INSTEAD OF THIS...I GOT THIS...

For about 2-3 months I spent morning, noon and night searching for the perfect square rainshower head and lever handle. Finally I find it!! Of course, I ordered it immediately! I liked it even more when I finally received it. And off to Puerto Rico it went! So when I got to the house I ran straight to the bathroom and you can imagine my surprise when I do not see this...

...But this!! Immediately my hands started to shake and i set out to find who was responsible, and why. And of course when I found the plumber and asked him what the problem was, he politely advised that we were missing a part and he had just (that very day) received the faucet and was unaware that we would need the extra part. That is after of course I had been told "no worries ees fine!" a month and a half earlier.

So after they (being the contractors) order and receive the part (2wks approx) they will then have to remove a number of tiles around the faucet and attach the piece and replace the tiles!

Hopefully it will not take that long and I pray it is completely seamless!!

Wish me luck!!

WOWEE WOW WOW!

And here we are in all our blue glory!! The way the sun is hitting the house, it looks bluer in some ares more than others but as for the spiral staircase, that is not the case. Yes you are seeing a bit of a municipal pool color going on, but, Sean told the painter it was bueno but I didn't and still don't think so.

Perhaps it will grow on me. Perhaps not. Either way I have Willy the painters phone number!

Here's the patio and the patio steps all nice and tiled for skid free ups and downs. Skid free or not I have already taken a bit of a spill, too bad they're not cushioned!

Now all we need is the pool and a landscaper and YEEEEHAAA!!

IS THIS THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE?!?

The last 10 days or so, in what is to be my new home, has been an eye opening experience to me. I love the pace at which people live. Laid back, relaxed, sometimes almost in reverse.
It is a wonderment.

However, how does one moving at such a pace accomplish anything... completely, much less perfectly?

Answer is they don't.

The doors in the house are truly one of my FAVORITE things. They are huge, solid, and the exact color I wanted them. So tell me... Do you see anything wrong with these doors? Sean didn't really think so.

Ps...These are the front doors.

HOLY FRIJOLES!!

I don't really know where to start, but, oh my how things have changed!! May 05 2008 (yes i know what day that is...) was our demolition/ground breaking day and here we almost done!! The house (at least the top floor - outside) is painted!! YIPPEEE!!! Today they are painting the spiral stair case and hopefully the baluster railings! The color on the picture is a bit off it is definitely less green and a paler shade of blue but i guess the clouds through everything off... Either way we have PAINT!! YAY!!

Sean is there now probably to calm the GC and the Project Manager, since I am sure you can imagine when it comes down to details and time management, all things are done way way different in Rincon, than in I am used to in New York. But here on your left is a picture of the side of the house where our bedroom and bathroom are. At the top the underside of the overhang is done in a contrasting brite white...I just cannot wait to see it done! Sean is completely over joyed right now especially since the "BIG" door is in!!

COME ONE - COME ALL....

...That is after clearing it with Sean and I! Of course we are soooo looking forward to friends, family, you name it... but, I am sure you can imagine if not coordinated, it could get really messy!! I have placed a calendar (just to your right...) where you can go forwards and backwards, or whatever to see whats going on at CASA FEE. If you decide on a date that you are thinking about (that is before your request the days off) just go to it on the calendar and click on that very date. If it is blank that means there are no visitors and we will be home. If you see a number click on it and it will tell you who's there and how long they are staying. If you see an opening on the dates you want...send me an email and you will be confirmed on the calendar!! I will try my hardest to update the calendar with any and all the goings on at CASA FEE. If you take a look now things are already getting busy...LOL...hopefully one day soon we will have furniture!! But if anything, the beds will ALL be in, in April.

CLIMBING THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN...

Heaven on earth that is...But to get here...(ps the other side is ocean view...)


you will have to climb these...

...althought they seem kind of spindly, (is that a word?) they are solid iron. Either way it beats that rickety old hand made (yes hand made) ladder that they have been using. I tried a number of times to climb it but, decided against even though Sean made it up and down a bunch of times.
With my luck, if anyone was going to fall off it, it could and would only be me!

IT'S ALMOST A HOME!!

Ok...its really really starting to look like a house!! One day our home...and your home away from home! Here are a couple of pictures to see where we are!

This trip went soooo fast, um, I am on a first name basis with at least 4 people at HOME DEPOT and i know the phone number by heart!! Sooo scary! Quartz counter tops are out (boo hoo)! Picked out some granito (en espanol)! Tiles, borders, more tile, railings, windows, paint inside and out. They're in the primer mode so hopefully next week we'll get to see the actual color....BLUE!! So stay tuned! Hope to see you all down there...although not at the same time!! LOL!
xoxo

SOME TILE DOWN!!!?!

OK...it could be me or the lighting perhaps or the camera,or something else, hopefully... But these are not supposed to be purple tiles...or shall I pray that there is a reason!! Do they look purple to you? AYE DIOS MIO!! Because they do to me!! The tiles are supposed to be a cool greyish tone or so we thought but now HOLY FRIJOLES...I am a bit on the OH NO side!! AYE CHI MAMA? What do you think??

IT'S GOING TO BE SSSSWEEET!!

Yes, we need to do some trimming, but is this not the MONEY SHOT!?!

....So you can hang up there...or just go here!!

WE HAVE WINDOWS!! (ok some for now)

Ok...it may be a bit hard to tell, but if you focus your attention to the bottom left of the picture and follow it to the end, you will see windows!! WOO HOO!! WINDOWS! The frame is a chocolate brown color and they are all tinted...which of course is much needed unless you want to get sunburn while you're laying in bed! It seems they have only gotten the bottom done but its ALOT MORE than I expected so I AM OVER THE MOON!! Thanks Roberto!!



Wowee wow wow...fancy stairs...Nah not really. Most of the homes in Puerto Rico have very similar outside railings if not the same type. I really love the overall look, and I think once the paint is on (a pale icewater blue) the house and the railings, and the balusters painted white (polar bear white) it will really really be something...or so I hope!! They still have yet to start the balusters along the upper sun deck, and i doubt that will be done before the extended Christmas break but, as they say, siempre mañana... "theres always tomorrow!" Aye yi yi...

Ok... i doubt there will be any other updates before the holidays...so MERRY CHRISTMAS y'all!!

xoxo

Lisette and Sean

TWO TIMES IN ONE WEEK!?!

OK...y'all hold on to your shorts, your hats, your mouse...whatever! It is hard to believe but I've received pictures twice in one week!! So of course like any proud mom...yes this is my baby and it has been 7months...so here you go!! This picture is from the inside out I guess its like kitchen/living area looking out onto the deck. The big gaping hole will be filled by a sort of panoramic folding door one day!





These are just some glass block accents in the master shower. The master showere is actually 4x7 will when done have a glass block wall partial enclosure. It's hard to see but there will be a rain shower and a pressure jet... I cannot wait to have water pressure!!!

BALUSTERS!!

It's actually starting to look like something!! This may not look like much to you but... to me its like the sun came out on a cloudy day!! They ARE working!! It's hard to believe it when you don't have anything to see...

...hopefully through-out the week or at least until Wednesday, they will work on getting the sun (roof) deck balusters up!

I know at some point the windows are to go in but I think that would be after paint right!? ...Either way...throughout this process I have learned to NOT count your chickens before they hatch!!

IT'S COMING ALONG!!

Today i received some new photos, which actually made me believe that things were actually coming along! This week they actually started the balusters. YAY!!
The balusters are to rim the the stairs up to the deck, the deck, and the roofdeck. So far this is where we are.




All the wood laying around is actually to form the plane on which the balusters will sit. If you look to the right in this picture behind the stack of balusters, you can see 2 already added to the form. Of course everything is done in cement so this too will take a few weeks to dry.

And as that dries they are supposed to start even-ing out the interior floors for all the flooring which of course will take another couple of weeks to dry! Then the window installation. Flooring... etc...Arrrgh!!...


Eventually, it will look like this... and I'm sure sooner (i hope )than later it will be done and all this watching and waiting will be just a thing in the past!


and...I CANNOT WAIT!!

It may not look like much...

Ok...it doesn't really look like much was done, but, for PR it was! All the interior walls have been done which is great because i have serious problems with the concept of spatial ratio! As you can see from the picture on the left the top floor spackling has been finished and hopefully this week the bottom will be done. Then it takes like another 2 weeks to dry, oh joy!

In the interim, they are to be working on and installing the windows. Can't wait to see how long that takes! After the windows, then they paint, then the floor...and then (drum roll please) the cabinets! Can we say hello April?? Please cross your fingers for us... we are hoping for February, but if they're not movin' slow, they're movin' backwards!!

Anyway, In the center of house by the rickety hand made ladder is where the outdoor shower is going to be, when and if this thing ever gets finished!!
Aye yi yi!!

All though one could probably never tell by pictures, It was an extremely productive trip...

Here's just some of what we accomplished...

Picked 16 x 16 tiles for the 1st floor
Met with window guy and picked window style framing and tint
Met with Cabinet guy - Redesigned kitchen layout
Picked finish, wood and hardware for the cabinets
Decided on front door and interior doors - solid wood
Spent 7 hours in home depot looking for the perfect toilet - sean is very picky!
Found tiles for the master bath floor and shower
Picked paint colors for exterior, trim and interior

And last but not least I tormented the project manager to the point of no return! i have heard (sean says...) i can drive anyone to drink!

FROM THIS...

NO RAIN...BACK TO WORK!!

Ok, they finished the plastering on the outside of the house and have started the inside, even if they finish it in the next week or so, it still takes about 2 months to "cure" with all the humidity down there! In the interim they are going to start the balasters that will rim the steps, 2nd level of the house and the roof deck (see plan pic below) both which face the ocean and allow for the most beautiful sunsets!
By that mound of dirt is the most likely location of the pool...yes built in!! If i could I would get the pool in before the floor, but sean is wayyyyy more practical than I am! (thank goodness!!)

It's probably hard to tell what your looking at but, on the 1st floor its the front door. At about 8'5 in height and 5'5 across its a far cry from anything in NYC! Being surround by tons of lush tropical foliage we still have tons of clearing, but dont worry we are keeping the bananas, coconuts, guanepas, and prickly pear trees!! (hey anyone know if you can eat prickly pears?)

Um, and if anyone was wondering how they can better themselves and their surroundings we do support volunteer work programs!!

Hope to see you soon!!

WE HAVE WALLS!!

We started with this...fa real we did...

and I know many from near and far have wondered what (if any) progress there has been on our little slice of paradise...well how about this for you...

It now looks like this...not the greatest of pics since it was done with my celly last July, but it sure is a far cry from Seans "time out room" pictured above. (i kid! i kid!) October we will be down there again to finalize flooring, (an endless battle between sean and i) windows, doors and meet with the cabinet guy (yippee!!) Oh and glass tiles, order the quartz (for my counter...woo hoo!) and last but not least probably argue a bit with the contractor! All i know is, in the end it is supposed to look something like this, but that of course is after a few more months and lots and lots more cashola!! (aye chi mama!!)

So stay tuned...
SAME BAT TIME... SAME BAT CHANNEL for new updates, pictures, and maybe even some video! At some point i will also be adding a calendar with which you can all use to pencil (yes i said pencil!!) yourselves in for a visit!! Final dates approved after conferring with management - ahahaha!!
Until then, Adios mi amigas and amigos!!