Progress Report

 May 9 - June 2, 2006 // CONSTRUCTION LOG #86

Contact phone numbers

Internet Phone:
New York: 315-279-6711
Toronto: 416-907-5758 // 416-461-2203

Costa Rica:
Cell: 506-305-3965
Land: 506-282-4142 Ext. 101

NOTE: the New York and Toronto numbers are "local calls" for people in the area codes; calls from outside the area code will be billed at the normal rate from the caller's area code to either the "315" or the "416" area code.

Pictures: house 101 / 102 and 124 / 125

The Story: Disappointment and Surprise

CONSTRUCTION

Weather: partial overcast, some rain but we haven't been held up.

Units 101 / 102: The floor to the upper level was poured on Thursday. Supports will have to remain in place for several weeks as the concrete gains strength. This is particularly important in this case as the spans are longer than used elsewhere. The upper level structural steel has started. All cabinetry, doors, closets, and granite have been committed.

Lockers and Houses: The interior lockers are parged; The exterior of the building and the exterior lockers are now been finished off.

Houses: The interior is all boarded and the 2nd coat of taping has been completed. The final coat and sanding should be completed by Wednesday and the prime coat of paint applied... The window frames have started to be formed. All cabinetry, closets, doors and granite have been committed.

Note: This was large order for granite, cabinets, and doors for these four units plus a wall unit for 120-about $65,000.

Landscaping: The gardeners are getting closer to getting on top of their job. A number of plants have been replanted, trees trimmed (until the hedge cutter broke), and borders edged.

Electrical System Upgrade: Marketing: Nothing...

Marketing: The closing of 109 is scheduled for Monday. The purchaser finally got his money advanced from his finance company. I guess CR banks aren't the only ones who are slow.

We are hosting a couple from Arizona. They are trying to make a major decision to move to CR. They are here to look and get a feel for it.

I made a number of changes to the web site bringing it up to date.

Surprise: We have a verbal commitment on 110 and 112. A person in the States is buying them as investments for his IRA. He is buying them sight unseen; he is buying cash flow qualified by an independent assessment of their value. It is all happening quite rapidly; he's a person who can make a decision and follows through on implementing it. It so happens that his IRA trust company is the same one used by another purchaser-I'm somewhat familiar with their requirements.

If this deal goes through, that leaves us with 115 and 102.

Next Project: Disappointment! The land purchase we had been working on for the past several months is dead. We insisted on our $50,000 deposit going into an escrow account or in having some security. The vendor wouldn't agree. From my perspective it doesn't make a lot of sense unless there was a hidden agenda or there was a problem with the land.

We again return to the search process. We are broadening our criteria in the same geographical area. We will look at smaller opportunities; ones which we can get up and running faster than a larger project. We are nearing completion here at Los Jardines and want to keep the crew together.

OUR LIVES

Our dinner conversation was abruptly interrupted last Sunday evening when a phone call told me of a broken water pipe on site. A makeshift hose bib blew apart and we had a 20' column of water shooting across the road. While I wasn't fussy about that, I just had to shut off the supply -not having the "as built" drawings, I couldn't locate the shut off valves. I was NOT happy since I had been asking for these drawings for several months. I don't know why it takes an emergency to get people to action.

We'll be going to Granada this coming week. We've invited our site superintendent and his wife to join us-they've never been / they are CR. Lita and I may do some shopping for our home. If we do buy, it will be handy to have him to help with the negotiations. We have a crew member who has family near Granada so we can arrange transportation. Even if we don't buy, it should still be a fun trip.

Brian, Lita, Hugo and irreverent Vicka, the pigeon toed parrot.

Top