Before we moved to Argentina we talked about the work the house in Sta. Rosa would need, based on our visits and observations in 2003 and 2007. Long-term roof leaks left seriously water damaged walls and furniture. Plumbing issues were an on-going problem. Just opening up and closing the house each time we used it was laborious because of the “fixes” made to prevent further break-ins. Its location on a dirt road means a continual battle with dust and grime. An overgrown grape vine threatened to further damage the roof. The yard was a scraggly mess. And the list went on...
One thing I knew we’d need was bed linens and towels so I was constantly on the lookout for good deals on those items the last few years we were in the U.S. and was able to bring those when we moved. And they have been a blessing! When we arrived we found thread-bare bedding, faded and holey towels. We also found a kitchen in sad need of pots and pans with lids, decent utensils and storage containers...but those will have to wait.
We didn’t have any time (or money) the first year to do anything other than clean and begin sorting through things dad and mom had left. But by the second year we were ready to start tackling some of the bigger -- and more pressing -- problems.
#1: PLUMBING
Ivan and a friend spent several days last June digging out the old ceramic pipes leading to the septic, finding them broken and overgrown with roots. No wonder we were having trouble!
In the process of replacing those pipes they had to tear out the floor in the main bathroom (thankfully not in the other one, though!).
So we were really happy we’d picked up several boxes of linoleum tile on clearance a few months earlier. At the time we bought them, we had no idea what we’d use them for, but simply could not pass up such a good deal!
The sink in that room also needed to be replaced. It was cracked and the metal support legs were buckling. After looking at options, we decided to buy a new sink and have Ivan build an open style vanity to set it in. We found some we liked but we did
NOT like the prices. What we’re finding is that products are often cheaply made but exorbitantly expensive. Such was definitely the case with the vanities. Ivan looked at the ones in the stores with no small amount of disdain, knowing he could do a much better job. And so he did...
The bath is not finished but we're getting there.
We still need to paint, replace the lighting fixture and medicine cabinet, and convert the storage loft above the tub into something useable by installing doors we can lock. Then we’ll be able to keep towels, a stock of toilet paper as well as personal care products up there, ready to use whenever we come out.
I’ve been on the lookout for a medicine cabinet and
*blech* the choices are limited and (in my opinion)
UGLY. We’ll probably just make our own, using the same wood as the vanity. What I have in mind is a simple shadow box style with a mirrored back and one shelf about six inches up from the bottom of the box. Since this is a vacation house we don’t need a ton of permanent medicine cabinet storage.
Next up on the plumbing agenda was finding the grease pit and cleaning it out. Ivan could not remember where the pit was so it took a couple of visits and lots of digging to find it, but eventually he did! Our favorite
ferreteria owner (the Argentine version of the Ace Hardware man) recommended Ivan add caustic soda and 250 grade peroxide to the grease pit to further break up years of accumulated YUCK.
[Isn’t this just so much fun?! Talking about grease pits and yucky stuff? But that’s the reality of life. Most city dwellers don’t think about it, because public sewer systems mean they don’t have to deal with these issues. But country life is different!]The final plumbing project was accomplished this past week: installing a new plastic water tank on the roof to replace the old, poured cement one that keeps cracking and leaking. It took three long days, and a lot of back breaking work
(literally! Ivan had to break up cement to get to the old pipes) before he had the tank installed and operational.
We’re pretty excited that the city is extending the water lines out to this neighborhood. This is a recent development and we’re not sure when they’ll start the work, but we are so happy that we won’t have to worry about running out of water during the long, dry winters (which has been an issue the past couple of years).
Now, if only they’d run the natural gas lines out here too! I like the coziness of the wood stove in winter, but it would also be nice (to say nothing of being more convenient) to have a few gas wall heaters strategically placed in the house.
Meanwhile, I wait and hope.
In the process of replacing those pipes they had to tear out the floor in the main bathroom (thankfully not in the other one, though!).
So we were really happy we’d picked up several boxes of linoleum tile on clearance a few months earlier. At the time we bought them, we had no idea what we’d use them for, but simply could not pass up such a good deal!
We still need to paint, replace the lighting fixture and medicine cabinet, and convert the storage loft above the tub into something useable by installing doors we can lock. Then we’ll be able to keep towels, a stock of toilet paper as well as personal care products up there, ready to use whenever we come out.
[Isn’t this just so much fun?! Talking about grease pits and yucky stuff? But that’s the reality of life. Most city dwellers don’t think about it, because public sewer systems mean they don’t have to deal with these issues. But country life is different!]
We’re pretty excited that the city is extending the water lines out to this neighborhood. This is a recent development and we’re not sure when they’ll start the work, but we are so happy that we won’t have to worry about running out of water during the long, dry winters (which has been an issue the past couple of years).
They spent many vacations camping on the land, carrying rocks from the river and slowly -- over years -- building the little house. For a while they even lived there, but mostly it was their getaway place.
When they retired the economy was so bad in Argentina that they could not sell the cottage so they left it in the hands of dear friends who did their best to care from it. But it was several hours from the caretaker’s home and over time the little house began to look very shabby. Repeatedly robbers broke in and stole furniture and made a mess. Each time the caretakers would try to fix the problem by putting more bars on the windows, installing large wooden shutters, or adding reinforcements to the doors. 