It sounds like ´leaving´
We have a TV show called ‘Ik vertrek’, (‘I´m leaving’ – for another country, without any knowledge of language, or rules, or construction, without sufficient budget, and I buy a ruin of a house or castle, and within 4 months this junk or horror house must be transferred in a profit driven B&B, you know the drill…) At the end of this TV show, there is always a horrifying moment where the first paying guests are about to arrive. Only hours away, but a shitload of work still needs to be done. To provide the guests at least the impression of perfect. So there is that faucet still not mounted. Dust being swept under the carpet. A drop of paint on an ugly spot. Perfect stress. I have that feeling now for the first time since the start of this project. Because my aunt and uncle are about to arrive coming weekend. Just family. But still, we’re not ready!!!
Last week an enormous heap of tasks have passed the spotlights. Many things went well, many things went wrong. Were saved on the spot with a last minute solution or decision. People have been summoned. New agreements were made. And now I keep my fingers crossed, that all will be solved this week. Although I know better. And hope my brain will be able to cope and be flexible, which often is not the case when things turn out differently than I expected. We cursed and cried. Of happiness and disaster. And every task seems to bring new ones. The most difficult part being to keep it all together with a Portuguese ‘state of mind’…
Shower
We still can not shower. The stone wall plates come from the same quarry as our Jurassic Wall. Measuring did not go well, as it now appears on the moment of installation. Meaning the special guy, top star expert, who was ordered to help us by our constructor, as a special gesture, can not finish his job. And we were so happy at the start of the day. They are busy with this job for three days and have to leave it for the last parts. Until when???
Mounting these super heavy but fragile plates is a freaky process anyway. Even Luís has to help cool with water when holes are being milled for the faucets. Next they carry these huge parts inside one by one, and mount them to the millimeter and next support them.
Outer layer
The outside layers of the house take endless days. The painters arrive very early on the scene, which is smart as this week appears to be a very hot one. But the mess they leave every evening… Dust, and pieces of material, empty buckets and scaffolding and cigarette buds and empty beer cans. Every day another surprise who will arrive and how many they are. Luís is completely fed up with them and the quality of their work. He becomes the grumbling mister impossible, but so it needs to be. It does not improve the atmosphere.
Deck
Luckily, Juvenals team arrives to finish the last deck. Another task really finished, and thhings cleaned up. And what a beautiful new space, this terrace, annex to our dining area and kitchen. We put the old wooden table on its new spot, and it looks very inviting. Imagine all the meals we can now have outside!
The deck around the swimming pool needs to be oiled. We do this ourselves and it is a f%$#King S@*thole of a job, on our knees in the burning heat, and it takes ages. Every day we did a part until it got too hot. But despite this oil we see that the wood starts to move in a strange way. Twisting, like it wants to wriggle out. WTF! We need the wood provider to come and take a look, as this is not acceptable. It is different wood than the other decks but sold to us as a superb quality.
Stinky
Then there is this lingering sewer smell approaching our noses. What is this new challenge. Like we haven’t had enough. The septic tank does not need any maintenance, they have assured us, just a clean up once every few years. But then one of the toilet drains does not spill out well. Paper and surplus are making a pile instead of flush away. On the other side of the house a part of the sewer drain seems to have subsided, so the gunk is not flowing at the right speed. More shitty tasks to repair. The sump in the technical room was not installed the right way. And Luís finds out that the edges of a the sewer lids must be laid down on a layer of oil. For an airtight closure. This helps!
Dim, take it down a notch
There is light from the ceiling but not yet dimmable. As the curtains had not yet arrived, we were living in an enormous shop window in the evenings. Waiting, waiting for our infrastructure man, to arrive, with one more cable, one more connection, it takes ages to finish this. We sit in the light of the television and a few tiny table lamps. And yet the Portuguese think we have way too little lighting spots in our ceilings! Finally our new curtains and railings arrive. Back to privacy.
De-stress
And yet there is a moment to go for a walk. From the paths in our direct environment we try to get a good view on the house. Luckily we are hidden well behind our trees, just great!
