Remodel Update
Two steps forward, one step back...
Hi friends!
We’re settled back into Porto life after our Greece trip.
You know what always happens when you go on vacation: the adulting piles up. Here are the small mountains of adulting that we dug into this past week:
Remodel Update
Vegan Picnic Adventures
Quick Hits
Without further ado…
Remodel Update
We’re over a year into the process of remodeling our apartment here in Porto, and we have yet to swing a single hammer on the build-out.
Since our last update in October, we finalized our architectural plans, reached out and collected bids, and decided on our preferred builder.
This all happened in 2022.
Why the delay? It’s the Portugal way.
So as not to bore you with the details, here are just a few of the things that have continued to push our remodel to the right…
After the demolition works, we discovered the roof needed to be replaced. It’s 60 years old and failing.
The roof is an HOA matter, so it requires approval from all 5 owners of the building.
Getting the approval of other owners required 3 months of getting bids, sharing them with homeowners, and having an official meeting, which happened in January.
Portuguese roofers don’t do whole roof replacements during winter months, because…
Portuguese roofers need 90 days (!!) to replace a roof! It rains too often here in the winter to have the building exposed for that long.
Our roof work was set to start on May 15th.
Due to probably-could-have-been-foreseen circumstances, the roof work is now not starting until June 15th.
Nobody works in August.
June 15th + 90 days = September 15th (not counting days not being worked in August).
Our builder/contractor can’t start work until the roof is done.
Whew, I needed that sunset photo right there…
So… while no hammers have been swinging since the demolition last summer, we have been trying to hammer out a lot of backroom deals to keep things moving on all fronts.
Our current, fingers-crossed start date for our remodel is mid-September.
Vegan Picnic Adventures
Hilary planned a Plant-Based Porto vegan potluck picnic in Parque da Cidade do Porto on a recent Saturday afternoon. We had been enjoying a long stretch of warm, sunny weather, and it was the perfect chance to create an inclusive, fun event.
Hilary spent all week preparing for the picnic: going around to various stores to get games, tables, infrastructure, etc… things that we will use plenty ourselves going forward.
The day before, of course, the weather report completely turns on us, and we start getting rain and thunderstorms.
Not to be daunted, Hilary quickly pivoted and we invited everyone over to our place instead. We knew everyone from past events, so we felt comfortable bringing them into our home.
It was a great success and a really fun time. We hosted people from the US, Belgium, Brazil, and Portugal, ate way too much food, and made stronger connections.
Quick Hits
Our friend Marta invited us to a Portuguese birthday dinner party with all of their friends. In true local fashion, we arrived 35 minutes late and were the first ones there. Dinner started at 1030pm, and we were eating dessert at around 2 am. These locals sure do know how to stay up late.
Accidental renaissance or late-night birthday shenanigans?
I finally got my grill working. We bought it at the beginning of April and the propane tank I got for it had the wrong connector. Turns out that there are a bunch of different types of canisters and regulators here. And the closest place to get them is over half a kilometer away. And they weigh 29 kilos (over 60lb). So I had to carry a full canister home on foot, then back again, then back home again (this time a butane one that fits my grill). It’s worth it - all the spring veggies are on my grill top almost daily.
Basketball street art, tall ships in Porto, and Hilary with a couple of her favorite things: cat house, street art, and her initial…
I’m back on the road again. My wrist (fractured 9 weeks ago) and my knee are all healed up. I recently took Sunday spins up the coast to Póvoa de Varzim and then the next week to Espinho, and it feels great to be back in the saddle. I’ve also been running a ton of kilometers in the streets of Porto. It’s liberating.
A few shots from my Sunday ride to Póvoa de Varzim.
Pandinha, the black and white foster kitty we hosted a while ago, is back in our house. We had returned him to the shelter for adoption and he wasn’t doing well there. Hilary’s big heart was hurting for him, so she brought him home on Monday and he’ll be with us for a bit. He was so, so happy to be back. Hopefully, we can help him find his furver home.
Póvoa…
We took a day trip out to Arouca to walk across one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. It’s a gorgeous river canyon spanned by a two-year-old metal bridge that’s half a kilometer long, followed by a wooden walkway that runs 7km down the river valley. We got caught by crazy thunderstorms about halfway through and had to call a cab to get back, but it sure was fun.
How has spring been treating you? What’s the good word?
This week’s music, since I’m back out there running and riding, is my current workout mix. I would love to hear yours… will you share?
Oh, it must be so frustrating to deal with such delays in remodel. Is there no “bonus” to offer the roofers to do a faster job?
Where are you guys staying now? Hope you don’t have to vacate and find another place. As my grandmother used to say: Patience is God’s salve, woe to those who apply it. It sounds better in my language. ;-)