Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Check out the progress
We have been told to expect a snails pace when building a house in Latin America. Not so much. The combonation of a better than average weather and the building slowdown has awarded us with discounted materials and more than normal available man-power. Things are moving along at a healthy pace. 
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Back in the USA...pics & videos
I made it back to the states.
No issues, just a long 18 hour travel day. I left San Juan del Sur at around 7:30am, and got picked up at the airport at midnight. It was a good last day in Nicaragua. On the way to the Managua airport, we drove threw Masaya to get some hammocks.. It's a cool older city. Very colonial. Then it was onto Houston, and home to SLC.
It's good to be back, but I already miss the place.
I've spent the afternoon at the coffee shop putting most of the pics that I took on camera into a web gallery. I tend to take a lot of pics, and probably put too many into the gallery, but I figured... better more than less.
http://gallery.me.com/dan.keeley#100130&bgcolor=black&view=grid
When I get more time tomorrow... I will add construction pics onto the blog specific.
Here are 3 videos that were taken on July 17th, probably 3 or 4 days after groundbreaking.
Digging Down..(above)
Chipping away...it's hard work (above)
Describing the layout of the lot (above)
I have one more long video that I will add later...when I add more pics directly onto this blog page. It's a video that I took on July 22nd, and is similar to the last one...with just a little more progress done. I'll try to do it tomorrow.
Cheers,
Keeley
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Goodbye from Nicaragua
Hello all...
I´ve been forced back into the Internet cafe by an afternoon rainstorm. We just got back from meeting with Chuck. It was one of the most informative conversations that I´ve had down here... regarding the development that we are building in.
Right now there are 6 houses that are completed in our immediate area. We are going the be the 7th. Most of the houses have been there for a couple of years, but only half of them have year round residents. A few of them are owned by Nicaraguans, that use them as vacation homes. The others are like Chuck & Felix...where it´s their permanent residence.
Currently...there are 5 or 6 other homes that are being built within a half mile of our house.
The conversation with Chuck revolved mostly about water. It took a while to get a reliable well in our neighborhood, but it seems like we have one now. Our house is also going to have a rain collection system, with a cistern (water holding tank) built into the house. It will be below one of the decks, and hidden from view. This just gives us another place to store water for our pool, showers...etc.
Building a house in Nicaragua, is not even close to building one in the states. However, I feel really good that we have a contractor that has been down this road a few times...and has encountered the obstacles that go with building down here. He has build close to 20 homes in the area, and I know he´s learned a few lessons from each one.
I think it´s cool as hell that we are building down here, and it is going to be a great experience to go threw. Will is planning on taking pictures as we go along, to see the progress...but I feel it will be good to come down here every couple of months during the construction. It´s going to be important to see with our own eyes how things are going. I will be more than happy to volunteer for a few of these trips...
All in all... this has been a great trip down here. Adam and I spent a considerable amount of time working with Will, and his surveyors, engineers, foreman, and many other people that are going to be involved in the building of our surf casa. We messed with the floor plan a little bit to make sure it was optimal for the lot. We made some changes to the garage, and the captain´s perch. We staked out where the house is going to be placed on the lot, and got to watch the groundbreaking...which was awesome.
While I´ve been down here we have also purchased most of the materials for the initial phase. This includes the retaining wall blocks, rebar, concrete, and wood for the concrete columns. I´ve also had a great opportunity to meet a lot of people in SJDS, and Maderas. I´ve learned alot about the Nicaraguan culture, and seen a few of the towns, and a good amount of the country. Everyone needs to experience this place in the wet season, because it is so beautiful and green.
I hope that everyone has enjoyed this blog, as I have really enjoyed writing it. There is so much that I saw and did that I didn´t have time to put into the blog...but those stories will come when I get home. My plan is to put more pictures, and especially videos onto this blog when I get home. Especially videos of our lot.
I have my last evening planned out, as I am going to go back to Iguana´s for a sunset rum & ginger...have a burger at El Pozo, and then go to open mic at Coquito´s. Just as I´m really settling in......it´s time to go home.
