Photographs of the building process

Selecting a plot - Mine provides spectacular views of Emek Shilo (Shilo Valley)

View of Emek Shilo View of Emek Shilo



If you want the view from the top of a hill, and you want a one-story house at street level, you have to build up the side of the mountain with landfill. This is done by alternately placing a layer of boulders along the boundaries of the property and then filling the space behind them with landfill.

Dumping landfill on the site Leveling landfill between boulders



Using modern building techniques in Israel -- Erecting a steel framework for the house.
The sign says the contractor, Yaacov Hayman, provides reliability, quality, and Jewish labor.

Steel framework

After erecting the steel framework, OSB (oblique striated board) was attached to it, and Jerusalem stone facing was fastened 6 cm in front of the OSB using metal hooks. The 6-cm gap was then filled with concrete. The usual construction material used in most Israeli and Arab construction, concrete blocks (called blockim), was not used at all.


The roofing structure has been added to the steel framework and work continues on the exterior walls.

Interim picture of consruction



Nearing the end. -- Installation of imported Marvin windows.

Yisroel Zev installing Marvin windows



After construction, 100 m3 of garden soil enriched with 6 m3 of compost was laid atop the landfill,
and a garden planted

Batsheva Kanto planting my garden



I giving a dvar Torah, in Hebrew, at the Chanukat HaBayit

Interim picture of consruction



My contractor (L) and architect (R) reading psukim from the Sephardi ritual at the Chanukat HaBayit

View of Emek Shilo View of Emek Shilo


Thanks to Batya Medad for taking many of the pictures.



Building a house in Eretz Israel

Photographs of the intermediate building stages| House interior | Entrance and garden| Views


Updated May 23, 2018


valid html 4.0 Strict! valid CSS!