The DIY Summer of '24

From Relaxation to Renovation Before We Even Unpacked - Part 2

A work in progress

Thirty-five years ago, this place was my personal corner of paradise. The garden was a modest size, but at the very least, it was evenly covered by a perfectly trimmed carpet of grass that was always green.

As kids, we would run across the front yard and squeeze between the bushes to go to the next house over. After running for what felt like hours under the sun (and this next part was probably not a good idea), any hose in the community would do as a water fountain.

But no one ever got sick from that. I think.

Now, after opening the water tank on the roof, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing the dishes or even showering in the house.

The first order of business was to get clean water.

Instead of lounging by a pool, my days turned into a home restoration marathon.

And thus began the real summer adventure.

For the most part, Tania and the kids stayed in the hotel while I took care of the most basic first sanitation steps. Once that was taken care of, they joined the efforts enthusiastically.

Also, I had to ensure we had a secure place… because none of the doors had working locks. Get a locksmith.

And wouldn’t you know it?

Google wasn’t the most reliable source of information down there.

There were many dead ends because businesses only sometimes have a website or even care to update their profiles. So, it wasn’t unusual that a place was actually closed when I showed up.

And good luck getting a quote over the phone. Any provider had to first visit the place and then determine the scope of the work, and then come back at a later date to do the job. Regardless.

Gramo Siqueiros

Our saving grace was a nifty coffee shop a couple of blocks away from the house. It became our safe haven as we powered through. There was always a nice cold brew or latte on the rocks available for us when we most needed it.

So, shout out to Gramo.

Oh, and I forgot to mention something kind of critical back at the house.

I said I opened the water tank on the roof to see how dirty it was, right? Well, I only opened ONE of the water tanks on the roof. The other one had a broken lid.

(The other one being an asbestos water tank.)

I don’t know much about construction materials, but I know that asbestos is bad. Like really bad. The good thing is that the plumbing was set up in a weird way, linked to bypass the asbestos tank, only to be used as a backup if needed.

I never thought I would be as happy to see a dry settlement at the bottom of a water tank that showed it had been years since it last held any water as I was to see this one.

Clean water in progress

A plumber was promptly located to completely disconnect that tank and proceed with the sanitation of the newer one and the cistern downstairs.

I will never question the veracity of home renovation programs when the inevitable hiccup or renovation obstacle pops up.  

Because, even though I got the water storage situation taken care of, the plumbing inside still needed a lot of work. Every faucet and showerhead was a disaster, either rusty or clogged with grime, kitchen and restrooms.

The more cosmetic stuff could wait.

But, before we could even think of painting, we had to wash the walls.

There were months of leaves accumulated in the back patio and roof.

Rake them.

The floors all over the house were covered in dirt to such an extent that simple sweeping and mopping wouldn’t do the trick.

Power wash them.

The accumulated foliage in the garden was so much it couldn’t just be put in the garbage.

Special clearing service needed.

I had to get yet another plumber to take care of all the items inside the house and add a filter for the water tank. I wanted a different plumber because I felt the one who disconnected the tank swindled me with the price.

Once we took care of the plumbing, along with some heavy-duty scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, cleaning, gardening, and leaf raking, we felt comfortable enough to move in.

All hands on deck

As we were taking care of each item, Dante, the teen, sort of surprised me with his diligence. Admittedly, his enthusiasm really skyrocketed after we bought a power-washer. Despite the novelty of the dad-toy, he still displayed a level of maturity and hard work I hadn’t seen in a while.

And Enzo? Well, his kiddo energy never ran out. After getting over the initial shock, he kept the mood light with his random observations like, "Dad, do we get a prize for cleaning this room?" and "Is this what we call “fun” work?"

I don’t know about fun, but it was definitely rewarding.

Now, if we could just do something about the roof leaking…