Trying To Fit A Square Peg Into A Round Hole

If you have been following this blog for any length of time, I'm sure it has become apparent that we are forever trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It all started with the purchase of the house, I mean who in their right mind would purchase a house on their very first visit to a foreign country, much less a house that needed a total redo? Oh well this is now all water under the bridge and we have come too far to turn back now.


It's hard to believe that this project has now been thirteen months in the making and our best guess is that it will at least be three more months to completion. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it took even longer. There is so much finish work to be done besides everything else that needs to be completed. The workers still have to finish Putting up the masonry and then the tedious job of chipping out all of the mortar between the bricks Yikes! The rentals need to be designed and finished as well.










Rod has decided to build the Mother of all Stove hoods with a huge beam placed on the bottom front. I sure hope these guys know what they are doing. This stove hood could definitely kill someone if it were to fall on them.






The Carpenters still have many pieces to complete such as cabinets, bookshelves, closets, shelves and so on and so forth. Since everything is handmade it takes a lot longer to construct than the machined pieces we have in the U.S. For instance the bookshelves that I am having made for my computer room...the sides are two pieces of board glued together and then planed and sanded. The shelves themselves slide into two center boards that are notched out by hand, rather than the way that we are familiar with of two support pieces on either side that the shelf than sits on.











It is really funny that no matter what power tools we provide to the workers, they still prefer to use hand tools. The carpenters do use some power tools, but for the most part everyone would rather work with old fashioned handsaws, sand paper, hammers and lots of elbow grease.






We got into a discussion over dinner last night about how important it is for the Ecuadorian culture to spend time with their families and take time off to enjoy the many holidays and celebrations that Ecuador has to offer. This can be frustrating to us Gringos at times when we have a task at hand that seems to be critical and our crew shuts down the project for Siesta or Holidays, but I was quick to get on my soapbox about how so much of the American workforce culture compares. The Ecuadorian people work very hard while on the job and our workers in particular perform a lot of hard manual labor, so it only makes sense that at the days end or a Holiday they are ready to be with family and friends and leave the job behind. Something we Americans can't seem to grasp. On the other hand I wanted to point out that in the States so many workers seem to waste half of their work day emailing, texting, talking on the phone and socializing with their co-workers, while the average Ecuadorian is hard at work with task at hand from early in the morning to early evening.

The last couple of days have been particularly interesting as the Architect has been trying to figure out how to make the floor pattern work that Mom and I chose for the common areas. In our great wisdom, we of course chose an elaborate brick and wood pattern that we thought would be beautiful, never giving a thought that the pattern was comprised of many squares and our house is anything but. The workers would carefully lay out the pattern around the courtyard only to get to an edge and realize that the pattern had become crooked because not only are the walls crooked, but the opening to the courtyard is crooked as well. There we go again trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.


























We have come to realize that we need to embrace all of the quirky nuances of our house instead of fighting them and work with them the best that we can. Area rugs will do wonders and the Carpenters and Masonry workers know many tricks to fool the eye. We may look at something head on and swear it is crooked, but when a level is placed on it we are made a liar of or when viewed at a different angle it looks perfectly straight. Our workers have many talents and we have learned to use them wisely. Happily there seems to be a work around for most any obstacle that presents itself.

We have noticed that many of the hotels around town have architectural renderings and photographs of the renovation process of their buildings hanging on their walls. Some of the renderings resemble the fun house at the carnival, complete with crooked walls, sloping floors and rickety roof lines. In keeping with tradition we will do the same and be proud of all the flaws that give our house character.






Mom and I discovered a wonderful little bakery just around the corner from us. Would you look at those prices. This may become a really bad habit for us having fresh baked goods so close to home.
















The trucks are still picking up construction debris from the house. I think this is número 60 + and no end in sight.















It's hard to believe that we have less than four days before we must leave our project behind and once again return to the States. Mom and Bob were supposed to return in two weeks to start the process of obtaining their Cedula, but now the plan has changed and Bob has offered to carry the torch and return by himself to oversee the project for two or three weeks. This then allows Mom to stay home and work on preparations for the move. Once January rolls around, the time on her passport will renew again and she will be able to obtain her Cedula without any problem.

Mom, Rod and I are already planning what we can send in Bob's suitcases ...river rock for the shower floor, faucets or how about some stove exhaust fans for the stove vents? Just kidding Bob. Trying to fit a square peg in a round hole again.





