If you’re curious about our journey from the beginning, I created a page with all the links to previous posts about our house and Guatemala in general, including the cost of living, travel tips, and more. Feel free to check out my Guatemala page for that.
Hi there! It’s really nice to be back home after being away for most of the past six weeks. We’ve been home for two weeks now, and I’m pleased to see the progress on the new room and some land development projects.
The new room is designed as shown in the drawing below. It features a main area with a large French door, a bed with storage all around, stone walls, and an attached bathroom with a walk-in closet. It’s coming together slowly but surely. The front of the room is made of stone, while the bathroom is built with blocks. In our previous room, the stone bathroom was very humid, causing clothes to get moldy and towels to take forever to dry.
From the side, you can see that the “windows” are just bricks with holes to let in air. These will be covered with mosquito nets instead of glass. The electrical wiring runs between the room ceiling and the terrace. The original quote included electrical work, but because I requested more complex installations, BF had to do most of the work. Our contractor took time off to work on other projects, which was frustrating, but we made sure he made up for it with extra hours afterward.
The grid you see is the support for the concrete terrace. Once the cement was poured, we had a roof! We debated whether to leave it as is or do something more on top. We finally decided to make it a usable space with flower beds, a bar, some hammocks, and a roof to relax and enjoy the lake view.
While we were away, our handyman took on some carpentry work, making doors and cupboards for the new room. I had bought wooden planks, so he just needed to cut and assemble them. Unfortunately, after over two weeks away, he had barely done any work. I was furious but didn’t say anything because he was on our payroll and the only one able to do the job. I considered the salary he earned while we were away as payment for keeping the garden clean and everything running for some Airbnb guests.
However, after another two-week trip, we returned to find him still unmotivated and lazy. He and his girlfriend shared a full-time job with us, working together for only four hours and taking the afternoons off. With their new attitude, we asked his girlfriend to work more hours and him to work in the afternoons to help with heavy lifting and waiting for guests. They demanded a raise or wanted to work fewer hours for the same pay. We refused, considering that the majority of the 3,000 inhabitants of the village were eager for a job. I explained they already earned 50% more than construction workers who labor intensely.
Our handyman decided to quit, but thankfully the cleaner stayed. We replaced the gardener days later when a young man showed up asking for the job. He claimed our neighbor sent him, though that wasn’t true. He likely overheard us discussing the need for a gardener. Given the village’s issues with alcohol and the temptations around our house, having someone semi-recommended was better than a complete stranger.
On the land development front, there was significant news. When we bought the land, it included a small lake access open to the public, mainly for cattle to drink from. A few weeks later, we found out the council had sold that public property, leaving us without lake access. We planned to make it public and build a deck and marina for our buyers. Faced with only two options for purchasing a private beach, we approached the owners. One wouldn’t sell, and the other demanded an exorbitant price.
After months of negotiation, we paid a hefty sum but secured 100 meters of beachfront! Despite paying what might be the highest price ever around the lake, we increased the prices of our plots to reflect this added value. We plan to build 5-6 houses for those wanting a small place right on the water. If you’re interested, let us know!
The new parcel is 100×100 meters, very large and flat, with a bonus of grass and trees. It complements our land, which is relatively bare and will benefit from grass transplants soon. There’s already a small deck, currently used as a village laundry area because the mayor isn’t providing water. I’ve tried to keep people away since they can use the public beach to wash their clothes and litter.
In other news, Little Napoleon, our charming Great Dane, is adjusting well to his new home. He gets his shots at the store where BF buys his cow vaccines and loves chasing chickens and turkeys around. He’s growing bigger every day!