Proyecto de Restauración "Casa Azul"

2009-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

SUNDIAL DESIGN FOR THE BODEGA WALL
IRONWORKS AT BACK FACADE

TRACE OF THE OVENS TOWER
MACEDONIA FLOORS

THE "STEAM BECH"
FACILITIES FOR THE STEAM COCKPIT
FLOORS AT MSTR. BDROOM.
THE HOLE AT THE GUESTS BATHROOM
GARGOYLE AND PILLAR. THAT WALL REALLY CRIES FOR A RAJUELA FINISH!

MORE WORKS

2009-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

PLANTER AND ROOF FOR BOILER (WE DIDN'T BUY THEM YET!)
ANOTHER PLANTER
PUMP AND CASETA (WE NEEDED TO BUY A STRONGER PUMP THAN THE EXISTING ONE). IT WORKS RIGHT.
BENCH
ANOTHER ROOF FOR BOILER
THE "DIVÁN"

CASETA

2009-04-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

+ IRONWORKS

2009-03-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

BULLEYE
DOUBLE WINDOW
THE PROTECTORES
BASE ARCHES

THE WORKS ARE REALLY GOOD. MAYBE NEXT WEEK THEY'LL START TO INSTALL SOME OF THEM

DEMOLITIONS ON COURSE

2009-03-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

MEXICAN TECHNIQUE TO NOT PRODUCE DUST AND CRAP EVERYWHERE (DRUMS BINDED)

ARCOS DE HERRERIA

2009-02-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

THE GUYS ARE GOIN' ON, I TOLD THEM TO STOP THE REST OF THE WORKS WHILE WE ARE "REGULAR" WITH THE LAW. THE ARCHES LOOKS GOOD

NEW PHOTO SET

2008-12-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

10:10 A.M. IN THE MAIN PARAPET

LAMP DESIGN. I WAS THINKING IN AN ONIX STONE DESIGN, SO THE LAMP ITSELF WILL GLOW ORANGE-YELLOW LIGHT.

SOME PENDINGS...

2008-10-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE HOLE FOR THE SEPTIC POOL. WE NEEDED TO RENT A JACK HAMMER, BUT IT WAS MAINLY SOFT SOIL.
THERE WAS A SITUATION WITH THE LEMON TREE. IT WAS BENDING MORE AND MORE, AND FEW DAYS AGO WE HAD A STRONG WINDY STORM THAT FINALLY CKACKED IT. IT IS STILL ALIVE, BUT MAYBE IT'S HOPELESS...
ANOTHER TROUBLE CORNER: IN THE PLACE OF THE TREE WE NEED TO INSTALL A SEWER CHECKBOX, SHLOMI WILL PASS TROUGH WITH 2 PVC PIPES...PHEW... DON'T WANT TO INSIST, BUT IT IS IMPERATIVE TO MOVE THAT TREE, I THINK THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE HOUSE IS FIRST. I PROPOSE YOU TO MOVE IT RIGHT BESIDE THE NITCH.

BALCONIES

2008-08-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

BALCONIES, BUILDING PROCESS. THEY WERE COPIED FROM AN XIX CENTURY HOUSE
THE LEFT ONE, THEY ARE ENTIRELY MADE OF CONCRETE, THEY'LL HAVE STUCCO FINISHED AND THEY'LL BE PAINTED
BACK FACADE, THE CORNICE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
BULL EYE HOLES READY

DOME AND REPAIRS

2008-08-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE DOME
RELEVELING THE ROOF AT CASA DEL SOL
TILE CHAMFERS REPAIRED

BULL EYE AND DOME

2008-08-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

I ASKED THE GUYS TO MAKE A SAMPLE OF THE BULL EYE MOLDING. IT'LL BE SIMULATING WHITE STONE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
THE DOME'S WIREFRAME
DOME FINISHED. WE'LL REMOVE THE UNDERPINNING BY FRIDAY

STONE FRAME READY

2008-07-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

THIS FLOOR LEVEL IS VERY HIGH. WHAT WE SHOULD DO? MAYBE A STEP FROM THE FIRST ROOM TO THE KITCHEN AND STAIRWAY, OR A "BITE" IN THE MAIN DOORWAY FLOOR, TO LET THE DOORS OPEN.
THIS IS THE "BERLIN WALL" BETWEEN DAWN AND US, VERY USEFUL

FINISHES IN THE MAIN TERRACE
WALKWAY TO THE CLOSET
STONE FRAME
DETAIL
THE CURB AT THE END OF THE STAIRWAY. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT A BIG WINDOW HERE + - 1 MTR. WIDE ND 2.5 MTRS. HIGH RIGHT ON THE FUTURE WALL IN FRONT OF US? ALSO, I RECCOMEND YOU A BLIND WALL ON THE FRON OF THE HOUSE.

