Preparing for boundary walls

Creating a partition between your land and the neighbors is accomplished typically with concrete-block walls. A foundation is dug and river rocks are mixed with cement to: create a stable base for wall construction, and secondly to keep the limestone or dirt fill in place.

Above: a standard boundary wall foundation. The limestone or dirt fill goes on the left side. On the right is the edge of your property.

While it doesn’t seem like there’s much in the way of decision making when it comes to boundary walls, there’s quite a few issues to solve, especially if your land is not 100% flat. If there’s a slope, then you need to allow for proper drainage and wall heights that are consistent at the high and low places of your land.

This may appear to be a boring set of decisions but remarkably they’re not. A properly built wall is the canvas within which your masterpiece gets built.

Whereas in the USA you might build a picket, wire or wooden fence, or a row of bushes, here in Bali you get serious about creating your own inner sanctuary.

Everything from the exact placement of the wall in relation to the survey pins in the ground (scheduled for installation on May 28), to the plaster coat finish — and possibly future plantings of bamboo or greenery (once the structure is built and the well is working) — all of these things and more come into play now.

Above: the author hovering over an architectural or engineering drawing with the road builders, who will also be the wall builders

Getting the walls built is the second “stake in the ground” moment that feels like something’s really happening after having the access road built. And so another element to getting your walls built is the symbolism: you are starting to build something of value inside those straight and impressively built walls.

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