(If you missed the first installment of our patio construction story, click here.)
It’s now early March, and Michael’s family is arriving late tomorrow afternoon. We need every minute to be ready.
The day before Michael’s family is to arrive. YIKES! There is still a lot of work to be done.
Since I last wrote, the roof addition has been constructed, but we don’t have the metal roofing that goes over the wood. Apparently, the roofing guy didn’t order the metal because he didn’t have enough quantity to place the minimum order. Of course, he didn’t let the contractor know this little detail. In general, Grenadians don’t like to deliver bad news, so they don’t say anything. He suggested that we use another color roofing with the rationale that only planes will see that there are two different colors. We are not impressed. We are now going with a thicker material.
Manual labor takes on a whole different meaning in Grenada. These six men will lift the heavy form for the ring beam. They are at the edge of our patio with a 10-foot drop off the back. Mandy, the foreman on the left, is in flip flops. Most of the other workers are in sneakers today for this difficult work. Where is OSHA?
Success and smiles all around! Now they are securing the form so they can pour the concrete.
Concrete made with a hand mixer, then workers hand carry the heavy buckets through the house and hand them up to be poured into the molds. These guys do not need to go to the gym to be in great shape.
For a few months all the patio furniture, our artwork and just about anything moveable has been stored away to protect it from the concrete dust. A couple weeks ago, Nadica and Sheila began cleaning all the ‘closed’ rooms, getting ready for the final cleaning push once the construction is completed.
Michael power washing the ceiling and walls of the living room. Can you see the dirt streaming down the wall under the wall sconce?
Michael power washing the floor. Look at the dirt! He did this almost every day for 2 weeks, trying to keep the dust to a minimum. Otherwise, the high winds would blow the dust all over everything. My mom’s beautiful Asian furniture is under plastic for protection.
Michael using our leaf blower to push the water out of the living room onto our outdoor patio so the floor would dry quickly. Clearly, Michael is a creative genius!
Last week, the new windows finally went in. When they delivered the windows, weeks ago, I could immediately see that the windows had tinted glass instead of the clear glass we ordered. These are custom windows, so I’m not sure why this happened. In some situations, it might be okay, but these windows are going between two other banks of windows that are both clear.
The new huge, multipart window waiting to be installed. The beautiful ‘bronze’ finish on the glass was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. This bank of windows will be placed between two sets of clear windows so the glass needs to match. This was a custom order duplicating a previous order – in theory.
Our contractor is ready to pull his hair out trying to deal with the window guys. Finally, they agree they will come back another day and replace the glass with clear glass. They do this and neglect to put some the rubber back around the windows which mean they will need to come back again to fix this.
I think that people often get so fed up with shoddy work they just let things slide. It is incredibly frustrating to see the same work having to be done over multiple times just to get it the way it should have been in the first place.
When they come back – again – to install the window, they realize the opening is slightly too small. They chip away at the concrete and finally decide they have done enough and try to jam the windows in. First, they are banging on the metal edges trying to force the set of windows in. Then I see one man come back with a pry bar and a mallet. I am hyperventilating and can’t watch. I’m sure they are going to torque the metal and break the glass. Somehow, they get the window frame in, leave all the windows open and rush away.
Michael heads over to inspect their work and can barely move the panes of glass. He is then on the phone with the contractor – again. As the wind picks up, I try to close the windows, but I don’t have enough strength to pull them closed. It’s just a matter of time before they ultimately don’t work or the glass breaks. The contractor gets a commitment that the window guys will be back Wednesday to take the window out, resize the opening and put the window back in. Michael’s family is arriving on Thursday.
I’ve personally installed windows with Michael in another house. I know this isn’t hard work, but it needs to be done correctly. This back and forth is driving us both crazy, especially Michael because he is the one who must deal with the issues.
March is traditionally the windy season, but the wind started early this year. The wind has been vicious – 20 plus miles an hour every day. This is driving all the dirt and dust into the house. Just about every night, Michael has been power washing the living room and patio floors. Last weekend, Michael power washed the living room ceiling and patio walls as well. There are definite advantages to living in a house made of concrete with tile and stone floors. This is one of them.
