May 5, 2008

Yes, Bill, the blog has been boring. Sorry. At least this time I have a good excuse. I worked six hours a day for over two weeks getting the old bottom out of the pool. After trying a few systems, I used a mecana. It is a big, heavy chisel, about 2″ wide and 2′ long that fits on the end of a steel tube, or long sturdy branch, (I had one of each). I also removed the bad paint and some bad concrete from the walls. Then I cleaned and mixed for Mike while he laid the ceramics. Oh yeah, and while I was taking out the old floor, I also spent two days helping Jose build the new fence between out lots. I got the walls painted before the rain came, which was the big gamble at the beginning of the project. As a matter of fact, we have still only had a half hour of decent rain, and that came on the 3rd. I now have Jose doing the majority of the work on the rest of the projects. We still have to grout the tile in the pool, paint the second coat on the soffit, paint the outdoor shower, put stone around the pool, check the circuit for the air conditioners as they short out when turned on, build a desk for the office and an island for the kitchen (we have the counter top that came for the island with the other counter top and laundry tub), put up a fence on the other side, two gates in the front, and a gate connecting them, and more. I had to take out the old floor, and the paint off the walls, because every square meter was a judgement call. Take out more, or not? Mike had to do the ceramic because there was a big difference in depths of drybond required to lay the tile.
The unspoken, so far, part of this story, is that Carlos the builder isn’t coming back. Not to finish the things left to finish, nor to correct the things done wrong. I believe he wanted to do what he said, and I believe he thought he could. In the long run, I am glad he stayed as long as he did, and kept working with me to finish the house. Now, he is trying to sort out his own problems. He built an exceptional house. I am very pleased with the results. The pool was flawed in more than one major way, but we have about got that fixed up. The time and cost overruns were within reason, and the overall price for the work done was good. The mental exercise, making decisions on the run, usually with the only answer seeming totally illogical, and against all advice. Learning how someone thinks, really, to figure out how to make a project work. Finding solutions to logistics problems with only some of the information needed, and that in a foreign language. This past year of construction is something I have to label a success, but a hard-fought, and not total, success.
The time lines are gone now, anyway. I would like to get a lot of the work done as soon as possible. I have the materials for most of it. None of it is dependent on the dry season, though. I am sure the rain will be a regular occurrence soon, and then the gardening starts in earnest. I’m almost having too much fun.