Bathrooms, doors, windows - progress!

Slowly, every so slowly, things are advancing.

We have a toilet, that flushes!  And a shower that has running water – albeit it cold!

The tiles are all in place in the guest bathroom downstairs.  We chose “Mexican” white, which in the showroom was a sort of light creamy shade and some “harlequin” accent tiles for along the bottom.  When we arrived to see the finished room it all looked a little too yellow for both of us.  Sergio hates it.  I’ll get used to it.  Eventually, the shower will be enclosed with glass walls on two sides.  The vanity should arrive this week so the sink and faucets can be installed.

This is the master bathroom.  Still very much a work in progress.  These tiles are white white white.  In both cases they are artisan tiles, which basically means they are made by hand and no two are alike.  Again, the vanity and sinks should be installed this week (to the left) and the rest of the plumbing connected.  The bathtub enclosure was filled with sand and then they put the tub in place and then it was filled with water to ensure the snuggest of fits.  Intriguing.  The "balcony" will have a glass wall around the tub and doors opening to a small outdoors space (yet to be tiled).

The first of the metal windows and doors have been installed.  These are being handcrafted piece by piece by Jorge.  He's the sweetest guy, who, unfortunately, works at a snails pace.  Craftsmanship I suppose.  The end result is wonderful.

You can see the corner window in the master bedroom that opens on two sides.  The big doors open to the upper terrace.  You can also make out the kitchen windows that will swing 180 degrees to facilitate passing things to the terrace dining area.

This week they started laying the first of the outdoor terrace floor tiles.

This is a shot of the terrace doors from the master bedroom.  

The reason for all the panels is both aesthetics as well as security.

We anticipate that by the end of this week all the exterior floors will be finished, the windows and doors completed and the kitchen cabinetry should be in place.  Sergio and I plan to stay for a week and start on the garden with the help of a few workmen.  I figure I can at least point to where we want the bougainvillea to be planted and perhaps even unroll some of the sod.

Advances...

Sort of….over the last year we’d amassed a bunch of stuff for Tepoz.  Some of the things were gifts (washer, dryer, dishwasher, single bed, double bed, elliptical!!!!!), some we’d bought.  It was surprising how quickly we managed to fill up a moving truck.  We bought beer and Costco sandwiches for the movers and the workmen as they all do a half day on Saturday.

The tiles are now down in both the master bedroom and living / dining area.  Most walls are painted, at least with one coat.  Here I am in the master bedroom – beer in hand.  Windows should be installed next week.

Here I am eating a sandwich in the balcony alcove from our room.  Honest to God though – if I thought I REALLY looked liked this I’d kill myself.  Could I look any more dorkier?  Again, hopefully, by next week there will be doors here. 

Downstairs living space – the tiles are different colours because of the amount of water they retain.  They are put down wet to ensure a good seal.  They will dry into more variegated shades.

The guest bedroom – where we slept!  It was like sleeping in a warehouse – stuff everywhere.  That’s your bed against the wall in the corner!  most of the other stuff is stored in the pool shed!

I promise more pictures of Sergio next time - it's just that he takes them all with his iPhone.

We went swimming!

Yes, the one thing that IS finished is the pool!  We were very happy and took full advantage to take our first dips.

This is the view from our bedroom balcony (eventually the concrete floor in the bottom left will be covered in tiles).  The workmen were just finishing filling the seams between the stones.  The steps still need a full piece of stone across the top.  Eventually there will be grass going up to the side of the pool patio.

Me in my boxer shorts before taking my inaugural skinny dip!  The vegetation behind is still very wild – most of it will disappear – all in good time.

Here I am testing the waters!  I still can't get over the ladders leaning up against the pool shed and storage room.

Sergio floating around – despite the cool temps - lamenting that we don't yet have air mattresses!  You can just make out the steps and the submerged benches that run along both side of the pool.

Our neighbours in Mexico gave us a bottle of wine to celebrate our first night sleeping over (more on that in the next blog) which we enjoyed poolside (getting a little tipsy).  It was only the second time we used our Costco camp cots - we both got a bit of sun 

More pix

Again, this is a hodge podge of pictures from our last visit.

We’re really happy with the work these guys are doing with the stonework around the pool.  It is a real jig-saw but the end result will be wonderful.  Next step is for the tile “expert” to come and start with the tiny tiles on the interior.

This is the floor in your room.  The tiles are “artisanal”.  That means they are made by hand and not by machine.  It also means that each one is different and not necessarily 100% square.  We saw this in another project and loved it.  The workman made up three different colour options for the grouting – white, grey and rose.  We opted for the grey figuring the white would end up that way sooner or later.  They are soaked in water before being stuck to the floor – that accounts for some of the colour difference as well  They will have two coats of silicone sealant.  There will also be a 10 cm baseboard with the same tiles.

The roof over the terrace is now finished and we are very happy.  From every vantage point there are great views.  We’ll strategically plant bushes to cover the bits that aren’t so pleasing.

Concrete has been poured for both the covered and open terraces.  The architect showed us several different design options for the floor tiles and we deferred a decision until the windows and doors are in place.

This week they should have laid the tiles in the master bedroom, poured the concrete for the kitchen floor and finished the last stone wall separating us from our neighbours.  We’ll see how well the workers have done on Saturday.

Some more pictures

Hi, this is just a hodge podge of pictures I wanted to share from our past two visits.

I love the ladder.  Who needs to blow 80 bucks on something aluminum?  The workers used this to get up on the roof from the master bath balcony.

Speaking of which, this is the view from the shower stall of the master bath (minus the wood, of course).  I’ll never want to leave the shower!

The pool structure is finished.  Around the edges will be finer, cleaner version of the same volcanic stone used for the walls.  We also took delivery here in Mexico City of 65 sq. meters of pool tiles.  Sixteen boxes weighing 33 kilos each (along with a filter and pump).  We also talked to an American guy on the weekend who is flogging saline vs. chlorine pools.  An interesting concept that is more environmental.  We’ll do some more research on that.

Here’s a shot from the highest corner of the lot.  The water tank will eventually go on the roof hidden by a wall.

This was exciting for us to see yesterday - the beams for the living dining area plus the beams and supports for the terrace roof.  Weather permitting, by next week the ceiling tiles should be in place and we'll have a roof!

This guy's mixing cement for the guest bedroom floor in the middle of our dining area.  It looks huge!