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Post by DorothyB on May 21, 2015 21:28:01 GMT -5
I'm starting to get questions about kitchen sink faucets, ceiling fans, etc  It is supposed to be finished the first week of July. Terry & Liz's house already has a roof. Mine is a little behind. Got some pictures earlier this week: This is the view from Terry & Liz's patio:  Midway through the "fields" you can see what might be a stream or something - that is the road that leads to the YWAM base they work at. My view is similar to theirs - just maybe 60 - 100 feet over - this was taken when clouds covered the mountain:  Most Panama construction is concrete blocks. They have occasional small earthquakes. The blocks will be covered with rapeo (?) (sort of like stucco maybe?) inside & out. My casita isn't "pretty" from the street - bathroom to left and bedroom to right so only one window:  This is standing in the doorway from the patio / carport. You enter into the kitchen - first window is above the kitchen sink. The second window is where my table will be. It looks really small - and it is small, but will be big enough  This picture took me a while to figure out - it is taken from the outside door into the living / dining area. The table will be to the far right. The "wall" and "start of a wall" directly in front . . . the wall to the left is the kitchen wall - the fridge goes on the other side of the wall and the "start of a wall" is the section of wall before the door to my bedroom. On the other side of this wall will be my built in cabinets.  |
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 21, 2015 23:28:00 GMT -5
Bugs are going to have a hard time eating those blocks. It is probably the perfect construction for down there.
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Post by Jenni on May 22, 2015 9:16:49 GMT -5
In the first pic - why are some of the trees cut off like that?
I couldn't help noticing the homemade ladder in the bottom pic and thinking how OSHA would shut down that operation in the US, lol.
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Post by Sheryl on May 22, 2015 9:35:13 GMT -5
Where is this at? When I was in Baja Mexico a year ago there were alot of homes/vacation homes constructed like this with outdoor kitchens etc too!
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Post by DorothyB on May 22, 2015 15:58:24 GMT -5
Don't know on the trees - I'll ask when I'm there in July.
This is in Potrerillos Ariba (in Panama close to Boquete)
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Post by MJ on May 24, 2015 18:41:57 GMT -5
What will the floor be? I notice it is not poured concrete, I can't imagine it being dirt.
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Post by DorothyB on May 24, 2015 20:44:44 GMT -5
dirt floors Seriously, I think it will be poured concrete with tile on top? I do know the floors are tile as I picked it out already and was told that it has been ordered. |
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Post by MJ on May 25, 2015 10:49:20 GMT -5
What confused me is that, in the states, the concrete floor is poured first. So I wondered how they were going to do it.
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Post by Sheryl on May 26, 2015 10:32:12 GMT -5
MJ, I THINK in the USA we are used to the idea of a foundation or slab being poured first as sort of the foundation for the house. Then in the case of a typical crawlspace type foundation, the house is anchored to it ( well at least in earthquake country where i live it is anchored to the house). I am not familiar with how the casitas are built, but what Dorothy describes is exactly what i saw in Baja.
dorothy, I missed out on you plans. A year ago I was inspired by the idea of retiring young in a warm (and cheaper) climate. I decided to vacation in central america in different locations to get a feel for the various possibilities. i don't want to completely leave my home, so thought about snowbirding. The big obstacle is transporting horses so my idea about this has sorta waned. Are you planning on taking horses when you stay here?
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Post by Frostym on May 26, 2015 17:45:21 GMT -5
h Dorothy, this is probably a silly question but did your friends ever complete the purchase of the land where your casita will be? I think it looks delightful. Will it have air conditioning? I don't know but since Panama is closer to the equator than even Florida, I imagine it can get steamy hot. Unless it's at a high elevation. So thrilling that you are doing this. Thanks for sharing the details.
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Post by DorothyB on May 26, 2015 19:44:42 GMT -5
Sheryl, the cost of getting horses there is prohibitive. Dogs have to be quarantined for a long time. So, this is just my vacation get-away and the horses / dogs stay home.
Frosty, this area is a lot higher / cooler than Panama City. There are still times air conditioning would be nice, but the biggest benefit is to keep the humidity level down during rainy season. The last two houses my friends have lived in did not have air conditioning and the base doesn't either. However, it is common for "gringos" to have air conditioning. The units are sort of similar to what we see in hotels here - small units mounted in the wall but not window units. I thought I was going to have two, but I'm a bit confused because the estimate seems to have 3 a/c units - 24K / 9K / 9K. Since my house is 30% of the size of theirs and doesn't have their vaulted ceiling, I'm guessing I get one of the 9K units.
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Post by DorothyB on May 26, 2015 19:50:44 GMT -5
Frosty, forgot to answer your first question. I asked that just yesterday as I was updating the spreadsheet showing what we have spent so far. No, we haven't paid for the land yet other than the $5K down payment. This is common in Panama and there is a valid contract in place which has been reviewed by lawyers for both parties.
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Post by Sheryl on May 29, 2015 9:39:18 GMT -5
Yes, this was why I concluded that IF I go the snowbird route I need to stay in the USA so I can take horses and dogs with me! My friends that have the house in Baja (not too far from Cabo) don't have A/C. It is fine most of the year, but it gets hot and apparently humid in the summer - when most gringos leave. They stay around for it though as it is their year around retirement home. Sheryl, the cost of getting horses there is prohibitive. Dogs have to be quarantined for a long time. So, this is just my vacation get-away and the horses / dogs stay home. Frosty, this area is a lot higher / cooler than Panama City. There are still times air conditioning would be nice, but the biggest benefit is to keep the humidity level down during rainy season. The last two houses my friends have lived in did not have air conditioning and the base doesn't either. However, it is common for "gringos" to have air conditioning. The units are sort of similar to what we see in hotels here - small units mounted in the wall but not window units. I thought I was going to have two, but I'm a bit confused because the estimate seems to have 3 a/c units - 24K / 9K / 9K. Since my house is 30% of the size of theirs and doesn't have their vaulted ceiling, I'm guessing I get one of the 9K units. |
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It is supposed to be finished the first week of July. Terry & Liz's house already has a roof. Mine is a little behind. Got some pictures earlier this week:
