Construction in the Caribbean has all the challenges of building anywhere (sometimes on steroids) and then add a few additional challenges like narrow roads, steep inclines and few options for equipment.  All this generally makes any work an adventure and this addition didn’t disappoint in this regard.  After all, if everything went smoothly, there would be no stories to tell.

We have a beautiful and spacious covered patio with a pool off the back of our house facing Mount Hartman Bay taking advantage of the gorgeous view and the prevailing trade winds.  We literally spend all our time out on the patio with the limited exception of cooking, sleeping, and air-conditioned computer work. We decided to extend the patio another 14 feet so we would have a more substantial living, eating and lounging area.

The view is already amazing, but the extra 14 feet really pushes us out to a more panoramic view.  We met with our contractor, discussed our plans and his team began work in November.  Some of Michael’s family are coming to visit in early March, and I remember thinking, I hope this is complete before they arrive.  It shouldn’t be a problem, right?  It’s just a simple extension ….

The main work activities include pouring footings, building a support structure to pour beams and the concrete floor, adding stone on top of the concrete to match up with the current floor, extending the roof line across half the addition, taking out the existing windows, removing down the old wall and moving those windows to the new wall.  When it is completed, the patio should look basically the same – just longer with a new, large area in the sun.

The original plan was to leave the back wall of windows intact until the addition was completed and then pull down the original wall and move the windows into the new wall.  This would be ideal for a couple of reasons.  We’d still have full use of the regular patio, we could close the windows when they were working to divert some of the construction dust, and we could control the amount of wind and water on the patio.

Very quickly, we determined that to correctly tie the new floor into the existing floor that the back wall would need to be removed first, instead of last.  The first day after they took down the wall and stacked our windows aside, I was giddy.  Imagine sitting and looking out a new 10 by 20-foot ‘picture window’.  I hardly wanted them to replace the windows when they were done.

Then the wind started.

I quickly realized that sometimes it was so windy we couldn’t comfortably sit in the ‘living room’ area of the patio.  I love a gentle breeze but getting pummeled by wind? – Not so much.  It is hard to believe how much wind is blocked by the windows even when they are all open.  Right now, sometimes it is hard to cook in the kitchen which is in the front of the house and off to one side. Sometimes we have 20-mph winds whipping through and cooling the gas flame under the burners!

And then there is the rain which can blow horizontally in ‘ideal’ conditions.  Even with the wall in place and all the windows closed, our indoor living room can get wet halfway into the room if we don’t close the hurricane door. Without the protection of the wall, everything gets drenched.  Most of our furniture and cushions are piled into a bedroom right now, only to be brought out if friends visit, and quickly returned after their departure.

 

The workers did an impressive job building a support structure to pour the floor using Bamboo poles and concrete piers to hold up the infrastructure. They then laid a plywood floor. Now we could walk out and really see what the finished view would reveal. WOW!  Because the land drops off so severely behind our house, we tower over the top of the house below us.

Freshly cut Bamboo from the rainforest will be used as supports to hold up the floor until the concrete hardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, the workers took out the rest of the wall so they could tie together the old and new floor with rebar.  All that was left is the support pole anchoring the existing roof. Tying the rebar was fascinating to watch.  First, the workers laid down an intricate mesh of rebar. Then they created little concrete ‘spacers’ with wires sticking out.  They put the spacers under each place where the rebar crossed and wired the rebar together.  This provided a stable framework that would hold its shape when the concrete was poured and would prevent the rebar from slipping.  They also formed square shapes out of rebar that secured the rebar in the existing floor to the new rebar.  This was done to make sure the floor would be durable, act as one floor and not separate.

Then came the actual pouring of the floor.  The contractor couldn’t use his regular concrete company because the truck is too large to get up the driveway, so he had to contract with another company. This put us at a disadvantage because he had no leverage to get the pour done quickly and we were racing the clock.  Many people take off the week before Christmas and don’t come back to work until after the new year. Concrete needs to cure for 21 days after it has been poured so getting it completed before Christmas was essential to try and keep closer to the original schedule.

Both the contractor and Michael spent a lot of effort trying to get the new company to come to look at the site so they could determine if they could get the truck up our winding, steep driveway or to see if they could use a concrete pumper to go over the roof to get to the back patio.  Time after time, we heard the person would be here the next day, only to have a no show.  When they finally came, they walked the driveway and said there would be no problem.  I’ve seen these big trucks maneuver into the most impossible spaces, so it seemed like a real possibility that this would work.

Finally, the day arrives, the workers come, the truck pulls down the road, then he turns back and leaves.  He doesn’t even want to attempt to try and get up the driveway.  And that is that.

The company has another truck that is smaller, but it’s not available until Monday, Christmas Eve.  Now we are getting worried.  If the guy doesn’t show on Christmas Eve, nothing will happen until January.  The stonecutter, who thought he’d be working weeks ago and be done by Christmas, has another big job looming that he can’t put off. This this is placing pressure on him as well.

Sunday night, Michael doesn’t sleep.  Bright and early on Christmas Eve, our nine workers show up. They are a great crew and are in a festive mood even though they know they are going to have to work hard manually wheelbarrowing truckloads of concrete through our two courtyards, living room, and patio to get to the new section because the concrete guy is missing a part to the pumping arm. They quickly lay down plastic and create makeshift ramps to go up, over and back down 4 different sets of steps.  Fortunately, none of the floor heights are more than 2 steps, so the incline isn’t too steep in either direction.  Then they relax and wait for the cement truck to arrive.

Two hours pass, and then three, and our shaded courtyard looks like a resort with men sleeping all over, waiting for the truck to arrive.  Finally, the truck comes, and work can begin.  There is a massive flurry of activity.  The men fill the wheelbarrows and push the heavy loads up and over the ramps, taking care not to spill the concrete. They maneuver through an outer courtyard, an inner courtyard, through the living room, the existing patio and then pour it onto the wooden structure.  As soon as the truck is empty it rumbles off, and everyone lies down, waiting for the next load to arrive.

The cement truck needs to make two more trips to complete the pour.  Each time the driver leaves, I’m worried that he won’t come back or that we will run out of daylight before they can complete the pour. As they wait for the last truck to arrive, beers are passed around.  It’s getting late, after 5:00 PM, it’s Christmas Eve, and I’m sure these guys would rather be home with their families or out on the town doing last minute shopping and celebrating.  AND, they are still in great moods.  I’m forever thankful and appreciative of the Grenadian culture of happiness and ease – even if it can frustrate me sometimes when I want something done.

The truck rumbles up the driveway one last time, the workers offload the concrete, smooth off the new pour as the sun is setting and we’re done!  In five minutes it is totally dark and we are elated and exhausted.  Merry almost Christmas.

Stay tuned for the second installment

                                  Down To The Wire ~ Finishing (?) the Patio … !