Blogger at work

Thought you might like to see the old Blogger in action on the roof. However, the wifi signal was too weak, and had to go to an internet cafe on the coast to post the blog and pics.

House Reform - Rest of Week 1

Day 2 Tuesday 3 October

We were awoken by electronic bells of the Church and got up @ 8.30 am, just as Ricardo delivered another 1,000 kilos of sand. We had a quick breakfast and J did washing hoping to dry it on terrace before they came, but Ricardo, Kurt and Juan arrived at 9.45 and started work immediately, mixing cement and the crane hoisting it to the roof terrace.

The main job today appears to be under-tiling the roof above the stairs leading to the terrace and creating a base for the water-tank to stand. Jun continued waterproofing terrace and putting starting to lay cement over the red waterproof stuff, over which will be laid the new tiles.

Back to house at 2 pm, but they had finished with us for the day, and probably gone to their other job for rest of the day. Not so much achieved today. Surveyed the scene and took pics , and realised could have had opportunity for a window overlooking orchard, which would have let in much needed light. Never mind.

Day 3 Wednesday 5 October

Ricardo and Franchico and Juan arrived early at 8.20 am whilst we were still in bed, so rapidly got up and had breakfast. Difficult to speak to him as he is so busy and distracted with all his tasks and supervising the men.

We discussed the door to the roof terrace and jobs for the day, which included laying cement on the roof and laying the stair roof tiles and building the base for the water tank. He also casually mentioned that we would have to move out for a week or so whilst they did all the plumbing and rewiring, without saying when.

Back to the house where a large hole on the first floor landing had been formed. Floor levels appeared a bit uneven , and we spent an hour or so discussing options, including totally filling in the gap and creating a patio at the end of the kitchen, with a toilet above the newly formed ceiling. This was nearly back to our original plans. J was worried this might be too expensive.

We took pictures of the days work, including the roof tiles above the stairs, and the new base for the water tank, and partially cemented terrace.

Day 4 Thursday 6^th October

Franchico arrived 8 am and Juan 10 minutes later, and did a bit of work waiting for Ricardo, who arrived about 8.30 am with 7 bags of cement. He wasn’t so stressed this morning and gave us time to discuss things.

He offered us a self contained apartment in his house for 220 euros per week, which may be a converted garage, but it solves a lot of problems of accommodation. Another option was his parent’s holiday home, but that would probably be 300 per week or more. We established that it may be Tuesday or Wednesday next week that we have to move out.

We discussed the hole and put to him the option of filling in the gap with a concrete floor, toilet on top, and creating a patio at end of kitchen, which he said was fine and not too expensive…….we’ll see. J spent rest of morning redesigning and drawing plans for new ideas.

Work continued on the terrace, although the crane was dismantled and taken away to the other job at lunchtime…..looks like they still need it.

Day 5 Friday 7^th October

Franchico & Juan arrived at 8 am again , and Ricardo a bit later with the crane, a water butt and a hose, and they proceeded to erect the crane on the roof again.

J buttonholed Ricardo early and discussed her worries about all the new work and its costs, and the danger of running out of money before the kitchen or front of house were completed. Ricardo took all of this on board, and agreed we could do some labouring and scraping work to help reduce costs.

After breakfast, we went out on roof with them and started scraping the walls. Ricardo told us the plan for today was to scrape the walls, seal them with a sealant, paint them white and then do as much tiling as possible.

He was in a good mood , cracking jokes at our expense, whilst raising tiles with the crane in a wheelbarrow, the crane precariously balanced with the water butt , and later with tiles and cement…….all a bit at variance with Health and Safety.

He asked me seriously if I liked working, to which I replied that I did, and he then took my scraper and scraped vigorously saying with a laugh “ …….this is working !!” , putting my feeble efforts to shame.

Later, he remembered he had’nt contacted the door and window man, and phoned him on his mobile, and the chap was there within half an hour. We went through all the window and door requirements for the house with no prior planning , having to make decisions on window and door types, shutters etc. on the spot.

