Home Construction Week 29..
December 18-24, 2006

The picture above is for mom. While looking at our house today we saw this red bird in a tree. I don't think its a Cardinal like you have in Ft. Worth because it doesn't have a crown on top of its head. It is a beautiful bird though and I thought you would like to see it. Maybe it's in one of your bird identification books? Click on the photo to enlarge it.
The photos above and below show the kitchen and dining room tile beginning to be laid down. The tile is a light almond color and we think it is going to look very nice.
This photo below shows the progress on the fireplace in the living room. The fireplace is going to be covered with a beige marble stone. There will be a wood finishing on the top near the ceiling and on the hearth.
The workers started painting a white primer over the stucco. So far only a little on the top has been finished. Then we need to decide on colors for the exterior walls. The roof is finished and I think it only needs a coating of waterproofing finish.
Below shows Sandra peering out of our master bedroom. The two windows to the left are actually in the bedroom, while the window she is looking out is on the terrace. We have a southern exposure for the bedroom so we should have sunshine for most all of the day. It will help us stay toasty warm during the winter. Mexican houses don't have heating systems, so the sun must provide the heat during the winter. The rest of the year is warm so no extra heat is needed.
The final photo below shows the house from the back garden and not much is different from last week. Next posting should have all this side painted.

Home Construction Week 28...
Dec. 11-17, 2006

This past week work was concentrated on finishing the roof and plastering the outside walls of the house. The roof is almost done, we just need a coating of water impermeable paint over the cement. The roof has been sloped so that all the rain water will run off into drain pipes. There is just a small amount of outside plastering before a primer paint covering is applied. Plastering of the inside walls is completed. The truck out front is delivering floor tile. The first three pictures show the house from three different angles. There are very few red bricks still visible.
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The photo below shows the ceiling fan that was just installed in the gazebo.

The photo below shows some of the tile that was delivered Saturday. Architect Arturo tells me that the men will lay the tile in the dining room this week. Sandra is visiting her mother and son in Ameca and he wants to surprise her when she returns. I will be leaving Monday morning to take the bus to meet Sandra and return to Morelia with her later in the week. Hope the tile is finished in the dining room when we return. Merry Christmas to everyone, because my next posting won't be til after Christmas.

Home Construction Week 27
December 4-10, 2006

This past week saw more work on the fireplace in the master bedroom, railing for the staircase and upper terraces, leveling of the backyard, and almost all the exterior bricks have been plastered prior to painting. The first photo above shows a shot taken from the backyard. You can see the lot has been leveled and the bricks have been plastered.

The photo below shows the staircase railings. Glass will be installed into the openings between rails.

The photo below shows the terrace railings. The picture is taken from the back yard looking up toward the living room.

The photo below is taken from inside the living room looking out toward the garden.

This picture shows the corner fireplace in the master bedroom.

The final photo is taken from the street above our house. You can see that most of the brick work has been plastered over. Next will be the exterior painting, we have not considered any colors yet. After the marble is afixed to the center column we will look for contrasting colors for the house.

Home Construction Week 26
November 27-December 3, 2006

This past week there were few changes to the house. The workers normally work a 45 hour week. Monday through Friday at 8 hours daily and Saturday 5 hours. This past Friday was a Federal Holiday for the swearing in of the new President, and the workers also took off Saturday. What was done was more plastering both on inside and outside walls. The master bedroom fireplace, kitchen and the gazebo also got some attention. The two photos below will show the house profile from different front angles.

The next photo, below shows the progress on the bedroom fireplace. The fireplace is in a corner of the bedroom, as the photo shows.

The next two photos, below, show the asador (gazebo). Lights were hung and painting of the asador was completed. I believe the only things needing to be done now are to tile the roof, install a ceiling fan, and electrical covering for the light switches and power outlets. Of course we still need a couple of hammocks and to fire up the grill!

This photo shows the cement base for the yet to be made kitchen counters and island. The kitchen sink is located under the window.

The next photo shows the house from the street above.

The final photo shows the stone (beige marble) that will cover the tall column separating the entry and the garage. This same stone will provide some continuity by covering the fireplace in the living room.

I'm through predicting when we can move into the house. We are just hoping that it is in the next month or so. Mexico has lots more holidays (no work) than the United States. With Christmas and New Years coming up I'm not sure which days are work and which days are holidays.