Happy Monday! It’s an exciting start as the construction project is nearly wrapping up. While my partner was away, we did lose almost a week of progress.
We were adding a small extension to our main house for storage. The plan was simple: pour concrete for the floor, build three walls with the fourth wall against the house, and put up a roof. However, the workers ended up pouring so much concrete that my hand-washing sink is now uncomfortably low. They also hung the roof from the main house, which weakened the structure significantly. There were several other mistakes that made us quite upset. Since my partner wasn’t there, I wasn’t fully aware of the specifics, so I struggled to communicate the errors to the workers. When they asked for the final payment last Friday, I told them the work wasn’t complete, which was true, and our agreement was to pay upon completion. It’s a good thing I held off because they had to redo the roof once my partner returned.
The future storage room now has a washing area that is practically at ground level. We still don’t understand why the contractor used so much concrete—it was expensive, wasteful, and impractical.
This storage area is hidden from our living space by a traditional wall made of wood and little stones. Watching the handyman place each stone individually was as tedious as watching paint dry. It seemed like he had a personal conversation with every stone!
On a brighter note, the roof terrace now has a new kitchen top equipped with a sink and a smoke room, perfect for smoking meat. This setup also helps warm the shower downstairs, creating a sauna effect.
There were other problems too. One worker made a door that didn’t fit the door frame, and instead of adjusting the door, he tried to modify the floor early in the morning. By the time I got there around 6:30 am, the damage was already done, so now we need to varnish the entire floor again because it requires meticulous attention to detail.
I’m also concerned about the rapid depletion of construction materials. It seems like the workers might be taking materials home. A bag of concrete is quite valuable, equivalent to a day’s pay, and can be used at other sites. Nearby workers had the audacity to offer us stolen stones. Even though we are on-site, it’s hard to prevent this, and I refuse to spend months guarding the door. The hypocrisy of their smiles frustrates me.
On a positive note, we’ve moved from the house to the new room. We had a lot of stuff to move, but it looks tidy now, although we’re still using an undersized mattress. The view from the room is so beautiful it makes me want to stay in bed all day. We built a frame to fit the mattress over the concrete bed, using parts from the bed it came with. We also created a wooden chest at the foot of the bed for storing bed sheets and towels. The room stays wonderfully cool without needing AC, thanks to the stones and earth surrounding the walls.
The walk-in closet is now fully organized too!
Since we moved out of the main house, we treated the thatched roof for pests, repainted our old room for Easter guests, re-arranged the beds, and deep-cleaned the kitchen. It all looks very nice.
We’ve also taken the boat out for a few rides. Initially, we had motor problems because the boat was too high for the motor. We found a guy with a bigger motor and traded with him. My partner also added metal frames for a roof, giving us shade and even a sail! Our last outing was especially peaceful as the wind sailed us along the shore without any motor noise. My partner has tried fishing a few times but hasn’t had much luck. The workers did catch a couple of fish, but we avoid eating them as they are bottom feeders.
How did your week go?