STONE FRAME, IN PROCESS

2008-06-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

THE STONE FRAME, SHOWED PIECE BY PIECE, ALREADY ADJUSTED
THE JAMBS IN PROCESS
VIRGIN AT HER PLACE
THIS IS THE UNDERPINNING OF THE LAST STAIRWAY SECTION. WILL WE MAKE THE CURBE FROM THE LAST STEP?

2ND. STRAINING

2008-06-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

2ND. STRAINING, MADE BY HAND

...BUCKET BY BUCKET
...BUT WITH THE SAME QUALITY
THE UPPER BATHROOM, READY TO BE FINISHED

UPPER ARCHES AND THE FIRST WELL READY

2008-06-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

THE BACK FACADE IS TAKING SHAPE.

MASTER BEDROOM, READY TO RECEIVE THE BEAMS.
THE GROUND WIRE IS ALSO READY, THE MACHINE DRILLED ABOUT 18 MTS. DEEP, THEN WAS INTRODUCED A HUGE COPPER WIRE.
WOODEN PLANKS FOR THE ARCHES. THE STRAIN IS SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW

ROUGH STONE FINISH FOR COLUMNS

2008-05-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE GOOD ONE, THE MARTELINADO FINISH (HAMMERED) IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL ONES

THE LEFT ONE IS EVEN ROUGHER, BUT THE RIGHT ONE IS BETTER

A FEW DETAILS

2008-05-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

THE STENCIL OF THE CENTER COUNTERTOP IS READY. WE'LL FINISH IT WHEN WE GET THE APPLIANCES TO MARK THE HOLES FOR PLUMBINGS

NICE GLASSBLOCKS ONTO THE ROOF OF THE NEW CLOSET. ITS DRAINAGE FOR RAIN IS ALSO IN MIND. I'M GOING TO GIVE A SINGLE LIGHT FOR THIS.

BY THE WAY, I'M PLACING THE OUTLETS OF YOUR BEDROOM (RIGHT ON THE BED'S BOUREAUS) AT 80 CM. HIGH, IS THAT OK? THEY INCLUDE THE LIGHT KNOBS, TELEPHONE, ETC. SO YOU CAN TURN OFF THE ENTIRE LIGHTS FROM YOUR BED.

THE NEWER SOTNES AT CASA AZUL

2008-05-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE A LITTLE GAP IN THE STAIRWAY, WE CAN COVER IT OR PLACE SOME KIND OF GLASSBLOCK OR WINDOW. THAT WILL GIVE MORE LIGHT TO THE BOTTOM.

THE SANTA BARBARA STONE AND THE PILE WITH ITS COLUMN ARRIVED WELL AT CASA AZUL

COLADO DAY

2008-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

The truck with 7 m3 of concrete is tail by tail with the pump

The pump supplying concrete onto the slab

Finishing the colado

Extra concrete for straining part of the stairway

A seal from the jacks of the pump. A pair of them broke down the walkway. We'll repair them after the second strain.

WORKS BEFORE THE FIRST GENERAL CONCRETE STRAIN

2008-04-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

STRAINING CONCRETE ONTO THE MASTER BATHROOM SLAB. TO KEEP THE SAME FLOOR LEVEL THIS OPERATION SHOULD BE MADE BY HAND.
UNDERPINNING THE SLAB BEFORE THE CONCRETE LAYER

ARCHES OF 1ST FLOOR TERRACE

2008-03-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

WE DEMOLDED THE ARCHES, THEY LOOK GOOD, AND THEY HAVE THE ELECTRIC OUTLETS

THIS IS THE ARCH FOR THE TV ROOM. RIGHT BESIDE IS THE SERVICE DOOR BELOW THE STAIRWAY
NITCHES AT TERRACE

THE ARCH OF THE KITCHEN IS READY, I'LL UPLOAD SOME PICS TOMORROW

ARCHES OF CONCRETE

2008-03-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

THIS IS A BETTER WAY TO MAKE THE WEATHER CHANNELS ON THE 2ND. FLOOR TERRACE. IT'S A CHANNEL BETWEEN EACH COLUMN THAT TAKES THE WATER OUT ALL THE TERRACE LENGHT.

