Page 4 Week 15 Week 14 Week 13 Week 12 Week 11 Week 8, 9 & 10 Week Sixteen: "Ho Hum" Yeah, we know, the log is late. We thought about not even doing one because last week was so "Ho Hum" that we didn't bother to take pictures. Partly, that is because plastering (whether base, middle or finish coat) is not very exciting to chronicle. When it's done, it'll be worth some more photographs. But now? Not really. The other reason is that once again it seemed like a good half of our crew was working next door on our neighbor's bathroom addition. It could be real easy for both of us to get a resentment because every time we go out the door, there's our foreman Chemino, or Angel or Jose Angel, and for a couple of days last week, Carlos, Tonio and a few others. Were we ever to do this again, we'd stipulate a certain number of people (and even some certain individuals) that were to be regular crew. Now what did happen last week was that a lot of necessary "stuff" got bought. Why? How? Because Sharon went to Guadalajara. She stayed with our friends Steve Cole and Steve Penning in Ajijic, a beautiful, small town south of the city on Lake Chapala. Steve Cole is a registered black belt at shopping, astute and knowledgable, and he had offered to be Sharon's guide. In the space of three days they bought sinks for all the bathrooms, 7 ceiling fans, some light fixtures, a sofa, 2 chairs, a hutch and king bed. And they spent 3 hours at an amazing store called "Artisina's" choosing tiles for the bathrooms and the pool. Whew! Sharon will likely return on Sunday for another spree. (Can't you just picture her there doing this for us?) This time it'll be more furniture, lights, a kitchen sink, more faucets and shower heads and maybe a fabric run. Also she'll have to line up a moving company to bring all the big stuff down here to Barra de Navidad on the coast. Helping a friend out recently, Sharon had the opportunity to look at what's currently available in the property (building sites) market. She realized that there has been a serious escalation in prices and a decrease in availability (the Supply/Demand equation at work) since we bought our lot in February. We believe this is going to continue at a steadily increasing rate. The influx of retiring baby boomers who realize the life style advantage of living at least part of the year here is going to be a major force in driving the market up. Which is why we're very glad to have gotten in when we did. So....no pictures....but a lot of "gab" this week. Check back in next Sunday or Monday for (HOPEFULLY) some nice photographs of both the exterior walls and various rooms inside with finish coats of "mezcla" (plaster). Hasta Pronto! return to top Week Fifteen: Getting Plastered... There are no outside shots this week because all the action was inside. The house is getting plastered and, we're happy to report, the pace of the work has picked back up some. There are still important members of "our" crew working on the neighbor's remodel next door but there's a good sized and skilled crew at our site putting in the hours to keep the project moving forward. So all of the photographs this week are about plastering because that is what's happening now and, as the week ended, most of the house had a second coat. On our part, we made a trip to the capital of a neighborning state (Colima) and went shopping for floor tile. We found one that we both liked, a hard fired, sealed, sautillo style with a rich, rust color that is rounded on the edges and not rustic looking at all. It's smooth and regular and will be easy to lay. We like the effect! We also made a major decision about water, i.e. we bought an on demand water heater (here they call 'em "boilers") that will save us 35%-40% on our propane bill since there are many months a year (like now) when we rarely use hot water except for washing dishes. This week Sharon may be taking a trip up to Guadalajara to do some more shopping (kitchen, bath and pool tiles, furniture and maybe sinks, toilets and fixtures) and visit with our friends Steve Cole and Steve Penning. Either way, she'll be at the Manzanillo airport this coming friday to pick up another friend (Jessie) who is coming down to look for and (probably) buy a lot to start building in the Fall. So......we're both in good head spaces, feeling healthy, dealing with the heat and humidity, liking the process and excited to see what the next week will bring. And no doubt about it..."more will be revealed"! Week 15 Photos \ The second coat of plaster is going on. This coat is thick, but not as corse as the first coat which was used to cover the foam and dalas (remember them?) and to provide a surface that the thick, second coat will stick to. This is the living room ceiling being plastered. After the plaster is laid in a small area, this board is used to even it out. The entry hall partially plastered as seen from the first landing of the stairway. Carlos is plastering the hallway, the wall in the previous photo. Looking from the rear of the house toward the front door. The sand used in the plaster mix is sifted through a mesh material to allow the finish coat to be fine and smooth. The view from the window from the upstairs hallway into the front patio, presently the materials storage and mixing area. We have materials pouring out onto the street. Chemino on the upstairs terraza checking the quality of the materials for the finish coat. The plastic is laid out to prevent contamination from large chunks. Max has just plastered a small portion of the master bedroom ceiling with the finish coat for our approval. It's A okay! return to top Week Fourteen: The Pace Slows Down... It had to happen, right? The moment when the torrid pace of construction we've enjoyed just kind of "leaked" away. Our neighbors wanted a bathroom added on. They went to our maestro and asked if he'd like the job. Of course, he wanted the job. And we, of course, could have raised a stink when we saw three of our best guys plus the maestro working next door. Because there's no question that the pace has slowed down as a result. So we did say something to Kriss about it. And he promised to get the process revved back up again. Maybe not tomorrow, but if not tomorrow, then soon. When it's all said and done, we think we have probably moved the finish date back a week or so. But, hey, estamos en Mexico, verdad. A week is not going to alter our lives enough to get into a stew of worry and resentment. Right now it has finally gotten HOT down here, hot and sweaty. Los dias de los perros del verano. We're pretty much okay with it. More time in the ocean. More pool time. A few more cool showers. Fewer hot meals. More salads. We'll be trim, slim, dark skinned and ready when "season" arrives. Count on it! Week 14 Photos Bit by bit, we are seeing the change in the guest suite.The wall continues to grow and inside, one door is closed off. We are very pleased with the results. This is the plumbing in the laundry room The hot water heater will be on the left, the washer in the center and the dryer on the right. These squares have been cut into the wall of the pool equipment room for ventillation. They will be incorporated into the final paint job. The walls are plastered and the light sockets are in place. Notice the color change in the cement as it dries. The kitchen walls and ceiling are plastered. All the electric and plumbing are in. Decisions were made this week for a water purification system so we can drink from the taps and have an ice maker! The opening for the kitchen window has been enlarged. La puerta para el gato. The opening for Oatmeal's door. The guest room bathroom wall is now built. The guys are pulling up cement for the roof. The outside of the wall is plastered. It will receive another, finer coat and then be painted. We are having a grand time with colors. 36 Calle San Lucas The home of Carl & Sharon Fritz return to top Week Thirteen: Ooops! Early in the past week, during a meeting with Kriss, he said Chemino had mentioned to him that the guest bathroom seemed very small. So small in fact that once the shower, toilet and sink were installed, he felt it would be crowded when we actually had guests who put it to use. We had discussed this ourselves a week or so earlier but felt it was too late to think about a change. Chemino's opinion (which we have come to trust A LOT) was that it not only wasn't too late but that we could make the changes (knock out a wall, fill in a door, and move the electrical) for about $1,500 pesos (call it $140 dollars) and only waste a day or so in the overall project. So this was the week when we bit the bullet and decided to change something that had already been built! Ooops indeed! So when you look at any of the old photographs that show a small (and virtually useless) balcony overlooking Calle San Lucas, you are looking at an architectural feature that no longer exists. Our future guests will, we believe, be grateful that we made this change. They'll actually be comfortable using their bathroom. So...let's see now...besides the "Ooops" we started plastering inside this week. The crew put a finished coat of concrete on the roof. The electricians continued wiring. We went to Cihuatlan (the county sear) and had the electricity (luz) turned on. And we went to Manzanillo shopping for sinks, toilets, and also looked at some appliances. Oh, and we discussed the momentous question of what color grout we want to use with the various tiles. This project has gotten to the place where there really are decisions to be made on almost a daily basis. And we are still enjoying it. And, by the way, with the start of the summer rains (which have almost all been gentle and at night), everything around us has turned an astounding deep green. It's the best! Week 13 Photos The plumbing is being laid. These are the copper water pipes to the second floor and the white plastic pipe is for sewerage. They will be plastered over and disappear. The wall between the guest bathroom and balcony has been torn out. The large board is supporting the roof corner. Walls will be built to enclose this space. The left door will be bricked closed and the bathroom window will be moved to the right. Chemino is plastering the ceiling of the patio. The form has been removed from the supporting column. This is the hallway from the master bedroom to the master bath. The first coat of plaster is going on the foam ceiling. Chemino used this wall where the electric meter will be to show us different finishes we can use on the walls. It was amazing to see the thickness of the final coat was less than 1/8 inch. The beginning of the sky light that will be above the stair well. Two additional courses of brick are added to the roof to contain the rain water and send it down the spouts. The pool equipment room is plastered. It will receive another coat. The square holes on the walls will be sculpted into the back yard lights. We have this terra cotta saucer in the living room. The plant is outside and oatmeal has a new bed. This is his major daytime activity while he waits for his new home. return to top Week Twelve: The Second Floor Pour...And More Twelve weeks into our house project (to what we HOPE is the halfway point) and the basic structure is complete. The walls and the roof are done. On the first floor of the house, a living room, dining room, kitchen, half bath and garage and on the second floor, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There are decks and porches, laundry and equipment