On making things work
13/02/11 14:16
I just finished shooting the third season of SOUTHLAND for TNT, now I have a couple of months off before I begin my next project, DEXTER for Showtime, starting at the end of May. This will give me enough time to plan my next trip to Costa Rica and our next home improvement to the bungalow.
Our carpenter in Jaco, CR just submitted a quote for a drop leaf table my wife designed. It is a glorified picnic table that will live outside on our deck. It will be made out of teak, 40"x80" and it is designed to fold into a narrow little 16"x80" unit when the leaves are dropped so it doesn't eat up all of our deck space. We will eat most of our meals on the deck, the tropical weather makes outdoor eating very pleasurable. And for this pleasure, the carpenter wants $1000! I think it is time to return to the drawing board, or get a ready made much smaller table!
The next project for the bungalow will be to eliminate our front door and replace it with a sliding glass pocket door that will be 6' wide.
This will invite a free flow of traffic from the living room inside to the living area of the deck outside, essentially extending our living area. It will be very cool that indoor , outdoor free flow of living space. I am waiting for our contractor to give me a quote on this project and I would love to get started in March, when I plan on being there. If this goes successfully we will add a pocket door to our bedroom as well, giving us private access to our wraparound side deck, while we're at it a porch swing would be nice.
In the meantime, our little community of US expats at Hermosa Bungalows is trying to get separate title for each of our bungalows and the plot they sit on. Although this sounds straight forward, it is anything but! Lawyers, surveyors, municipal engineers, tax authority, real estate registry and the building permit office all are involved. So, I can't legally build beyond the foot print of my bungalow until this plot survey is resolved! Until then all the land in the development is considered community property, even the landscaped flowers beds surrounding our house, bummer!!
So for now, my plans to add 250 square ft, which would include a second badthroom, office and enormous closet storage, will have to be delayed. I want to do this by the book, all legal with permits, so I hope our development and HOA can resolve this issue swiftly!
I guess this is all a part of the drama of living in paradise, paradise has its own unique set of rules and time table...Pura Vida!
As soon as my wife draws up the concept for the pocket slider door with exterior shutters, I will either post it or take a photo of the finished product...which ever comes first.
Now of course, all of this costs money. Fortunately I will be eligible to draw on my pension in 7 days. Yes I will be 60, and I will take a lump sum, this will give me instant financing to pay for these improvements(yippy!). If all goes well, by the end of this year(2011) I will be able to remain in Costa Rica for extended periods like 6 weeks to a couple of months. I will sort of be easing my family transition to expat status...baby steps. However,
I still intend to work on shows that I want to do, which will just help finance this expat paradise project. Although I am aiming for full retirement and total expat status in the next 2 to 3 years...let's see what happens!
Our carpenter in Jaco, CR just submitted a quote for a drop leaf table my wife designed. It is a glorified picnic table that will live outside on our deck. It will be made out of teak, 40"x80" and it is designed to fold into a narrow little 16"x80" unit when the leaves are dropped so it doesn't eat up all of our deck space. We will eat most of our meals on the deck, the tropical weather makes outdoor eating very pleasurable. And for this pleasure, the carpenter wants $1000! I think it is time to return to the drawing board, or get a ready made much smaller table!
The next project for the bungalow will be to eliminate our front door and replace it with a sliding glass pocket door that will be 6' wide.
This will invite a free flow of traffic from the living room inside to the living area of the deck outside, essentially extending our living area. It will be very cool that indoor , outdoor free flow of living space. I am waiting for our contractor to give me a quote on this project and I would love to get started in March, when I plan on being there. If this goes successfully we will add a pocket door to our bedroom as well, giving us private access to our wraparound side deck, while we're at it a porch swing would be nice.
In the meantime, our little community of US expats at Hermosa Bungalows is trying to get separate title for each of our bungalows and the plot they sit on. Although this sounds straight forward, it is anything but! Lawyers, surveyors, municipal engineers, tax authority, real estate registry and the building permit office all are involved. So, I can't legally build beyond the foot print of my bungalow until this plot survey is resolved! Until then all the land in the development is considered community property, even the landscaped flowers beds surrounding our house, bummer!!
So for now, my plans to add 250 square ft, which would include a second badthroom, office and enormous closet storage, will have to be delayed. I want to do this by the book, all legal with permits, so I hope our development and HOA can resolve this issue swiftly!
I guess this is all a part of the drama of living in paradise, paradise has its own unique set of rules and time table...Pura Vida!
As soon as my wife draws up the concept for the pocket slider door with exterior shutters, I will either post it or take a photo of the finished product...which ever comes first.
Now of course, all of this costs money. Fortunately I will be eligible to draw on my pension in 7 days. Yes I will be 60, and I will take a lump sum, this will give me instant financing to pay for these improvements(yippy!). If all goes well, by the end of this year(2011) I will be able to remain in Costa Rica for extended periods like 6 weeks to a couple of months. I will sort of be easing my family transition to expat status...baby steps. However,
I still intend to work on shows that I want to do, which will just help finance this expat paradise project. Although I am aiming for full retirement and total expat status in the next 2 to 3 years...let's see what happens!