Preparation

This is what the lot looked like before construction.  Our lot is actually just to the south of this lot, but if I showed you our lot all you would see is small trees and brush.  You can see these at both sides of this lot.

This is the beginning of construction.  The bricks, gravel and sand in the background will become part of The House of Tropical Dreams.  The man on the right in the foreground is Chimal.  He was the maestro (master) or foreman for building our house.  While he was working away on our house, his brother, Victor, was the maestro for Posada Eden just down the beach from us.  Chimal and Victor are both very experienced maestros having built projects as small as our house up to shopping centres.

The steel rods on the ground are a small sample of the reinforcing bars used in the posts and beams of the house.  The blue rocks in the photo on the right were used in building the foundation.  Later on you'll see the re-bar and foundation in use.

Every construction project needs a cook.  Ours was Diosalina with her daughter helping out sometimes.

And this was their kitchen.

When she wasn't cooking for the workers, Diosalina also did their laundry.