BahamasDread's Diary

Week 36: Time moves slowly

Fri, 21 May 2010 07:20:29 -0700

Isn't amazing how HGTV never explains to us that; the magnificent edifices they construct in one show, may take regular individuals months at a time?

Where's the disclaimer HG?

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WEEK 33: Staircase to the other Floor

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:11:56 -0700

With the Staircase now in place, we are ready to move to the next level. Slowly but surely as we go.

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WEEK 31:Takin it TO new HEIGHTS!!

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:25:20 -0700

With the beginning of a new week, comes an unanticipated high. This week we got the pleasure of beginning my Brother's second floor. Not being inspired by the view below, I decided to ascend the scaffolding and take a look from atop.

The view was breathtaking to say the least. Personally, I think the Home-Builder can experience no greater joy than seeing their dwelling take shape before their eyes. As my brother's home begins to loom over my "Pool House" I am filled with an innate sense of pride as I am constantly reminded that 2010 is our year. As things begin to unfold here as we watch the rocks become a structure and then a complete edifice.

This is a view of what my brother's home will look like by Christmas 2010.

I encourage all of my readers to occasionally meander over to the Sandy Slipper, as things unfolds there for the Bahamas on a grander scale!!

Salud,
BahamasDread

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Week 30- The Ceiling Joists are in place

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:50:27 -0700

So after an unintended Break, we are back on track!! All of the ceiling joists are up, and now I can see my shadow when I walk through the building. For a new homebuilder, an Amazing feeling!!

Next phase the second belcourse which will support the second floor.

Push, Push, Push. Slow & Steady wins the race!!!

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Week 21: Back in Swing January

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:13:57 -0800

So, we’re back in stride for January. You know how it goes in the Bahamas, had to take some time off

for the festive Christmas/Holiday. But now things are back in full stride.

As a big comparison from the previous post, walls are up, electrical roughing is in, the plumber has put in his drainage.

FULL STEAM AHEAD. Definitely learned a lot from being on the site, but I’ll save some of that for the next post.

STAY TUNED!!!

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Real HGTV Shit!!!!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:09:09 -0800

Well this week i'm super siked. In 9 days we were able to pull off some real HGTV SHIT. Look at the chronicle of the pictures. From laying out the foundation, to having the dump truck come in and dump two hefty loads of fill, to pack the foundation. This was when i was like ,"damn this is alot of work". But having a good team of friends, made time fly!!

So after the fill, we began by laying out the blocks for the kitchen, then back wall, and as you see the entire building wall is up!! Does HGTV do shows in the Bahamas??? Hmmm, lol!!!!
Oh yeah by the way, the first floor of the Mansion, has completely blocked out my "Pool House" in the back, lets see what happens when we add the second floor.
Stay tuned!!!!

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Week 12- Fun times

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:48:52 -0800

This week involved some more back breaking, digging and excavation in order to prepare my brothers foundation for the tractors.
But after a hard days work on Sunday we got a refreshing surprise.
One of the trees nestled deep in the back of the yard was a fruit bearing Banana tree.
This discovery was made by David, one of the close family friends who decided to be the 1st sampler.

CHEERS TO MOTHER NATURE!!!!!!

That's him in the photo. Look forward to more posts on the rapid development of the Pool house, minus the Pool!! lol

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Week 11- Part 3

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:51:32 -0800

This is a similar representation of what my brother's home will look like, with the dormer style windows.

Minus the brick facade on the outside.

As I get a truer likeness, I will update the site.

Find the right PC with Windows 7 and Windows Live. Learn more.

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Week 11-Part 2

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:28:38 -0800

This week, was a monumental one. My brother began construction on his home, which is located directly in front of me.

Imagine two story Mansion with my home being the Pool house, LMAO!!
That should put it in perspective.

Pics 1-5 shows the newly poured concrete and steel footings for his dwelling. I will be posting pics regularly on Tuesday, look forward for quick developments.

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week 11 construction

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:17:54 -0800

Its been awhile , since I last posted. To say my life was busy is an understatement, two business trips, a huge promotional event i planned (www.shredday.com) and a few minor setbacks.

But we are back on track. Above you can see that most of the house is done in terms of masonry work.
In pics 1 & 2. The plumber is making a few adjustments in the hallway bathroom, which should be completed this weekend.

In picture 3, I wound up adjusting the countertop outlet by about two feet. Which actually gave me 2 feet more dining room space, OH YEAH!!!

As for the last two pictures they illustrate the master, bathroom is completed.

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Week 7 Construction

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:43:22 -0700

Hi all,I know you've been anticipating this post as much as I have. Well there have been some dramatic developments.

The kitchen floor which was still a gaping hole on Week 6 has been closed in and is all done!

