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JOURNEYS BY PAUL Building a House in Costa Rica (or go to page 6) |
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Page 5
June 21
I was able to leave for three weeks because I didn't have any urgent decisions to make while they put up the rafters, and it was going to take them more than a week or so to sand and seal the rafters and the tongue and groove ceiling (tablias). The day I left, a tropical depression rolled through, and it rained all week. But now I'm back, and things seem to be going fast so I've got to make decisions on plumbing, tile, lighting, water heating and more. Yesterday I was supposed to meet with the electrician but he never showed up. However, I don't think the roof was ready for him anyway. You see, he runs all the wiring for the lights up above the ceiling, then the shingles go on top of that. Except they're not shingles. They're reddish sheets of tin that resemble the ceramic tile shingles. We bought the tin a few days ago, and it's going to be delivered on Monday so hopefully I'll have some colorful pictures for you soon.
I forgot to add that when I returned last week to see the rafters up, the work was done exactly how I had told them I wanted it (remember, I used to build wooden houses in my youth), and the stain and everything looked even better than I had hoped. I was in awe. You may think I'm a little picky about things, but if you were to see the details of some of the houses around here, you'd see how the Ticos (Costa Ricans) will do things if you don't specify. It's not that they do it badly, it's just that they don't see things that we do. I'll get into that at another time. I've posted a cool little video of one the extra workers throwing on the first layer of cement on the inside walls. After I took it, he said, "Photo?" I told him, no, un pelicula (movie). "Pelicula?," he asked, with disbelief. So I took the camera over and showed it to him, and he laughed and called out to some other workers that he was movie star. Video of The Cement Artiste (click here)
Rob's project (the multi layered pyramid) is making some progress with the retaining walls, but the walls are HUGE and the house probably won't be started for a while. Kurt's house (the one from which Victor was relieved of duty), is also underway with the new foreman, Marvin, at the helm. So, how can I complain? At least, my house is on schedule (hopefully ahead of schedule). I wanted a small, simple house to start with, and boy am I glad I did. There's lots more going on but I'll have to tell you about it later. Go to Page 6 of Building a House in Costa Rica
thanks, Paul Ogier
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