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Where Do We Start

The day we arrived in Ecuador we couldn't wait to see the house and although we were a bit nervous the anticipation was more than we could stand. Carlos had picked us up in Guayaquil in the morning and barely managed to fit our suitcases and footlockers into his vehicle. We drove straight to the house to get our first look in over three months.




Carlos' Vehicle Stuffed To The Brim


The workers had spent the previous days cleaning the house of as much dust and debri as possible. I don't really know who was more nervous about the viewing of the house, the Architect, Carlos, the Crew or Us. In the end it no longer mattered as we were in total awe of the work that had been done. Great progress had been made since the last time we saw it and we could really start to envision the end result.




Our Terrace





Mom's Living Room Wall





The Ground Floor Looking In To Mom And Bob's Bathroom


We have now been in Cuenca since the 7th of October and the last two weeks (more or less) have been nothing but a blur. Once we got over the euphoria of seeing the house for the first time since June, the reality started to set in. From sun up to sun down we spend time at the house making endless decisions and running the streets looking for building materials and misc. items that are needed in order to complete the multitude of projects we have set for the workers. Many times we find it to our advantage to split up into teams in order to cover more ground.





The Crew Working On Rod's Kitchen


This seems to be the most stressful trip yet as we are scurrying around trying to make decisions on the fly, many of which become fruitless as we realize that the desired result is impossible. Most days we feel like we are on the never ending scavenger hunt in search of supplies that actually don't exist here in Ecuador. Running circles yet never achieving goals. We are forever being told Mañana and Mañana never comes. Mom has been trying to get a quote for her bathroom fixtures for three months now finally she got her quote this week.





The Dining Space Under The Upstairs Patio






The Dust Is Everywhere Or Is It Carlos Getting A Migraine From Putting Up With Us?


We have had to learn that many of the building materials that we take for granted in the States are not available here and we are constantly having to readjust our thinking. For instance, Rod and I had hired a carpenter to build our kitchen and vanity cabinets the last time we were here, only to later find out that he was subbing the work out to another carpenter. When we finally were able to view the vanities, we were appalled at the quality. There were gaps between the drawers and frames and the doors were crooked. The stain was not at all what The photo looked like. When we realized that the finish we had picked out was probably not going to look the same we decided to try a darker stain in order to save the job. Well the more he stained the worse it got until we finally threw our hands up and decided we had better come up with a different option. Needless to say the vanities are still at the Wood Carver's shop and we have moved on, less $800.00.





Our Handmade Bricks On The Patio Come Complete With Doggie Prints





Esteban, Our Architect Draws Out A Rough Sketch Of Mom & Bob's Fireplace





Giovanni, One Of Our Master Carpenters, Builds Bookshelves For My Office


Plan B was to do our kitchen base cabinets in the traditional South American style and build them out of brick and stucco with simple wood shelves above instead of upper cabinets. Hey we're trying to be authentic to the house. We have also opted to pour concrete countertops in the kitchen and stain them since we thought granite would be the wrong look with our new found authentic style. Rod has been watching You Tube videos trying to take a crash course on pouring, staining and polishing granite counter tops. As of yet I have no plan B for the bathroom vanities, but I am working on it.





Rod's Kitchen Cabinets Made From Brick And Cement





Our Bathroom Shower Stall




My Concrete Brick Cabinets In My Kitchen


Plan C came along after Rod decided to do a small test run on the concrete counter to see if our crew was capable of doing such a project. The crew carefully constructed a wooden frame and lined it with rebar (so far so good). They than started to mix the concrete and as Rod watched in horror they began to add rocks and sand to the mix. That was the end of that and the concrete counter idea went out the window. Now we are on to teak countertops, what do they say "The third time's the charm"?




Learning About Teak Wood From An Expert


By the way we did make it through customs with all of our faucets and steam generators, but only by the skin of our teeth. Mom and Bob claimed one footlocker and they breezed right through, but when it came our turn, the customs agent decided he wanted to unpack our footlocker and interrogate us. I had placed one steam generator into each footlocker and when the agent questioned why we had two steam generators I played dumb and said we only had one (after all we did only claim one footlocker). He looked at me with a puzzled look, but let it go. We were then asked why we were bringing in all of these fixtures. We promptly replied that we were remodeling a house in Cuenca and the agent's reply was "Why would you want to move to Cuenca"? as if he couldn't believe an American would ever dream of moving to Cuenca. Now that the steam generators are here it seems to be a hot topic among the plumber and electrician exactly how to install such a device, apparently this is the first time they have ever seen one, ay ya ya!

