Summer's Here!!!!

(I'm a little late in posting this, but it's only a week late, so I'll just say I'm on Belize time.)

Today is the first day of summer and here in Camarillo, we have what they call the June gloom. The fog lingers until late morning, clears up for a little while in the afternoon and then returns in the early evening, sometimes for only a couple of hours, sometimes all night. The high and low temperatures will only be a few degrees difference, usually in the low 60's (16-17C) to the low 70's (20-21C). But next year at this time, I will probably wish for days like this. Consejo is in the 90's (32-34C) right now with high humidity and just a little wind. I don't think we'll mind the heat too much. Just learn to adapt and take naps or swim during the heat of the day.

We went out for Chinese food the other night and my fortune cookie for told our future. Now we just need to make it come true.




The kitchen remodel continues, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I hope we can finish it up by Friday. It's a week later than I wanted, but the paint on the cabinets is taking longer to dry than expected.





In the mean time, while Mischelle works on sanding and painting the cabinets, I started to work on the tiling for the counters, back splash and flooring. The design for the back splash will require a lot of cut tiles but it will be worth it in the long run.










And finally, the finished kitchen.





We ended up spending around $800 for everything, but it looks so much better than before. If we remove the microwave, it will give the appearance of a larger counter space. We figured they will probably remodel the kitchen at sometime in the future, but at least it's not too bad for now and everything looks fresh and updated.

A couple of houses in our tract have recently come on the market, both offered by the same real estate company. I don't know where these people have lived for the last couple of years, but the prices they are expecting to get are a little bit out there. Maybe they could get that 2 or 3 years ago, but now....???

But it raises the standard for the neighborhood and if we price ours right, we'll be out of here in no time.

Not Much Left To Do

We received a new batch of pictures the other day showing the progress on the house. From what I can see in the pictures, there is not a whole lot of construction left to do. It looks like it's all finish work now. We had sent down another tile medallion that we were hoping to install later, in the patio area, but the guys were able to do it now without any problems and it saves me from having to tear up the tile later.




The patio doors arrived from WinDor to replace the ones that were originally three inches too short. They have been installed, so that now, the entire house can now be secured.




The bathrooms have yet to be finished, but we have the shower floor tiles up here with us in the States, so the showers won't need to be finished for a month or more. We went with a pebble tile for the shower floors that massages the feet while you shower (at least that's what the salesman said), and we couldn't find anything like it in Belize or Mexico.







The kitchen and bathroom sinks and the toilets have all arrived , but have yet to be installed. Same with the fans. But at least they are all there.




I may have to schedule a trip back to Belize in the near future so I can do a final walk through. We won't finish the pool until after we are there. Too much maintenance, especially if we're not there, although my neighbors might like it. Same with the stairway to the roof. We'll put that off until early next year. We just want to get the occupancy permit.

Behind Schedule

Well, here it is, the first week of June and we still haven't got the Camarillo house on the market. We've decided to upgrade our dated,'70s kitchen and do a visual update. We didn't want to replace the entire kitchen, including the cabinets and appliances, because we were afraid we wouldn't get back the money we'd invest into it, plus, the time involved in a complete overhaul was too long. So we are repainting, removing the old flooring, installing tile and redoing the kitchen counter tops. I figured that will give us the most bang for the buck. I'm trying to keep the cost under a $1000, but we'll see how that goes. And on top of that, I want to be done with the kitchen remodel by next weekend.





I started by removing a box florescent light that just screamed 70's decor and replaced it with can lights with CFL bulbs. Just as much light for one third the wattage.




We had replaced the kitchen window with a garden window last year, but as usual, I had put off doing all the finishing touches, saving it for a later date (like today).





And after pulling up the existing vinyl flooring, expecting to see cement underneath, we found another layer of vinyl flooring. The pattern alone was mesmerizing.



At least the master bathroom is finished. The shower and tub came out great, but again, I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner. We really have enjoyed using the bathtub.




Master bathroom before the remodel.


After the remodel.

I just need to focus on the prize at the end of all this, finish all the remodeling and get this house on the market. July will be here before we know it.

So Close, But So Far Away

I just received some new pictures of the progress that is happening around the house. As the completion date gets closer, it just seems like we have such a long way to go until we can move in. It's amazing all the details that are involved in the move from the US to Belize. And we are just at the beginning.



Front door and entryway with tile medallion.


Kitchen cabinets with center island.



We are just getting together all the information required for the QRP application and hope to submit it to the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) around the first of June. This is a copy of the application, the documents that are required to be submitted with the application, and the fees that are due at various stages of the process.












That is also the date we have set to put our house on the market. We hope to have all the improvements and painting done by then. Some of the things we did to improve the look of the house have been so easy, I wonder why it has taken me so long to do it. So, we improve everything, make it just the way we like it, then move. At least we won't have to improve things in the new house. Just everything outside the house.

The Doors And Cabinets Are In

Our cabinet maker, Ravey Gongora, has recently delivered and installed our cabinets and doors, as we get even closer to finishing the house. The front door was installed, so the house is almost complete on the outside. We are still trying to figure out what to do with the front patio area.





The doors from the bathrooms to the bedrooms and from the living room to the bedrooms are all in and look beautiful. Made from all hardwood. No pressboard or plywood here.






And except for a few minor changes, the kitchen cabinets and island are just about finished. Our black quartz counter tops look nice as a contrast to the red tamarand counters.





I'd like to go back to Belize to see the progress first hand, but it'll have to wait. We're waiting on pictures from the contractor, which will probably happen on Monday or Tuesday, after the patio windows arrive and are installed. Then it's just the finish work left to complete.

It's Getting Closer To Being Finished

It's been almost a month since I left Belize, and the work on the house continues unabated. The window and patio door replacements are to arrive this week, and Ravey has just about got all the interior doors ready to install.





The tiling throughout the house is almost done, with only the bathroom showers left to finish. The living room and kitchen will be the first areas to be grouted so that the kitchen cabinets can be installed next week.



Looking from the living room into the guest bedroom.


The bathroom from the guest bedroom.


From the guest bedroom to the living room.


Living room and kitchen.


The temporary master bedroom.

The outside of the house is getting close to being finished and all the stucco work is done. The house could be finished, except for a few items, by the end of the month.







The pool equipment room with my outdoor kitchen area on the side.



View from the future master bedroom and patio.

As the house gets closer to completion, it really forces us to get moving on selling our home up here in the States. I'm sure it won't happen as quickly as I'd like, but hopefully, it won't take too long. There are no other homes for sale in our tract, and the few that have been on the market, have sold rather quickly. So I guess it's time to stop writing on the blog and get back to work.