Whether you have a new house or an older one, there are always a multitude of projects to do to improve and maintain your home. While I was away, Eddie was kept very busy with several projects – some small and others quite large. So much so, that he didn’t have time to update the blog. I’m sure everyone is wondering what happened to us!
Eddie kept me up-to-date by sending photos of his latest accomplishments. It was fun to see him make good progress. Some of his little projects included sealing the grout in the bathrooms, fixing the shower drains, installing faucets in the bathrooms, tiling the top of the half wall by the main entrance, installing the range/oven and setting up the TV along with the sound system.
Rusty helped install this faucet in one of the bathrooms.
Ceramic tile was installed on the top of the half wall.
He also spent time making and installing gutter guards, which are very important here especially in the rainy season. It can rain six inches in just a couple of hours. Good drainage is crucial in the tropics.
The larger projects took some time. Eddie finished the gate, which was very labor intensive and it looks fabulous!
Thanks to Google and YouTube, he was able to teach himself how to weld metal. He made a set of steel doors for the well pump room, which is attached to the outside of the house. It took him a long time to do it. He had to clean the rust off of the metal, paint two coats of rust inhibitor, then two coats of exterior paint that matches the house. I was so impressed when I saw the photos. Wow!
Metal doors were made to enclose the pump room.
Using his new welding skills, Eddie made a frame to support the laundry room sink. Then he had to make a shelf for the faucet, which he did with tile and it looks very nice. Everything is coming together nicely.
There are still a lot of boxes to unpack…mostly my books. Good news, though, the bookcases we are having made should be finished soon and then I can unpack another 30 boxes. Yea!
We have started to put things on the walls. The first piece of artwork to grace the house is a Borucan carved mask, which our friends George and Susie gave to us as a housewarming gift.
The Borucans are one of the indigenous tribes of Costa Rica. Their masks and woven items generate 80% of their income. Here is a link to Artesanos Naturales website.
Meanwhile, Rusty and Olivia are even better friends. They are so cute together. They hang out at night doing who knows what and many times, they sleep together during the day.
Believe it or not, Rusty comes along on our walks. Olivia is usually ahead of us and Rusty lags behind, but he manages to do it. When he can’t see us or Olivia, he meows an interesting sound that is difficult to describe, but we know to hang back for him to catch up.
Out for a morning walk along the ridge of our mountain.
Rusty cools off after the walk
Now that the rainy season has begun, we have some different types of sunsets that are beautiful in their special way. Enjoy!
Costa Rica Leap 
Can’t wait to see the improvements. We are in NC for Zoe graduation. Guess I should have checked to see if you were here. I am not sure when we will be down again have a big summer planed through july. Will let you know if we get back down there.
Glad you’re enjoying our blog! Hope to see you in CR sometime soon.
the dog and cat are too cute together!!
Thanks Ellen. It all looks great and is so interesting to hear about. You have both put in a lot of work! I’m sure you’ll enjoy and appreciate it all so much because of your own time investment.
Enjoy!
Love, Judy
It’s nice to see what’s new. What gorgeous sunsets!
Amazing to see the final touches put in place. The place looks outstanding. You should consider hiring yourselves out as consultants for other N Americans wanting to build in the area. I am sure you have learned a lot by being able to see it built in person day by day.