On Monday, the pool guys came to finish installing the new pool heater and to switch some valves that were put in backward …. no comment. Our pool has been covered for a couple of months which kept out the bulk of the debris. It is finally uncovered and all last week, and over the weekend Nadica and Michael have been vacuuming the pool and cleaning the filter daily. The water is starting to look clear after days of being cloudy with concrete dust. We can finally see the bottom!
Michael covered the pool to reduce the amount of concrete dust that got into the water. Even with all the large rocks, the wind was blowing the cover off. we finally had to put long metal pipes across in between each rock to try and keep the tarp secure. You can see the columns beyond the newly poured deck that will support the new railing.
The view from the new patio. You can see the roofing pulled up where they will attach the new metal roof to the existing one. You can also see the stone floor starting to be installed.
Clifton and Andy laying the stone floor. They meticulously cut and spaced the stones while making sure everything was either level or sloping so there were no dips for water to gather and stand. Andy mixed all the concrete by hand, no mixer.
On Tuesday, Andy is desperately trying to complete another section of the floor and works until almost 6:30 PM. The electricians are here wiring in new lights and moving switches. Since our house is concrete, this means drilling into the walls and, yes, creating another concrete dust mess.
Wednesday morning. This is a great picture of the extension ‘mostly’ complete. Walls finished and painted, window opening ready for the glass to be installed, electrical in walls completed – just waiting for fixtures & fans to be installed. The stone floor over 50% complete. The stonework is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Look at that view!
Wednesday, one day before Michael’s family arrives, the house is crawling with workers. The plumber is here, electricians are back finishing up their work, the window guys are back to redo their work, and the contractor’s workers are here to pick up the pieces, paint and do whatever else needs to be done. Our stonecutter is trying to complete the floor. He has to work around all these guys doing their thing in the same space.
Meanwhile, all week Nadica and Sheila have been absolute superstars and are cleaning EVERYTHING – walls, ceilings, wiping out all cabinets, washing everything in each cabinet – in every room. They are smiling and happy to be getting things semi back to normal.
Can you imagine this project if we had been off-island while the work was completed? Me neither. Michael deserves a medal, and gin and tonics on a silver tray, every day, for life.
Here is a series of pictures showing the progression of the work
Completing the ring beam and building the scaffolding so they can lay cement blocks on top of the ring beam. You can see the old wall in the foreground.
Here, they have taken out all the old concrete block that formed the original wall. All that is left is the support beam and the old ring beam. This stayed in place until close to the end of construction to hold up the current roof.
Cutting away the old ring beam – standing on a small platform about 8 feet off the ground. These guys aren’t scared of anything!
The concrete block wall is almost completed, the new wooden roof is on and they just need to block between the ceiling joists.
Plastering the concrete blocks. You can now ‘see’ what the finished area will be like.
The final coat of white paint on the ceiling and the original windows back in place.
Stay tuned for the final post when I can hopefully report everything is completed and we are actually getting to enjoy our new addition.
Hello from Vancouver, Canada!
Thank-you for setting up this wonderful adventure blog about Grenada. We were wondering what part of Grenada you are living in as we are looking for land and the background scenary from your lovely home looks spectacular in the photos.
Hi Maureen;
Thanks for the kind words! We are definitely on an adventure and are loving it. We live in Lance aux Epines but there are tons of lovely views all over the island. One of my favorite places is in Woburn. Fabulous views, a little away from town but centrally located and easy to get most places, not as built up as some other spots. Let me know if you want to correspond or talk – candi.licence@hotmail.com or Skype 954-773-8864 if we set up a scheduled time so I’m available and at a place where I’ll be able to hear you. You might also want to check out an article I wrote about moving to Grenada on the Transitions Abroad website https://www.transitionsabroad.com/living-abroad/living-moving-grenada-caribbean-guide.shtml AND, if you are traveling to Grenada, let us know – we love meeting people and sharing tips about living here. Warm Regards, Candi
Hi Candi
My wife and I are visiting Grenada May11th thru May 17th.
We would love to meet up with you and explore possibilities.
We currently live in Florida.
Sincerely———–GERRY
Sorry for the delay, I’m traveling right now but will be back on May 9th. I’d love to meet you. Where are you staying? We can either make a plan before you arrive or after you’ve gotten settled. My contact info is 473-415-5991 or candi.licence@hotmail.com I’m happy to share information and insights.