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End Is in Sight...sort of Update for 7 June 2003 |
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Manolo is applying grout to the Saltillo tiles on the second floor front porch. The grout color is not as red as it appears here. Next he will use the same tile on the stairs. The door maker and his helper are beginning the installation of Rosa's front door on the second floor. |
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Manolo is chiseling out a place for one of the four electric meters that will be installed in the front wall. After the hardware is in place, this part of the front wall will be stuccoed and painted to match the rest of the wall.
Downstairs, Martha's front door is almost ready. It needs the surround trim, hardware and glass in the side light. And paint.
A bit of the stairs is visible to the left of the door. The risers have been painted a terracotta color to match the Saltillo tile that will go on the treads. |
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The sewer and water lines are complete and ready for hookup by the city. We went to city hall to submit the applications for connection where we received most unwelcome news. As I reported here two weeks ago, the charge was to be about $3,000 pesos (US$300), but now a different clerk says no, the charge will be about $5,000 (US$500). And even worse is the four to six week back-log of installation orders. UGH! Enrique will return on Monday to meet with the big boss to see what can be done to speed up the installation and get a firm number on the fee. One more move-in delay for the ladies. Iniz, seeing that his work is about done, found another job that will start next week. So today (7 June) was his last day. We wanted him to stay for one more week to finish the tile work on the front porch, the stairs and some touch-ups in the bathrooms. Now Manolo will do that work (even though tile work is not his strong point). Inez's early departure will set us back another man-week, but we'll still beat the water department. Enrique's plumbing and my electrical work will now have plenty of time to get finish before the water people show up. We have a lot of odds and ends to take care of. We found a new cabinet maker who promises to make the last set of kitchen cabinets before the water comes. That makes two cabinet makers and one door maker on the job. Still there's no way to even guess when all the wood work will be done. The power company says that will hook us up within 3 days after we call; no charge. The water department requires a fee and a signed application for service. The power company requires only a phone call. |
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