Whew, what a feeling. As you take a look through this weeks pics, you will notice that all the walls have a smooth finish on them and are all ready to be painted.

If the progress in not immediately evident from the pics, take a look at WEEKS 4,5,6 to see the state of disrepair they were in before the mason did his handi-work this week.

The last picture shows the 2nd bathroom in the hallway being sectioned off.

As a preview of the week to come, we will see all of the masonry done, the shingles finished and all the electrical done as we prepare for the 1st round inspection.

Stay tuned more exciting times are on the way,
Fabian-Christopher

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week 6

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:47:27 -0700

To my dear friends I apologize for being a week late on this post, but it has been a busy two weeks.

Looking through the pictures, I displayed the front door before it was completed by the mason and the after shot.

The other photos that follow take you through the other work the mason has been doing on the outside of the building. As recommendations go, I would fully recommend my mason, "LandLord". I think it's a befitting nickname for a man who is so talented.

Now the most grueling task to date was the super concrete mixture that took 3 men 1.5hrs to mixup

10 bags of concrete
7 buggies of sand
7 buggies of rock
and probably about 35 gallons of water. I'm still in pain! lol

The remainder of the photos shows what it looks like before the cement was poured and the after picture. It was a grueling two days folks. And yes the pictures do not lie, the mixture was still not enough.
But it was well worth it to be able to see the transformation take place. If you have any questions feel free to leave comments, or email me at fresh75@hotmail.com.

Until Next Tuesday,
BahamasDread

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AC math

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:46:00 -0700

This week I learnt an important lesson that could save me tons of money in the longrun. It was how to calculate the proper AC unit needed to cool a room.

Step #1 ) 1st you need to calculate the square footage of each space to be cooled.

Step # 2) Then multiply that by 55. Why 55 u ask?? Well 55 is the multiplier that takes into account BTU, efficiency and other elements such as heat. (sq footage *55= BTU Capacity needed to cool room.

Conclusion: Luckily I found out I needed a 24000 BTU unit instead of the 12000 BTU unit I had originally thought I needed. In Lamens terms the house would have never cooled down if i had used the smaller unit and my electricity bill would have been sky-high.

Extra Tip: Install ceiling fans in the rooms to help circulate the Air from the AC. With the fans in place the AC can stay off for longer periods. Money saving tips.

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A GOOD OMEN

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:13:00 -0700

Now unlike many individuals I don't believe in superstitions.

But during Week 4 of the construction, while clearing a trench for the plumber, I found a rum bottle lodged deep below the foundation of the house.

Now the significance of the Bottle is the fact that it was a rum bottle from the "Fernandes Rum distillery.
Coincidentally, my last name happens to be "Fernander"with an r. But my family is from Spanish descent. Many of the traders who visited the Bahamas during the Pirate days were Spanish and British.
So for prosperity sakes, I will be saving this bottle and having it framed and placed in the house on move-in day!

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Week 4 Construction

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:05:00 -0700

The first two pictures show the living room and the kitchen space. As you can see the Kithcen area has been given 10 feet. As for the living room area, this was extended by closing in the porch. The second picture clearly depicts the expanded kitchen area. Believe it or not Pic 3 use to be the entire space for the kitchen, from that crack to the next, dont know how they survived in that tight space.

Picture 4 shows the entire 3rd bedroom, that was added. As you tell by the shadows, that area has already been enclosed with walls and a roof. The guys are moving at an amazing rate. Pics 5,6,7 shows all the electrical roughing and piping trenches that were done this week. I left the plumber there today installing the piping for the master bathroom. Pic 8 shows the entire depth of the house, with a full 12 feet added. Pic 9 shows the roofing shingles which has been installed and the front area where the original porch was, which is now a part of the living room area.

This weeks challenge will involve, picking a door and beginning the pursuit for some affordable but nice tiles...

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Construction week 3

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:31:00 -0700

15 days later and this is what has happened so far.
The crew is moving semi-fast with a few minor delays. But as you can see alot of things has happened.
The front door has been extended to provide more room in the living room.
The first bedroom has been converted to the master bedroom, with an addition of a bathroom.
Some of the walls have been branded by the mason, still have more branding and new electrical fittings to be placed.
Kitchen has been expanded and entire back wall is gone.
Third bedroom has been added for my oldest brother.

The last two photos show the foundation for my brothers house they recently marked out.

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week one construction

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:17:00 -0700

Well folks this is what took place during week one of my housing project.
We demolished the 1st structure, which will be my brother's home and we started to renovate my place.

Construction is hard work folks. Some people have some tough jobs in this world and this will be my tough job until christmas.

We have a super optimistic view, but the deadline for completion is christmas.

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