Things Suppliers Do #2

Step 1: Tell client you'll get back to them about product availability.

Step 2: Don't.

Things Contractors Do #5

Step 1: Criticise everyone else's work.

Step 2: There is no Step 2. You are perfect.

Things Suppliers Do #1

Step 1: Offer a product for sale.

Step 2: Make sure it's a discontinued product which you have no stock of.

Things Contractors Do #4

Step 1: Finish for the day.

Step 2: Make sure everywhere is left ajar and/or unlocked.

Step 3: Leave.

Things Contractors Do #3

Step 1: Promise to come on a specific day.

Step 2: Don't come.

Things Contractors Do #2

Step 1: Smoke a cigarette.

Step 2: Stamp it out on the nicest tiles you can find.

Things Contractors Do #1

Note: This is a series of short, light-hearted posts about the quirks from various contractors onsite that we've had to deal with. Some have been quite frustrating, but are now behind us. Mostly.

Step 1: Bring fully loaded ftira with you for lunch.

Step 2: Eat half of it.

Step 3: Leave the other half there. Forever. To mould.

Preparatory Framework

When we removed the old wooden frames, I thought that the residual recesses would be filled with plaster and aligned with the rest of the limestone. I was wrong.

Our contractor (very nonchalantly) told us we'd need to go to a limestone supplier and have some strips cut to fill in the recesses. And that we'd have to do it in 24 hours as otherwise his workers wouldn't have enough work to do the following day. Well then.

Thankfully, we managed to find a guy in Gozo who sorted us out, and the following morning the limestone strips were readily delivered. It took a couple of days, but the affected doors and windows are now properly buffed out.

Here's a couple.

We've also installed the window sills to the facade and the stairs window. This allows our carpenter to take proper measurements for the apertures.

The slabs are a neutral colour and subtle design to complement the limestone walls. This will allow the contrast of the apertures to pop out more.

Oh and, the unexpected expense of ordering those limestone strips? Cancelled out by the aluminium we sold. A small battle won.

(No More) Aluminium

I had a bit of a chuckle at this article, it was published maybe a day or two after we removed the old aluminium that was still donning some of the windows. Not that I wanted to keep it - personally, I'm not a big fan of it, especially the gold colour, but I imagine it is a more cost effective solution than the alternatives forced on us. And that stuff was tough to remove - it took two professionals, a grinder, a pack of cigarettes and two hours to remove four frames. They just don't do things nowadays like they used to.

The good thing about it though is that you can turn it in for a profit at one of your local aluminium suppliers. You won't leave with the fattest of wads of cash - it's gold colour, not literal gold - but if you have enough it could cover one of your smaller expenses (a bucket of paint here, a bag of grouting there). Every euro counts. 

Every. Euro.

Il-Balzunetta

The Ghajnsielem feast is known for a lot of its unique traditions, including the "Balzunetta", which you can read about here. It also just so happens to pass in front of the house.

Last year we were hoping that by this time we'd be throwing shredded papers down from the balcony, something which obviously didn't materialise. We still did get a front-row view from our porch though.

Singing "Viva x-Xemx" at night.

I had an anxious realisation in the days building up to this particular Friday night. Some people tend to get a little too rowdy, and I was worried that since we don't have a front gate installed yet they'd use the porch as a dumping ground for watermelons and empty cups. Or even worse, as a urinal.

So viewing the march from the porch wasn't just for the enjoyment, it was also to hold the fort. Thankfully, the only casualties were a couple of empty plastic cups and I was able to sleep a bit easier at night.

Grouting

The deeper we delve into this project, the more things crop up that, in hindsight, could have been planned for earlier, especially when it comes to availabilities and costs.

The bathrooms will make use of feature walls, going beyond the neutral colours of brown, white, etc. While the contractor would handle the buying of standard coloured grouting, anything outside the norm was to be left up to us.

After visiting a handful of hardware stores in Gozo, I noticed a few things. First of all, the colour spectrum isn't as vast as, for example, when choosing paint. You'll find one (maybe two) shades of a colour, and just because it's on the palette doesn't mean it's in stock. There are chances the colour you choose needs to be ordered from the main supplier (not a big deal) or, even worse, has since been discontinued. Don't expect hardware stores to keep themselves abreast of everything. Also, there are only a few brand suppliers and they tend to be utilised by more than one hardware store, so if one doesn't have it, then chances are others won't either.

I recommend keeping your options open. Let's say you have pink tiles. You don't have to necessarily get pink grouting. Something contrasting works as well, like gold or the always-available white. Google is your friend, but plan ahead. And remember, the smaller your tiles, the more grouting you'd need, as you'd have more borders to cover. Best to ask your contractor to give you a rough estimate.

We didn't, and I've no idea if this is too much or not enough.