Franchico laboured away, making cement and loading tiles to the crane, and scraping walls in between. Juan worked away finishing off the water tank platform, forming ,cement coving on top of the walls to prevent water penetration, sealing, and painting.

Ricardo disappeared at lunchtime, and Juan started laying the roof terrace tiles after lunch, and did about 2/3rds of the terrace in the afternoon. Franchico drilled away the front roof tiles , standing on the edge precariously at times, hopefully harnassed to the crane ……we just saw his shadow from below where we retreated.

We spent the afternoon scraping plaster and paint in the kitchen, and worryingly, found several “hollow” spots in the concrete ceiling.

The men finished at 4 pm as it was Friday, and we thought we ought to do the same and have a beer on the roof ……which we did, surveying the weeks work.

House Reform - start of work

For the next 2 – 3 months, the blog will chronicle the reformation of an old townhouse in Southern Spain. It will report on the expected ups and downs, and any interesting observations on Spanish life.

Day 1 - Monday October 2^nd

There was some confusion as to when the builders would arrive.We awoke at 7.30 am just in case Ricardo’s men arrived for an early start ……it was still dark so it seemed very unlikely, and so it proved to be. We got up at 9.20 am and had breakfast ready for Ricardo’s arrival………..10 am came and went as did 11 am. Just as we thought Noon would come and go, Ricardo and 3 workers arrived in his battered Range-rover, towing a trailer with cement mixer and wheelbarrow.

It was like a whirlwind, as they started work immediately on the terrace, smashing down the upstairs asbestos roof and the terrace wall ready for the crane tomorrow……..I guess to lift up cement, floor tiles etc.. We went up to the town to get Ricardo’s deposit.

When we got back,, we were taken down to the builder’s merchants with Ricardo in the landrover, choosing the tiles for the upstairs roof, and tiles for the terrace. Once chosen quite quickly with Ricardo’s advice, they were loaded into a skip and transported to the house ………apparently saving a delivery journey and cost of 30 euros.

All this occurred within 2 hours, and by 2 pm we were having lunch in the kitchen trying to keep out of their way.

The 2 labourers Franchico and Juan then unloaded the skip, putting the terrace floor tiles in the small room downstairs, and the roof tiles in the small bedroom upstairs, and removing rubble to the skip. Thirsty work and we tried to ensure they had plenty of cold water.

We noticed that there were a large number of roof tiles, and hoped they were not for the lower roof terrace roof, which should be of clear conservatory plastic. Ricardo and the German builder Kurt came back at 3 pm with a load of cement and the crane ……well more of a heavy duty electric hoist.

They then lugged up the stairs ….all 80 kilos of it, and proceeded to install it near the new hole in the wall.

Meanwhile, Franchico started drilling another hole in the wall, which will be the door to the lower roof terrace and hopefully a toilet as well.

Juan was busy waterproofing terrace with gauze and red stuff, and did about third of it. The work we did over a year ago seemed to have held up well.

This last phase of frantic activity became too much for J who said she needed a break, and we walked up to the square and sat awhile, and then wandered around the lower part of town near the Church, looking at outer tiles on the houses ……black quartz with blue current favourite.

We returned to the house at 4.30 pm, and the builders had gone, leaving the place reasonably tidy, except we noticed that the crane supports had been bolted to the front bedroom ceiling ……just drilled through roof and inserted large bolts, and dust on beds. In just over 4 hours, the house had become a building site, and we were going to try and live in it…….famous last words.

We pondered that here we were in Spain, where the word “manyana” conjures up in the mind stereotypes of slow workers taking lots of breaks, yet the opposite was the case ….we have an international mix of Spanish, German and Romanian builders working very hard, albeit for 4 hours per day, although they had started on to their other project at 7.30 am.that day.

Ricardo is a remarkable young man, and a real worker and motivator of his team. He is very self assured and matter of fact, as some of the following exchanges show :

Roberto “ We have to knock down wall for crane “

J “ Will you put it back after ?”

Roberto “ Of course …no charge”

J “I’m worried about the house falling down …(after demolition of walls)”

Roberto “Don’t worry, I build you new one if that happens”