check out the paint job

This morning, while waiting for some guests (who never came because the Ms. was sick) we marveled at how beautiful the house looks now that it's all done, new and shiny.  We sat up on the third floor and enjoyed the view, the new paint, the cleaned up cracks, etc.  I realized then that I had neglected to post many of the "after" photos.  So here are a few, along with a couple of pixof the "before" jobs that Eve will start on Monday.

The two photos above show the "weather wall" in the house, facing southeast.  This is where the heat and rain beat on the house and paint jobs don't last too long.  But they did a great job of peeling off great slabs of old paint, repairing the cracks and then repainting.  The area in the foreground belongs to the Hotel Oasis, across the street.  They have expanded into this formerly vacant lot to build a little kiddie pool and places for people to sit under umbrellas.  The cement pilings will anchor a wall before too long (maybe by Easter).

Here are the "after" shots.

Here's the lovely house in its new paint job.

These walls are now as smooth as anything.  Of course when they demolished the old cement they removed all the nails we had pounded in to hang pictures so it looks pretty bare.  They also fixed a wall in the kitchen that was cracked and terribly moldy because of the damp.

Much better.  They also fixed the cap on the cabinet and the crumbling cement inside it. 

Those are the most visible fixes.  Otherwise it's just a fresh coat of paint that gives the whole place a new and shiny look.

Now for Eve's next project.  In the kitchen, some of the drainboard tiles cracked because the underlying cement support had broken off.

Eve will remove all the cracked tiles and lay down new ones.  Jaime built up the interior of the cabinet underneath so this shouldn't happen again.  Then there's the entryway project.

This is the entry from the street.  On the left is a wall around the little guest garden.  The wall has a cap on it where I set plants; spider plants, geraniums and anything else I can get to grow.  But doing so has badly discolored the paint job  ~ and it will only happen again ~ so I'm having the top tiled.  Eve will use a mix of the same ceramic tile we have on the floors and some traditional Mexican bara tiles.

You can see how grungy they look.  I have great expectations!

So that's how it is here in the tropics.  Weather continues to be gorgeous with occasional cool mornings and evenings but usually it's just like this.

So how's the weather in your neck of the woods?  Ours is pretty darned nice as you can see.

Tomorrow's opera:  Carmen.  Tune in.