PANNELS FOR CONCRETE ARCHES. THEY WILL BE READY TODAY

WALLS OF 1ST FLOOR

2008-03-06T13:05:00.001-08:00

STARTING OF WALLS

2008-03-05T16:45:00.001-08:00

CONCRETE CHAINS FOR WALLS, WITH THE PASSINGS FOR ELECTRIC FACILITIES

GAS AND ELECTRIC LINES AT DAWN'S...DONE!

2008-02-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

PANORAMIC VIEW OF CASA AZUL. THE COLUMNS AND WALL REINFORCEMENTS ARE ALMOST DONE. I NEEDED TO TEAR DOWN A LITTLE PIECE OF THE RIGHT WALL FOR THE SAME REASON THAN THE OTHERS: IT IS BUILD ON SOFT SOIL (CHECK NEXT PICTURE). IN THE LEFT SIDE IS THE GAS LINE ALREADY CHANGED.

THIS IS THE PLACE THE WALL WAS LOCATED. THE GUYS DUG TO INSERT A CONCRETE REINFORCEMENTS, AND THEY FOUND THE STONE WALL LOOKED LIKE AN OLD COOKIE.

WELL, THE GAS AND ELECTRIC STUFF WITH DAWN IS DONE, THE ONLY THING REMAINING IS HER RANGE'S EXHAUST, BUT SHOULD BE EASY TO PUT A PVC ELBOW AND TAKE IT TO THE TOP.

REFINING THE FOOTINGS

2008-02-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

HERE I MARKED THE PASSINGS FOR THE FACILITIES IN THE FOOTING'S CROWN. THE YARD IS IRREGULAR, SOMETIMES WE FOUND THE BASEMENT ALMOST IN THE SURFACE, SOMETIMES WE NEEDED TO DIG AT LEAST 2 METERS, THE TASK IS TO FIND HARD ROCK TO BUILD THE CIMIENTOS.

WELL, WE TOOK BACK THOSE ODD FIGURES TO THE BASEMENT, I ADDED A NOTE IF SOMEONE FIND THEM IN 500 YEARS.

HERE I MARKED THE ELECTRIC OUTLETS AND THE DRAWING OF THE NITCH. CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT.

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT REASON TO MAKE THE NEW WALLS IN THE FIRST FLOOR: THIS IS THE FOOTING OF THE NEW WALL OF THE KITCHEN (NORTH SIDE). IF YOU LOOK AT THE CORNER YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE OLD STONE WALL WAS SUPPORTED BY...SAND! THERE'S NOT A STONE FOOTING FOR IT, SO IT'S BETTER TO MAKE A NEWER WALL TO HOLD TWO STORIES ABOVE IT.

DEMOLITIONS ARE DONE

2008-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

WE ARE EXCAVATING THE FOOTINGS AND I FOUND THE WELL, IT IS RIGHT IN THE CROSSING OF TWO OF OUR WALLS, BUT WE CAN PASS THE WALL OVER IT MAKING A CONCRETE BEAM.

HERE JOSÉ IS CHECKING THE DEEP OF THE WELL, IT IS ABOUT 8 MTS. TO THE WATER, AND NOW THE WATER IS ABOUT A METER DEEP OR SO. WE THINK IT IS REUSABLE FOR THE AIR CONDITIONED DRAINAGE, THE DOOR REJILLAS, FOR DISCHARGING THE POOL AND TO TAKE WATER FOR THE GARDEN. THE WATER IT IS NOT CONTAMINED.

THERE WERE SOME OLD "CAÑOS" OR BLACK WATER FACILITIES, IN DESUSE. THE GUYS DUG PRETTY DEEP, TO FIND "LAJA" OR STONE BASEMENT. IN SOME CASES WE FOUND STRONG LAJAS NOT VERY DEEP, AND IN SOME CASES WE NEEDED TO DUG AT LEAST 2 MTS.
A FEW NOTES FROM THE LOGBOOK. WE'LL MAKE SOME NEW WALLS BESIDE THE NEIGHBOR THAT WE DIDN'T CONSIDER AT THE BEGINNING. I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WILL BE THAT (JUST IN THE FIRST FLOOR). YOUR NEIGHBOR LET ME MAKE THE GAS LINE CHANGES NEXT THURSDAY, SO I MUST KNOW IF I CAN DO THEM OR IF CRISTINA'S GUYS WILL. THE SAME CASE WITH THE ELECTRIC CHANGES, SHE ALLOW US TO MAKE THEM ON FEBRUARY THE 27 & 28TH.

