Where Does All the Water Go?

This night the sun set makes the sky and hills look like a fairy tale!

So spectacular, ever changing and never boring!

 Trenches have been dug around the house and toward the driveway and large, black,  4" plastic pipe has been installed to carry all types of water.  Sewer water goes into the septic of course.  Grey water and rain water, which comes off the roof through the gutter system,  is directed down the back side of our driveway.

Here you can see the end of one of the pipes that will carry rain water to the cunetas on the side of the driveway.

Gutters and roof are now everywhere, with a couple exceptions.  The area that is open on the end of the second floor needs to be closed and an overhang created to protect the window and wall.









Putting up the gutters.








Gutters waiting to be installed.

Laying the pipe.

Approximately 12-15 of these concrete boxes with grates are all around the house.  The down spouts of the gutters are lined up along the concrete posts and into these boxes.  All of the rain water from the roof empties into these boxes and leaves through the system of pipes.

If you look closely, you can see a clean out box just below the concrete post.

The grey water and sewer water are directed here into our septic tank.  Looking forward to seeing this covered with dirt and landscaping!

The Laundry Room is ready for the plumbing and electric readying it for our Washer and Dryer.  Under the window will be built a typical Tico wash sink, which are really useful.

A lot of work is being done on the ceilings.  Here the beams are being given another coat of stain before the metal supports and ceiling are added.

In the Studio the metal structure is finished for the ceiling as well as much of the wiring.  As you can also see, we have the beginnings of 2 skylights.

This is how the metal ceiling supports look between the beams before the ceiling is added.

Still need to have the ridge caps put on top of this padded foil to make the roof water tight.

Although not quite water tight, the roof  is now covering the entire house. Next, they will be doing the outside painting.  Juan also mentioned they would be starting to lay wall tiles in our bathroom.  I'm really looking forward to getting to work on the inside!

 

This view of the house is from the main road just before turning into our lane!

Enough house stuff!  LOOK!  We have our first pineapples and it's very exciting.  When we purchase a pineapple at the Market we plant the top--most of the time.  At some point we should not have to buy any more pineapple!!

Aren't they just the cutest darn things!!

I walk by these wires every time I go to the Finca and almost every time there is a score of birds reminding me of the beautiful music that they create!






They aren't very big but together they make beautiful music and a wonderful statement!

This pile of rubble created from concrete, nails, re-bar, garbage and who knows what else will be leaving to be used as fill at Jane and Milton's house.  Jane and Milton are also having a house built by Juan in Berlin and we have enjoyed sharing stories and becoming friends.

In the mean time, this rubble and other areas of the job site have sprouted vegetables either by happen stance or by design. Tomatoes, peppers and squash provide fresh produces for the workers.

More squash!

Looking good!
These "gardens" are sometimes watered by runoff from the gutters.  We're pretty sure a lot of what is growing has just grown from tossed off garbage but today I noticed some nicely planted pepper plants!!  Very resourceful workers! :)

O.K. Don and Roberto, smile the day is nearly done!!

Finish up and you can go home for lunch!!  Oh, and it looks like the trailer tire could use a little air!

Felines, Facia and Friends!

While our friends Guy and Maryse are in Boston, we are home base for their kitty, Tigra.  As Tigra began her life as a feral cat, she is quite independent and there was no keeping her inside.  As per instructions from Guy and Maryse, we let her out the first day!  UGH!  The first night she didn't return to eat--we were concerned, by the second, we were getting worried and by the third, we thought our friends were coming home to no kitty.  Low and behold on the fourth day of her visit, Tigra arrived hungry but in good shape!  We rejoiced, welcomed her with "open arms", so to speak as she is a bit skittish, and told Maryse and Guy they still had a kitty.  

Two months later Tigra has become very comfortable and more present, spending evenings curled up with us on the sofa!  We will miss her when she is gone and have enjoyed her visit.

Here is a sample of one of Tigra's gift to us!  No thanks, Tigra!  We love our birds!  However, last night we were grateful for her hunting skills.  All evening she was sitting alert and trying to find something under the table where we keep our printer.  O.K., so we trusted her instincts and took the area apart and discovered one very large mouse!!  Don caught it by the tail with our, "Snake Catching Tool",  and took it outside followed closely by Tigra.  Needless to say, we slept better knowing that something wasn't running around our house that night.

Our house is not the only one that Juan Carlos is building in Berlin.  Jane and Milton are also building a home and the workers go back and forth depending where they are needed for the current project.  This day they had just finished pouring the concrete floors which is a very labor intensive.  At the end of the day they were all standing around and agreed to pose for a photo!  All nice guys who work very hard!

This is Jane and Milton's house just after the concrete floor was finished.  They now have walls which we will share at a later date.

Although our houses are approximately 4 miles apart by using the road, by way the crow flies however, we can see theirs and they can see ours!

The more that gets done on the outside of the house the more we like our choice of paint color!  Whew!!  The Fascia is a dark stain, the soffit is white and the windows will be teal!

Speaking of windows!  These are our windows being constructed in a little town called Perez Zeledon by a company called SoldaduraCMH.  We have been working with Ceasar, the owner, and Isaac who translates for us.  Each window is custom made, primed, painted and then delivered and installed.  We are eager to see the finished product!

Where the red lines are in the photo will be more metal creating the long narrow French Industrial style window panes we wanting to create.

The electrician has been busy putting all the wiring where it needs to be for lights, switches, fans, appliances and plugs.  This is our main switch box, located in the kitchen, which will be disguised with a bulletin board to help with our vintage memories. 

The window into the Bell Tower looks very dark looking in from the Master Bedroom!

As we look inside it is much brighter, especially with the white paint on the walls.  These photos show before and after the ceiling was added.  Now all we need is the bell!  :)  Anyone know where we can get a church bell?

 The terraza outside our Bedroom has been painted, the ceilings and wiring are in, and the walls inside are been primed.






















As we head downstairs, above the landing the roof is still not completed.  The beams need to be extended and the roof added, which we are told is no problem.

The bottom step has been added but not finished.  Eventually, the stairs will have wood tops and tile fronts.  There will be a railing and half wall on the left side of the stairs going up and a space to the right of the stairs for something "special"!

The Living Room and Dining Room walls are finished to a wonderful smoothness.

All of these walls have also been finished to perfection.  The men have worked for weeks, with far more patience and skill that I have, to create a wonderful surface for our walls.

 The view from the Studio ceiling shows the beginning metal supports of a ceiling hung below the roof.

Eventually, our view of the Bell Tower will vanish.  The two small arched windows are located in our Bathroom.  

The fascia around the Bell Tower, Second and First Floors really makes things come together.  Next will be gutters and with rainy season upon us they will be a much needed addition.

Don snapped this photo this morning and look---gutters are on the Bell Tower and the roof over our Bedroom! :)  The men are finishing more roof and the work goes on!

Pura Vida!