditioners.

I am pleased to report that even after eleven days of continuous rain our solar water heater was able to put out warm water. I was both thrilled and surprised. Now that the sun is out the water is back to super hot.

If the weather holds up and the power stays on our progress will greatly improve.

Marbello Project: August 2011

leegreenberg — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:11:49 +0000

We are heading into the home stretch for the Marbello Container Home. We have completed all the main work on the interior of the container home. All we have left are the kitchen cabinets, closets and the cosmetic work.

The cuidador house has been built. The finishing touches will be done in the next few days. We decided to add a home gym to the party room area. The rooftop terrace is now larger and the hot tub has been moved to maximize the deck space. The waterproofing has been very successful and we have solved all the issues with the water getting through the terrace. All of the windows are in for the entire house. We now have the electrical installed in the new spaces and each guest room has two ceiling fans.

I have been extremely unhappy with the cost and quality of the carpentry work in Nicaragua. I have been working on milling and drying my own wood. The plan now is for me to build the closets, cabinets and office furniture for the house.

I am expecting to have the entire house finished by the end of November. I have had delays due to other projects I have been working on. The great news is that I see an increase in the eco construction in the area. Interest in my project and other eco projects has grown substantially in the last few months and this isn’t only good for Nicaragua but the world as a whole. I have been working with container home designs for many potential clients and I hope to be blogging about more projects soon. I have also been asked as a side job to create advertising and web content for another local eco builder.

Marbello Project: Mid July 2011

leegreenberg — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:45:46 +0000

We have been working diligently through this crazy rainy season and many days of power outages. We experienced some setbacks due to the bad weather and the fact that all the trucks that handled the heavy material deliveries were broken down.

The cuadadores house and the addition are nearing completion. We can start the painting as soon as the weather permits. We have decided to move the roof top hot tub from the plyson deck to the new concrete floor onto of the new construction. This keeps the great view but will alleviate the dipping on the deck due to the weight of the hot tub. This also adds another 80 square feet of terrace space.

We have been improving the water catchment system. We learned some lessons from the intense rain we have received in the last few weeks.

I have been busy designing and redesigning the kitchen and walk in closets as well as more custom furniture. As I finalize the designs and begin work I will update the blog with pictures of these projects.

Marbello Container Home Short Video

leegreenberg — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:44:25 +0000

Here is a short video I shot and edited on the container home.

Marbello Project: Update May 2011

leegreenberg — Wed, 25 May 2011 21:41:27 +0000

As we wait for more materials to arrive I wanted to post a few new pics. One pic is SJDS from the terrace at sunset and the other is SJDS at night. The other pics are of the new captain’s bed we had made for the master bedroom. We will be ordering more custom furniture and cabinets in the next few weeks. More pictures will follow.

Marbello Project: Mid April 2011

leegreenberg — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:41:41 +0000

We have completed the stucco work on the outside of the container home.

We have moved our focus back to the tire wall. With the two loads of tires on their way we should come close to completing the wall. Once the tire wall is finished we will complete the water catchment system.

I have posted the renderings for the kitchen. The work will start on the kitchen in early May.

Marbello Project: Progress as of the beginning of March 2011

leegreenberg — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:11:57 +0000

We have almost finished the exterior on the entire container home. The radiant barrier has been working better than expected. It feels at least 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than it did before, even when the sun is directly on the containers.

We had another delivery of tires for the tire retaining wall, and we hope to get another load next week. We currently have enough to get us at least four feet higher on the wall. Along with the tires, the gutters for the water catchment system were delivered today.

We have been working on the layout and cabinet designs for the kitchen. Pictures will be posted soon.