BY THE WAY, THE GUYS FOUND BURIED INTO A WALL THESE STRANGE GLASS FIGURES, THEY SEEM LIKE DEVILS OR SOMETHING ALIKE! I'M NOT SURE, BUT MAYBE THEY WERE BURIED TO "PROTECT" THE HOUSE SOMEHOW, WHAT DO THINK ABOUT IT?

LEVELS & DEMOLITIONS

2008-02-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

THE DEMOLITIONS STARTED TODAY, THE GUYS TEARED DOWN THE BACK WALLS AND HALF OF THE ROOFS OF THE 2ND. ROW

TO TEAR DOWN THE OLD CONCRETE BEAMS THESE SHOULD BE STICKED UP WITH WOOD TO MAKE THE THING SAFER. I'LL PUT SOME WOOD PLANKS ON THEM TO WALK AND SMASH THE BEAMS BETTER.

THE GUYS LOOK FUN WITH THEIR YELLOW HELMETS, LIKE "BOB THE BUILDER", BUT I DON'T CARE, I TOLD THEM THEY MUST WEAR THEM!

JOSE: I MUST ASK YOU A VERY IMPORTANT THING: HOW MANY STEPS WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO DOWN FROM THE LOWER TERRACE TO THE GARDEN? 1? 2? BECAUSE THE FLOOR LEVELS DOESN'T SEEM TO BE VERY GOOD FOR US. THE GUYS RAN AWAY A LEVEL LINE FROM THE STREET AND IT RESULTS THAT THE CONCRETE GARDEN FLOOR IS...17 CM. UP THE SALA LEVEL! IT'S A LOT, AND IF WE THOUGHT TO RAISE A STEP FROM THE TERRACE THAT MEANS WE'LL NEED TO "RE-STUFF" THE SALA WITH ALMOST 34 CM. THICK. (SEE NEXT PICTURE)
NUMBER 1 INDICATES THE LEVEL OF THE GARDEN (IF WE DIG A LITLLE BIT BACK THERE, WE CAN EARN SOME CM. THOUGHT). NUMBER 2 SHOWS THE HIGHT OF 1 STEP AND NUMBER 3 SHOWS A SECOND STEP.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT DO WE CAN DO WITH THIS, MAYBE A SINGLE GOOD STEP COULD BE ENOUGH.

IDEA FOR THE SWIMMING POOL

2008-02-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

HERE IS ANOTHER ONE, INSPIRED ON THE ROMAN FOUNTAIN WE MET
I LIKED IT MORE, IT HAS A MORE COLONIAL FEELING, IF IT LIKES YOU, I'LL WORK ON THIS IDEA

GOOD NEWS: HERE IS THE AYUNTAMIENTO LICENSE

2008-02-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

WELL, VERY ON TIME WE GOT THE AYUNTAMIENTO PERMIT, NOW WE WILL UPDATE THE OBRA AT THE SEGURO SOCIAL SO THE GUYS ARE SECURED.

I'LL DROP YOUR ORIGINAL COPIES OF THIS AND THE PERMIT PLAN WITH CRISTINA. HER MOM CHANGED THE LOCK THIS MORNING.

WE'LL START TOMORROW, CAN'T WAIT FOR BEGIN!

Start of the building

2008-02-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

Dear José & John:

Hope this logbook, along with the written one kept in the house, should be helpful for our communication in the process of restoration.

Tomorrow: Monday, February the 11th, 2008, starting of building process.
I was there yesterday organizing some stuff and suddenly a guy opened the door and said: "I'm going to the bathroom", and I asked him where does he comes from, he said he's a Dn. Jorge's people, so I inmediatly ask Cristina for the lock changing. She promised it'll be ready on Monday morning.

I introduced myself to the neighbors, ADM owner said she'll provide me a shedule of her guests, so we don't bother them with the noise of the demolitions, in fact she'll only be full house until March or so, and their guests usually run away for touring, so we coincide they'll be no problem with that.

I bought some tool and materials to start. My guys will come on tuesday morning.

Feel free to write down here all your comments

Regards