rooms, and a good sized pool. None of it's plastered, painted or tiled but the major construction is done. Since we missed the first big concrete pour (which happened during our trip to New Mexico in June), we were both looking forward to seeing this one happen. And the pictures we took can not and do not really communicate the excitement in the air when it's happening and the amazing quality of the workers' skills in mixing, hoisting the concrete up in a four level bucket brigade, and getting it worked down into the forms. Week 12 was definitely a benchmark. And we'd like to thank our good friend Wolfgang for checking this construction log carefully enough to call us and inquire if we forgot about putting a skimmer in the pool! Thanks, Wolf, it's going to be chisled out and the plumbing put in this week. Week 12 Photos The bricks are being placed for the back yard patio. The large column was poured weeks ago and the form will be removed when the house is plastered. Carlos, Chemino's son, built the pool steps. They are PERFECT! each one the same height and easy to walk down. One of two windows in the upper part of the stairwell. They are cut out of the block. Angel is cutting and nailing tree trunks and boards to be used for roof supports. After the roof supports are in place and the horizontal boards are nailed to them. It looks like some strange, interior forest. Now the boards are laid over the supports. The dalas, foam (called "hielo seco"), wire and cement will be put above this. This is the form for the roof above the guest room balcony. There will be a 16 inch overhang to help keep the rain out. Once again the men are constructing dalas. These are on the roof for strength. The foam will be laid between the grid. The scaffolding is in place for the pour. Four levels up to the roof with a man on each level. There are 15 men working today. As the cement mixer turns, one man adds the cement, one the sand, another the gravel. Buckets are lined up and filled and then passed from man to man up the four levels of scaffolding. On the roof, 2 men carry and dump the buckets of cement while 2 others poke and spread it out evenly. Done. We returned Saturday evening to see the final product. Chemino told us the "pour guys" sometimes do 3 pours a day. Afterwards, they enjoy a well deserved cerveza party. return to top Week Eleven: The Pool Is Poured! While we spent most of last week recovering from our 5K mile/3 week road trip to the States, Kriss, Chemino and "the crew" went for long days in high gear to get the pool poured and prepare for the final big pour, which will be the roof of the second floor (end of this week we think). We have in fact started to get some wonderfully refreshing night rains. And the water coming down from the mountains filled up the lagoon across the street from where we're house sitting for our friends Chuck and Sharon (see the picture this week that is NOT of the house construction). It presents us with a beautiful morning vision every day when we open our front door to let the rising sun shine in. We're back in our chosen routine which includes Sharon teaching swimming to the grandaughter of a local American lady, an hour of Spanish study for the two of us together, 3 healthy South Beach meals a day, an hour of water aerobics in a neighbor's pool and a bicycle ride in the evening when the sun gets lower in the sky and the breeze is coming in off the ocean. A few other house details. We have all the wood (we're using a local hardwood that's called "primavera") we'll need for cabinets and trim bought, cut and drying in Kriss's side yard. We have the "rustico" saltillo type tile bought that will be used for the floor throughout the house. And we are making plans for a trip to Guadalajara to pick out fixtures and the tile for the bathrooms, kitchen and pool. So, once again, we're feeling very satisfied with the process and with the progress that's been made. Oh, by the way, if anybody has a question they want answered, just email us and we'll try to get the reply into next week's journal. Hasta la semana que viene! Week 11 Photos The cement has been poured for the bottom of the pool. The drain can be seen to the left of the scaffolding. Boards are put on both sides of the rebar frame for the pool and will be poured later. The cement has been poured into the frames of the pool. When it sets, the frames will be removed and then plastered in preparation for the tiles. Jose Angel and Max are plastering the pool. This is backbreaking work. They bend and get a trowel full of cement and throw it on the walls. Very little misses. The plastering is complete. The soil has been replaced to backfill the pool and to even the back yard. The light will go in the hole at the back. The rebar will be cut off. The walk-in closet for the master bedroom as seen from the terraza. The electrician arrived this week. We walked through the downstairs and told him where we wanted outlets and switches. They channel into the brick and lay in the boxes and tubing. All of it will be plastered over. The crew takes a break at 10AM for breakfast. They generally don't eat before coming to the site. We happened to stop by and Sharon had a chat. This is sunrise on the lagoon across the street from our housesit. Muy bonita! We are in the front yard with the garage door on the left and the guest room window above. The door on the right is the front door with the hallway window above. The overhang will have plants. We are standing across the street from the house. On the left is the garage with the guest bath and balcony above. On the right is the kitchen with the master bath above. Can you picture it? return to top home.............. page 2.............. page 3.............. page 5.............. e-mail