In spite of the curve balls that we have been thrown great progress has been made. We have had little changes here and there and have slowly been working on alternate plans, realizing as we go that there are always compromises to be made. Some days are more difficult than others and there have been a fair share of melt downs and disagreements between the four of us as to how things should look or be done. We all have our own individual tastes and wishes and just because we are family doesn't change the fact that we want things the way we want them.




The Workers Putting Up Some Extremely Heavy Beams Over The Patio I Was
Holding My Breath While Four Men Placed Each Beam In Place





Mom & Rod Have A Heated Discussion About A Paint Technique Bob And I Sat On The Sidelines As These Two Battled It Out




Secretly My Money Was On Mom


All I can say is that a task of this size would be almost impossible for two people, living in one country and renovating in another and even though we may disagree between the four of us, I am glad to have the extra support of two more people. When one or two of us gets down and frustrated the others are there to step in and make the vision a little clearer.





Esteban Processing His Ideas





Thinking How Small My Kitchen Seems Since The Cabinets Went In


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It's That Time Again

It has been a day as we have been preparing for our return to Ecuador. Our plane leaves at 6:30 in the morning and the shuttle will be at our front door to pick us up at 5:00 am (Yikes!), and I'm still up doing last minute packing (double Yikes!). This trip promises to be interesting as we will be carrying several kitchen and bath faucets with us as well as two steam generators for the showers.

When Rod and I carried all of the plumbing fixtures to the house in order to start packing them, it didn't take me long to realize that the suitcases we had weren't going to cut it. I decided to look on line for a couple of footlockers that I could purchase locally and that were TSA approved. I found what looked to be the perfect set at Walmart and read the reviews carefully to make sure that these footlockers would be compliant with the airline baggage size restrictions.

Sterlite Footlocker

This morning I promptly ran out and purchased the footlockers, but before I got to the checkout I noticed that the lockers were 7/8" above the published 62" size limit that Continental airlines allows. A quick phone call to the airline confirmed that indeed these were above the size limits, but after convincing the agent to look into it further, she confirmed that the airline actually allowed 63" before a hefty oversize charge was applied.

When I returned to the office I decided I had better double check what the agent had told me. I could just picture us dragging two foot lockers weighing 50 pounds each and three suitcases only to be told that we were over the limit and that we would have to fork out an extra $200.00. This little known (or maybe I'm the only one that doesn't know it) fact is not published anywhere on the website and I was told that if the check in agent gave me any grief I could tell them where to look up the information in their own system.

Needless to say I have spent the better part of the night packing, weighing, unpacking and shuffling items around to come up with the perfect weights and dimensions. I'm just hoping they don't confiscate all of our plumbing in Guayaquil thinking that we are trying to bring it into the country for resale. I volunteered to put the ominous faucet valve that pretty much looks like a bomb into my carry on bag and gave Rod instructions to bail me out should I be thrown into prison for carrying such a device.

This time I am leaving my laptop behind and will be attempting to work and blog totally from my ipad, but before leaving I wanted to bring everyone up to date, so please enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for an update, I'm confident there will be stories to tell.

The Back Wall Of Our Garden Area

New Doors

The Stone Wall in Our Bedroom

New Windows

What A View From Our Terrace

Laying The Brick Floor On The Deck

The Deck Floor Again

 

New Doors On The Front Of The House

The Crew Decides To Make Good Use Of Our Mantle

Laying More Brick

We're excited and nervous all at the same time seeing the house after so much progress has been made.

Back To Normal

As I write this weeks blog entry title, I can't help but laugh knowing that our "normal" is most people's chaos. After what seemed like an eternity, Rod is finally home for good and our life is slowly returning to its chaotic normal state. We are now busy playing catch up in all the areas that we were unable to divide and conquer. Rod and I have always been a team and we seem to move mountains when we are together, but divided for any amount of time and we are like two lost sheep.

