An el DF Moment

Coffee in hand, we gazed out the window of our Mexico City rental apartment this morning and were transfixed by the work of the garbage crew.

Once collected from the sidewalk, trash bags are opened and emptied onto the back of the garbage truck. From there, they are sorted with all recyclables removed and placed in separate bins.  

Strangely, although we live in Mérida, we are unsure if the process is the same there, as garbage is collected in the middle of the night and we have never seen the process in action. Does anyone have any insight?

el DF

So, we have been meaning to take a trip to DF (aka Mexico City) to do some furniture shopping for our house. This weekend, we finally made it. First stop, Trouvé - a mid-Century furniture store in Condesa and Roma. Javier, the proprietor, has a fabulous eye and acquires some outstanding pieces, like a gorgeous chaise lounge made entirely out of steel. Unfortunately, it had just been sold two hours prior to our arrival to one Michael Nyman (yes, the British composer guy). Damn him and his good taste! Having said that, we snapped up some great pieces and are now resting comfortably after just consuming two pounds of steak at our favorite Argentinian parilla.

A Transformative Return

After several weeks lurking about the countryside of New Zealand, eating way too many meat pies, and enjoying a gluttonous Asian food tour NOB (it really was shameful the rate at which we slurped those noodles), we flew back home ready for warm weather and anxious to see the progress on our house.

We weren’t disappointed on either front. Along with tropical temperatures (for winter at least), we found our house amazingly transformed. Old walls have come down, boundaries defined, buildings have been destroyed, and piles of rubble are gone.

The central courtyard is now a wide open swath of land ready to receive the indoor/outdoor living area. It’s amazing how with the old structures gone, it’s so much easier to visualize how the new building will take shape.

As for the rear garden, the old mamposteria wall is being raised up to 3m in height using stones recovered from demolished walls in our media room and kitchen. For this to happen, the old wall had to come down as it lacked the proper footings and reinforcements to get us up to 3m.

After three attempts at building the wall according to our “aesthetic specifications” (code for we were being fussy), the builders are finally on the right track.

We will soon be in proud possession of a stone wall, built from large irregular limestone salvaged from the demolition of internal walls in our house. These stones will be held together by an organic pattern of small chinked stones held in place with a recessed brushed morter. It reminds us, in hindsight, of the stone work at Teotihuacán.

On the Other Side of the World

In the midst of construction on your house, it’s best to stick around, visit the site regularly and be on hand for issues that arise. It is not, generally speaking, the best time to go on vacation.

Despite the warnings to heed this advice, we decamped to New Zealand for a two week visit to Brent’s family. Although it was difficult to tear ourselves away from the gripping construction drama (and hand over control to our builder), we are confident things are in good hands and from the latest word received, all is going according to schedule.

So, until we return in a couple of weeks, here are some recent photos of the on-going evolution of our build. We’ll try to update these as we receive them.

The tile in the media room has been lifted to reveal the dirt floor underneath. The tile will be taken away for cleaning and then relaid on a new concrete floor that will arrive in a month or so.

A few trees in the rear garden are coming down so work can start on the digging of the swimming pool. Dug by hand, the process starts early in construction as it takes a while to complete.

Looking from the kitchen, the sole sour orange tree left standing looks great, framed by the south door.

With so much demolition occurring all at once, it’s often hard to know what room we are looking at when we review our photos. This is the new kitchen (we think), stacked with concrete tile and metal windows recovered from an adjacent building where the kitchen used to be.

Down with the Roof

Today, the existing roof of our soon-to-be kitchen (formerly known as the tejaban) is coming down. The old French terracotta tiles that sat for years, baking in the sun, are being lowered to the ground, three at a time in a white bucket.

The tejas (terracotta roof tiles) almost completely removed.

Once down, each tile will be hand cleaned and stored until it can be re-fitted on the restored roof.

The tejas stacked and ready to be cleaned.

While dismantling the roof, we finally had a chance to inspect the rafters. We learned they are made from pine. 

Pine is a relatively new wood in the Yucatán, having made its appearance in the region around 20 or 30 years ago once transportation routes were established connecting places like Oaxaca (where pine is grown) with Mérida.

Although the introduction of pine brought cheap wood into the market, it also brought major headaches to those who purchased it. Pine is soft and adored by termites. Whenever it is used, it’s only a matter of time (a few years at most) before termites announce themselves by boring holes in the wood.

The tejaban before the start of construction (the black lines streaking down from the roof on the right are termite tracks).

The tejas completely removed.

The presence of pine in our tejaban means that either the beams and doors were completely redone 20 or so years ago, or the tejaban itself was added during that time.

Whatever the story, we finally have confirmation that we cannot salvage the existing beams. They will have to go in favor of new beams made of termite-resistant hardwood like Pucte or Machiche. Although more money up front, removing the welcome mat from such pests is the only way to go.

What Comes Down Will Go Back Up

This week our house is being taken apart. Bit by bit, everything of value is being removed for restoration. The walls are now studded with gaping holes that make them look like we are in the midst of war.

Intrepid Exploration Without Leaving Home

Yesterday, we discovered a lime tree on the property. We feel like explorers.

Although we only have a small rear garden, it was hidden amongst the undergrowth and we never spotted it until the yard was recently cleared. With its discovery, it’s rather obvious this little tree could do with a bit of coiffing.

Now that we can get back to the rear of the property (also a new journey), we can finally appreciate the space. In a few weeks, a guy will start digging our pool (by hand). When finished, it will sit in the foreground of the image, a little to the right.

Humble Beginnings

The ground has yet to move. Walls have yet to tumble, but slowly, we’re seeing things happen with our build.

As we’ve mentioned previously, our wood work is moving forward and progress is being made daily. We now have the beginnings of a project schedule and are starting to organize major purchases for things like sinks, cooktops, ovens, etc. We’re also visiting the site more frequently to check in and consult on work to prep the site for construction.

First up, clear the site of the jungle that’s been growing over the year. Check. Second, uproot all trees growing out of walls, roofs and other unbelievable places. Check. Lastly, connect the house to city water by carving out a hole in the facade where the city can come in and connect a water meter. Check.

Once the water flows, a crew of workers will arrive to begin demolition and various features of the existing building will disappear.

Also posted separately are a few pics of pre-demolition as a last goodbye.

The Responsibility of New Construction

We are about to intervene on site with new construction. Paving over most of the central courtyard and inserting a building, it will never look this way again. A small swath of earth will not see sunlight for years, perhaps even a century. Is this a responsible course of action? What are we losing? What if we make it worse? It’s sad, and perhaps a little scary.

Our Front Room Could Use a Tidy Up

The ceiling of the front room was not in a great state and had to come down. What was formerly our front room is now an “entrance courtyard” filled with the rubble of demolition. To get past it all, a path has been cleared giving us access to the front door.