Chile Beach House Projects - January and February 2010

Before		After
Over a two month period we transformed our house at the beach, including the insallation of PVC siding, new roll-down security window coverings, a new front gate, new site-built stairs at the back to our terrace and new lights all around. Here is the photo summary of this house transformation. We hope you enjoy the details.

From a distance, the house did not look too bad, but it did need re-painting and repairs. We decided to cover it with PVC, instead of paint, thinking longer term (and of course supporting the chlorine and PVC industry!). As we got into the job, several other improvements and repairs were needed, so it became a summer-long project. We are very happy with the results. Fortunately, the earthquake (which came just after we left Chile) did no damage to the house.

The "Made in USA" vinyl was staged and ready to go.

		We were very happy with the excellent "maestros," the craftsmen who we knew from other jobs done on our house. Above, Cristián (green shirt), the head contractor, and his assistant, Julio, installed the white borders, then the reflective backing sheet and surface vinyl on the first wall at the back of the house.

It was fun to see the daily progress as panels filled in open space. Cristián and Julio were a very efficient team.

We were proud of their work ethic, attention to detail, creative problem solving, and clean-up at the end of each day.

		Our stairs to the back terrace needed to be replaced due to rotten wood. The unit was removed to make way for the PVC siding on these walls, and a new staircase was to be built on-site at the end of the project.

The "wow" factor continued every day, as we saw the complete transformation to the "look" of the house.

Thoughtful planning, careful measurements and precise cutting, all contributed to a first-class job.

Before long, they were at the front of the house, first in the car-port area at the entry way.

		Always time for a bit of fun during the project!

To strike a level, for alignment of the PVC panels, they used a long clear plastic tube filled with water (from the pool).

By lining up the water-level on both ends of the tube, they could establish the perfect horizontal line over a long distance.

Yet another wall starts to take on a new look.

We took the opportunity to replace all of the highly corroded light fixtures. The salty sea air really does them in.

		We also had the power company replace our corroded primary meter box.

The new meter box now met the "standard" for the house!

The face of the house was starting to show its "face lift."

		Margy has a bird's-eye view of the progress.

Cristián lines up the supports for the new rain gutter on the front of the house. Look closely, and you will see a barely visible (in photo) red line. This is the string under each bracket to assure the proper inclination of the channel.

		We added new roll-down security window covers on the front of the house, like we had done on the back side one year earlier. The pre-measured parts were installed in a day.

A nicer look, as well as more secure.

		One short but fun job was making a heater vent cover out of sheet metal at this local shop.

From a hand-made sketch with the shop's owner, and an immediate fabrication, the hood was installed the same day.

As finishing touches were completed on the PVC, one last major job was the rebuilding of the back terrace stairs. Long pressure-treated side beams were brought in specifically for this job.

These incredibly heavy pieces were quite difficult to position as the construction project began.

Alignment for measurements allowed the initial pocket-slots to be cut. Each stair tread would be placed in these slots.

		Craftsmanship at its best.

Cristián's brother, Eduardo (in blue) added to the crew during the last few weeks, especially for this big and heavy stair job.

It took all of us to maneuver the stairs into position, and then to fasten the steps to the outboard riser.

		First props, then threaded rods to hold it firmly.

		Eduardo is an excellent mason, and made repairs to our front fence wall, resurfacing it to join with the newer section to the left.

The green wall and resurfaced section will be painted tan, once the concrete fully cures. This will be done before our next summer's return to Chile.

Paying the bills: As the project neared completion, we went to the local hardware store to reconcile all the outstanding bills of materials. We were very satisfied with how it turned out.

		As the overall house project was wrapping up, we started one final modification, to replace the old front gates with two new rolling security gates made of iron and wood. The iron worker's shop was walking distance from our house, so we monitored their pre-fabrication each day.

Once on-site, the completion of the fence was done in a few days, beginning with dismantling what existed.

Some of this was not easy! They were able to save the re-bar from the old concrete structure to support the new steel column. All withstood the earthquake that would follow just a few weeks later.

At times we had as many as six contractors working around the house at one time. It was a busy place!

The support guide rails were set into concrete. After a couple of days to let the concrete cure, the gates were installed.

		Refinements included a spacer guard for small animals.

The new front look!

Both front and back of the house looked great to us. What a change from the beginning of the summer.

New siding, stairs and lights all combined for a fresh face for the house.

Speaking of faces, Margy's happy face reflects our joy with this project. We hope you will come to visit, so you can see the changes for yourself.

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