In Rod's absence it didn't take me long to realize that running two automotive shops was not in my forte. While we were all very thankful that he was able to be with Dad through the last couple of months, I missed having my other half. Dad had the last of his chemo and radiation treatments a couple of weeks ago and came through like a real trooper. I think that he was the pillar of hope for the other patients under going treatment. Now all we can do is wait to see if he gets a clean bill of health when he returns to the doctor in about a month.

 Mom & Dad On Their Wedding Day

It's hard to believe that in approximately three weeks we will be back in Ecuador to pick out the finishing touches for the house. After that the holidays will be back upon us and we will be back in Houston for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rod's sister Phyllis will be coming in from the U.K. this year to spend the holidays with the family, so we are looking forward to a really special holiday season.

Mom has been in California the last three weeks helping her sister recover from hip surgery. Bob stayed behind to work on organizing for the move to Ecuador only to be confronted with the wild fires that were raging out of control in East Texas. Thankfully the fires were contained before they reached the town that my Mother and Bob live in, but with the drought continuing, the threat is ever present. Mother Nature seems to be on a roll this year, between the tornadoes we experienced this past summer and now the wild fires it seems this has been the year so many have been put to the test.

This week's entry promises to be an easier read than the last entry I wrote. As Rod says, I lost him after  the first paragraph. Sorry if I bored everyone to death, but I felt it was my duty to try and help save some unsuspecting soul from the grief I went through and am still going through with my stolen laptop.

Our Ecuador house is finally becoming the polished gem that we knew it could be. I have to admit there were times we thought we had purchased little more than a lump of coal that would prove to be the albatross around our neck, but the last couple of months have reaffirmed our faith. The house has literally begun to transform before our eyes.

 View From The Garden Towards The Back Of The House On Top Is The Terrace With The Glass Roof, Below That Is The Patio Off Of The Main Kitchen And Below That Is The Bottom Floor Patio That Leads Into The Garden.

Carlos sends us pictures religiously each day and  we wait anxiously for them to arrive in our in box as if we were little children waiting for Santa to come down the chimney with a pack full of gifts. Instead of the dread we once felt when the email server alerted us to confirm a large message download, we now confirm the download without a second thought. As with any project, not everything is perfect, but considering the fact we are doing the majority of this remodel from another country, I have to say that it is now going incredibly smooth. It seems we have finally found an architect that shares our vision and Carlos steers our ship strong and steady.

Building The Back Garden Wall. The Niches Will Contain Our Collection Of Saints We have Yet To Acquire

A View Of The Back Garden Wall From The Patio Off Of The Main Kitchen

 

Since Rod left Ecuador, we have brought in a couple of more carpenters to work on the doors and windows. There is so much woodwork to be stripped and stained. Some of the doors and windows are being rebuilt as the original ones were beyond repair. The cabinet maker has started the bathroom cabinets, the iron worker has completed some of the railings for the patios and the master carpenter has been working on the spiral staircase. The workers have been busy plastering the walls and preparing them to be sanded and finished. The cement base has been poured for the floors and we will soon be laying the brick and wood to finish our floors.

 Readying The Walls For Plaster. Some Of The Wood Windows, Doors And Wainscoting That Have Been Stripped

Laying The Cement Foundation For The Floors

Our Beautiful Iron Railing On The Top Terrace

Looking Up Towards The Chapel From The 2nd Story

Can You Tell I Love Our Railing

As smoothly as things have been going lately I can't help but be a little nervous at the thought of seeing the house for the first time since all of these changes have taken place. There is always a nagging thought in the back of my mind....  will I like the stone walls? will there be outlets where there are supposed to be? will the rooms look small? and on and on.

Our Newly Stripped Altar In The Chapel

In the meantime Rod has been busy doing what he does best, and that is finding a bargain. The ebay king has been purchasing sinks, plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures for the Ecuador house and in the process saving us thousands of dollars. He has purchased so much at this point we are wondering if there will be any room for clothing in our suitcases after we stuff all of our buys into our luggage to bring with us this next trip. Hopefully customs will not give us any trouble this time. We had a tense moment last trip when we brought all of the electrical plugs and receptacles down for the electrician. The customs agent was very curious to know why we had so many electrical items in our suitcase, I'm quite sure they thought we were setting up a business.

This Is Cuenca! I Dream Of Being On The Terrace And Looking At This View