The end is near...

I thought I would sit down and update my blog tonight thinking I would have loads to update on - I am absolutely shattered after the last couple of weeks working on the project but I am sitting here thinking it doesn't look like we have done much! I know thats not the case but it feels like it sometimes.

View of the back

So my task was to get some smaller roofs finished over the balcony, outdoor seating area and laundry - I have finished two out of the three so cant complain that much. The roof over the outdoor seating area didn't seem that big when I started but actually took quite a bit of time.

Clay Roof

I like the finished product - now when it rains all the water goes into the garden rather than in the seating area. The other roof was a bit more of a task, I already had the frame up but decided against the clay roof tiles which I have on my other roofs - they look really good but I was a little worried about the weight of them plus the time factor of actually installing them let alone carrying them up to the roof.

Balcony floor

The deciding factor was the fact that no one will actually see this roof as its over the second floor balcony so I went with the roof sheeting - doesn't look to bad though. We had some floor bricks left over from the walkway downstairs so decided to put them down on the balcony floor and sun deck upstairs. almost finished!

Sun Deck

Whilst the flooring and roofing has been in the process of being completed my mum has been painting the upstairs rooms - it is a time consuming job as the walls are huge and the ceilings are high. I forgot to take a photo so I will add it on the next post - however she has started doing the ceiling downstairs and it looks pretty awesome.

Main house downstairs ceiling 

I decided to go green for the hot water for the house and decided to buy a solar hot water heater - it has been sitting downstairs for a while so I had a proactive day and decided to get it up on the roof... it was not easy! But we got it up there - so we should have hot water soon, when I get the time to hook it up that is.

Getting the solar water heater on the roof

We had some helpers this weekend as Katherines cousins decided to volunteer for some painting - our garden walls now have fresh paint along with our laundry. Awesome job girls.

Happy helpers

Ok, just before I go its time for another trip pic! This week it was Samana to meet some friends from Pennsylvania that were on a cruise and stopped at Samana for the day. We couldn’t miss seeing them so we headed up to Cayo Levantado for the day. It was awesome catching up drinking beer, rum and cocktails while eating fresh fish. A great day.

Samana with friends

A garden view...

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks... It has mostly been finishing touches which is the best part.

Hot tub tiles

The hot tub is now complete! Well when I say complete I have not filled it with water yet or connected the pump but I have to say it looks pretty good. This was a part of the project I wasn't sure that would happen due to budget constraints but I thought if we didn't do it now then it would never happen.

Almost complete

Most of the work has been focused in the back of the house at present as I wanted to get all the dirty jobs out of the way first. First thing was to get the grass bedded in - It totally transforms the garden, I never thought I would see it at this this stage.

Adding the grass

With most of the plants in it is starting to look like a proper garden now.

There was one big job upstairs that I had been putting off for a while which was the roof over the upstairs balcony - not that it was difficult or time consuming but just one I wasn't looking forward to.

Setting the pillars

First of all I had to set the Mahogany beams that I had left over from the old roof which wasn't the easiest of jobs. Then it was to put up the frame.

Balcony roof frame

You have to have a little fun when doing jobs like this.

Health and safety in DR

Like the garden this really changes the look of the back of the house and obviously has the practical benefits of not getting wet when you walk out of a room in the rain.

Upstairs balcony and railings

The main part of the house is also coming along. I have had massive trouble trying to find a floor sander for rent to start the 160sqm wooden floor. So I have started doing it using hand tools - this may take a while...

Upstairs floor

I have been sorting a lot of other bits and pieces such as we now have a solar hot water heater - not on the roof yet but it will be by the end of the week and I also have picked up a diesel generator for when the power goes out. We are actually pretty lucky as the power only goes off about twice a month here in the Colonial Zone; however with all the work happening in the Zone at the moment it has started to get more frequent as the government are putting the power lines underground. So it should come in very useful.

Rear view

As always I like to end on a happy note. Yesterday we got ourselves a new puppy! A pure breed German Shepherd who is so cute. He is only 5 weeks old and is a bit of a handful - I slept about two hours last night as he cannot stand to be alone. We have called him Jenson - after Jenson Button the Formula 1 driver. I thought that would go well with Enzo our Rottie. He hasn't taken to him completely yet as he isnt sure what to make of him - its funny watching this little five pound puppy chasing a huge Enzo around the garden.

Our future guard dog

Until next time...