It has been over three months now, and two full months since the works started on the new room.
Footprint of the new room, December 2012
Now the new room is almost finished! It looks a bit strange, like a cave, but is kind of cool, and there should be very little heat entering through the only window.
Seen from the neighbor’s land, the wall of the room is also the perimeter wall.
That only window will be 3×2 meters with sliding doors, and slightly polarized, protecting from the sun and so people can’t see us when we are inside.
Top terrace with flower beds all around
On top of the room, what was just going to be an extended panoramic garden is becoming a full terrace, complete with barbecue (the fire will also heat a sauna in the bathroom underneath), equipped kitchen and lounge area.
plastic roof
The kitchen will have an open working space that will allow to pass dishes to the table, as well as a fridge and a sink. We are thinking about moving permanently the main kitchen there, although it will have no doors and people/animals could get in at night.
flower beds
All this terrace area will cost a bit more but we should remain under $10K for the whole thing. You can check the last post on costs, and I will update when it is all over.
wood structure
We recycled so much wooden pillars from the 90 acres land it is impressive. A guy we hired polished it and we used the pillars to strengthen the roof of the room, build a covered area over the terrace, and make this awesome table.
wooden table
It is so heavy two people can’t move it, and it will come with matching benches to sit. Total cost, about $30 for the guy’s salary, I think this kind of sturdy table would sell for at least $400 even here.
table
It can seat 10 comfortably and 12 fine, with matching benches. The carpenter is now building a low L-shaped seating area with a coffee table which should have the best view of all. We trimmed a few trees and kept some low hanging branches for shadow, no tree was cut, the house fit perfectly on the land.
no dust under the bed!
Inside the room, the bed is built, it is made of stone and concrete, we just have to go buy a mattress. It is not the most beautiful bed (will be painted and polished) but at least we don’t have to buy a bed structure and to clean under it.
concrete layer before shelving
All around the room there will be storage, and shelving with the same concrete layer underneath to avoid dust and nasty animals hiding.
skylight in the bathroom
The bathroom is almost finished too, the shower floor was made with little rocks from the beach and concrete, the rocks are polished and kind of flat yet the floor isn’t slippery. There is also a skylight on the shower to bring natural light and the door has been ordered.
The next job is to build a small room adjacent to the house for a guardian or a maid, and a wall to separate a service area where we dry clothes and store woods from the rest of the garden.
On the 90 acres development, things are progressing slowly. The architect is a young graduate who seems a bit overwhelmed with the project, and I think quoted us too cheap since he is delegating most of the work, but now can’t go back as we sealed the deal.
This kid is 12 and almost buried in pasture
After seeing the land, he started by saying he needed one week on site with GPS to issue a map with levels of the ground. And then turned out with a team of topographers who planed on doing it all in a day but refused to walk around because the grass was too high. We found a farmer who put cattle there for a while to eat the pasture, but it was still too high for their taste so we burned the rest to the ground. Not very eco-friendly and the fire was really impressive but the trees were spared and the grass should actually grow back stronger.
view from the land
Fingers crossed, they are coming back this week to finish their work. With that map we should be able to draw parcels and streets, and actively start selling the plots. Our new room can serve as a show room for people who would like to build similar stone houses, and we would help them find a good team of workers to do the job. Building is never easy, especially in a new town where you don’t know people so it should make life easier for perspective buyers.
I am amazed that the new room turned out under $10K, even though it is a huge amount of money, there will be about 600sqft downstairs and the same area of terrace, so the cost per sqft is really low. That is thanks to everything the land has provided, wood, stones, some pipes the previous owner left, … and cheap labor of course.
The land development is going to be crazy expensive though, and we are thinking about selling small plots at the back at a very low price, targeting workers from the area, so we make enough to cover the works as we go. Another idea is to offer the working team partial payment with land, as their work will increase the value of the land, they should have positive equity real quick.
panoramic view from the land
On the animal front, sad news. Mrs goose is dead. She was probably hurt by someone throwing a stone at her, or our fighting rooster. BF found her floating on the lake, lifeless, with Mr goose shouting to the top of his lungs, heartbroken.
RIP Mrs goose.
We disposed of the body and bought another lady goose for him the next day, and he moved on. Animals are incredible like that. Although apparently geese are monogamists and he had been paired with Mrs goose for 4 or 5 years in BF’s ranch so he may not mate with the new one straight away. On the day of her arrival, Mrs goose laid an egg! This is really cool because they don’t lay much, unlike hens, and you should see the size of that thing! Now we need her to seat on it and that is another story…
family picture
The five chicks are now seven, everybody looks strong and healthy. They sleep in our bathroom since their mum is jealous of another hatching hen and always bothers her to get out of the nest.
It looks like your making nice progress on the house. What made you go with a concrete bed? That seems like a bit of an unusual choice.
I was wondering the same thing. Why did you choose a concrete bed frame like that?
Poor Mrs. Goose. =(
not to clean under the bed and not to have scorpions under the bed. I know it looks weird so far but it is not finished!
Because of the scorpions and other unpleasant animals, it is safer not to have an empty space under the bed. I know it doesn’t look very nice for now but it will be painted or decorated somehow to look less full of concrete.
That is so wild to see that room be made out of stones! I’m so “western-ized” thinking that everything just gets built out of 2×4’s and drywall. In a tropical setting, it makes sense. You’re going to need something that can stand up to the elements!
and the stones keep it very cool inside. there is less risk of deterioration indeed, and hopefully the insects won’t realize there are humans inside and just leave us alone.