That´s OK though...I´m ready to get back to the states and see everyone again.
Hope all is well up north, and adios from San Jan del Sur, Nicaragua.
Keeley
I´ve been forced back into the Internet cafe by an afternoon rainstorm. We just got back from meeting with Chuck. It was one of the most informative conversations that I´ve had down here... regarding the development that we are building in.
Right now there are 6 houses that are completed in our immediate area. We are going the be the 7th. Most of the houses have been there for a couple of years, but only half of them have year round residents. A few of them are owned by Nicaraguans, that use them as vacation homes. The others are like Chuck & Felix...where it´s their permanent residence.
Currently...there are 5 or 6 other homes that are being built within a half mile of our house.
The conversation with Chuck revolved mostly about water. It took a while to get a reliable well in our neighborhood, but it seems like we have one now. Our house is also going to have a rain collection system, with a cistern (water holding tank) built into the house. It will be below one of the decks, and hidden from view. This just gives us another place to store water for our pool, showers...etc.
Building a house in Nicaragua, is not even close to building one in the states. However, I feel really good that we have a contractor that has been down this road a few times...and has encountered the obstacles that go with building down here. He has build close to 20 homes in the area, and I know he´s learned a few lessons from each one.
I think it´s cool as hell that we are building down here, and it is going to be a great experience to go threw. Will is planning on taking pictures as we go along, to see the progress...but I feel it will be good to come down here every couple of months during the construction. It´s going to be important to see with our own eyes how things are going. I will be more than happy to volunteer for a few of these trips...
All in all... this has been a great trip down here. Adam and I spent a considerable amount of time working with Will, and his surveyors, engineers, foreman, and many other people that are going to be involved in the building of our surf casa. We messed with the floor plan a little bit to make sure it was optimal for the lot. We made some changes to the garage, and the captain´s perch. We staked out where the house is going to be placed on the lot, and got to watch the groundbreaking...which was awesome.
While I´ve been down here we have also purchased most of the materials for the initial phase. This includes the retaining wall blocks, rebar, concrete, and wood for the concrete columns. I´ve also had a great opportunity to meet a lot of people in SJDS, and Maderas. I´ve learned alot about the Nicaraguan culture, and seen a few of the towns, and a good amount of the country. Everyone needs to experience this place in the wet season, because it is so beautiful and green.
I hope that everyone has enjoyed this blog, as I have really enjoyed writing it. There is so much that I saw and did that I didn´t have time to put into the blog...but those stories will come when I get home. My plan is to put more pictures, and especially videos onto this blog when I get home. Especially videos of our lot.
I have my last evening planned out, as I am going to go back to Iguana´s for a sunset rum & ginger...have a burger at El Pozo, and then go to open mic at Coquito´s. Just as I´m really settling in......it´s time to go home.
That´s OK though...I´m ready to get back to the states and see everyone again.
Hope all is well up north, and adios from San Jan del Sur, Nicaragua.
Keeley
More lot pictures
I downloaded a few more pictures from our lot. They are in the same gallery as before... at the bottom. I used numbers in front of the pictures to distinguish them from the rest. You can see how deep they have dug into the ridge. It didn´t feel like they were going to have to go down that far, but it looks good. We are probably going to need a bit more fill on the beach side of the house to make it level, but that will make the house feel like it is suspended above the steep hill.
I´m heading out with Will right now to meet Chuck. Chuck is one of our neighbors, and is also the one in charge of water.
I don´t have a lot of time to write, I just wanted to let everyone know there are some more pics. This is my last day down here, and hopefully tonight I will get a chance to sum up my trip with one last blog while I´m here.
Adios,
Keeley
I´m heading out with Will right now to meet Chuck. Chuck is one of our neighbors, and is also the one in charge of water.
I don´t have a lot of time to write, I just wanted to let everyone know there are some more pics. This is my last day down here, and hopefully tonight I will get a chance to sum up my trip with one last blog while I´m here.
Adios,
Keeley
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