I absolutely love the wooden table! I had a neighbor who was a retired carpenter and he made a lovely bench similar to yours and that took two people to move, I dread to think how difficult a massive table would be to move.
Thanks! I hope we found it a kind of permanent spot, or reorganizing the furniture around every week could be a full workout!
That grass is insane! I think I would have burnt it down too. Mowing it would have been a nightmare!
No mowing here, just men and machetes! for 37 hectares (or 90 acres, or my apologies for not knowing what measurement makes sense to you!) we were looking at $1,500 or more. Burning was $50. No brainer.
I LOVE the flower pots with he table overlooking everything. I’d get a comfy chair and enjoy some coffee/hot chocolate each morning while reading something up there. Not going to lie…the chicks are pretty cute as well. lol. They’re so small!
comfy seating is the plan, I think this is my new blogging space!
Mr. Goose is a horrible boyfriend! The second the love-of-his-life dies, he’s movin’ on with the new girl….
Let’s see if he is that terrible, Mrs Goose the Second laid an egg on the day she arrived, will he accept it as his son?
I love how sturdy everything is . It will last forever, especially that table. It seem most furniture in the US is cheaply made these days unless you can find a custom builder, then it costs a fortune. Good luck for the new Mrs. Goose. Must be some pretty big shoes to fill if the prior Mrs. was there that long!
She looks like a very independent lady for the moment, doesn’t follow him around much… you can’t force love!
Look, when I come visit I totally appreciate that fact that nothing creepy will be crawling under the bed. I can sleep on a mattress over concrete. 🙂 I love the terrace and the table!
Wait until the corners are rounded though, walking barefoot and hurting your little toe against those square angles has to hurt like hell, maybe more than a critter bite!
Looks like everything is coming together very well Pauline! I love the skylight in the bathroom. We had a few skylights in our house when I was a kid and always really liked them. Sad to hear about Mrs. Goose…I’ll be interested to hear if Mr. Goose “accepts” the son. 🙂
First she has to sit on the egg… then I think he will be a proud dady, after all, the hen has yellow and black chicks and doesn’t seem to wonder which one is hers or not.
Wouldn’t a stone/concrete bed hold the heat of the day? Not so bad in the winter, but in the summer that seems a bit uncomfortable.
It shouldn’t keep too much heat since there is no direct heat. Currently we have a normal bed that is pretty warm on hot days. This one you could take off the mattress, shower the concrete to cool and put the mattress back. But I am hoping this will not be necessary
Wow I think it looks so nice! I was about to ask about the concrete bed, but noticed that you already answers the others’, sounds like a good idea.
lol everyone is too polite to say they hate the concrete bed! It
willshould look better when it is finished 🙂Looks like everything is coming together 🙂 And the concrete bed totally makes sense! Scorpions scare me!
they are disgusting. Hadn’t seen one for about a month and yesterday the biggest ever was crawling around the bed. This new room will hopefully be bug free, no wholes at all, they can’t come in.
Congrats on your nomination, Pauline. Poor Mr. Goose. 🙁
he was a sad widow for a day, now he looks ok. Animals are incredibly resilient.
The terrace area looks beautiful! The table works very well in the space. I expect to see some blogs on dinners outside in the future 🙂
I’m always amazed to read about how much work there is to be done on your land. Progress seems to be chugging along though.
yeah, it looks like it is never ending. The good part is we were about to tear down the main house and with little fixes it is ok now. I don’t know if I would have the energy to build a whole house from scratch.
Sorry about the goose, Pauline :(..The wood structure and table looks like the nicest possible place to relax and eat. I love the stonework. What an incredible developing project!
it is really nice, we had our first guests over for lunch yesterday, the sun was still a bit high but there should be a rampant plant growing there soon, like those Mediterranean pergolas with vine, to give more shadow. And the breeze from the lake is delightful.
It’s so neat to see how different your house is compared to north america. I”d gladly sleep on a concrete bed if it meant it was scorpion free!
I have slept on a few already and with a good mattress they are pretty neat. I like to sleep firm.
OMG Pauline, this is going to be amazing! The views alone take my breath away. Gorgeous! Such a huge undertaking but worth it. Sorry about Mrs Goose but … ummm … glad she was so easily replaced for Mr. Goose. 😀
Thanks Shannon! It is going to look great, but I can’t wait for it to be over!
That bed is pretty smart. As soon as you mentioned no cleaning I wanted to say no scorpions or bugs either.
I also love the table. Seems as though you’re getting awesome deals down there.
there are bargains but most of the things we have invented with what was there. The workers are quite crafty but not known for their sense of initiative.
Looks warm and relaxing down their in Guatemala.
it is quite the little paradise!
LOVE the stone house! In India, we had a lot of similar houses but I have never seen one in the US. The terrace looks simple awesome, so does the view from your hand. Sorry about the Goose 🙁
thanks Suba! I have seen a few houses using stones around Lake Tahoe but don’t remember one made entirely of stone. In Arizona and places with tons of stones it would make sense although it is expensive to gather and carry them.
I absolutely love seeing how everything is coming together!
Your table is beautiful, I agree, I think it would easily sell for $400 or more.
Thanks Alex!
I love reading these 🙂 It’s so interesting to see things elsewhere!
thanks Anne, have a little bit of sun as well!
Everything sounds to be coming along well and the bed is pretty cool and no cleaning underneath haha. I like the skylight too, pretty cool. You have so many positive things happening around you it sounds like fun but I’m sure is so much planning and work. The table he built is amazing and for $30 wage, it makes me sad to hear someone work so hard for so little. RIP Mrs. Goose.. that was sad… animals feel heartache like we do…