Our house no longer looks like it is suffering a severe case of chicken pox. The whole house is brand new, inside and out. Thanks to the significant effort of Roy (our friend and contractor) who regularly visited our house during the months while we were in California. Before last November, the area just below the upstairs ceiling had screen (no glass.)
The design concept was to allow the movement of air through the house. Roy had warned us that rain could come in through the screens. M felt that there was enough roof overhang to prevent water intrusion. Well, we should have listened to Roy. During a particularly strong storm in October, driving rain entered through the screens and was pooling on the beautiful teak floors in our bedroom. Also the metal columns that support the roof were all rusted and mildew was growing on practically all the interior surfaces. Jossilyn, Roy's wife, was great in getting a great deal of the mildew eradicated. However, there were several other issues that needed our attention. Roy also noticed the the exterior metal columns that comprise the foundation and supports for the house were starting to rust. A situation that was unacceptable considering the paint was less than a year old. Fortunately, Roy went to bat for us and contacted the "Lanco" paint representative. Had several conversations over the phone and had him visit the property to show that the paint had failed.
It was Roy's outstanding effort that lead to the Lanco company fulfilling its warranty and paying to have the whole house painted inside and out. Also, all the interior walls needed repainting because the paint was peeling off in huge strips. The "Lanco" representative tried laying the failure on the painters that were supplied by the local ferreteria (hardware store). Then tried to fob it off on the fact that the paint was applied during the rainy season. Then laid the blame on salt corrosion from the Golfo. Granted we get a lot of breezes from the Gulf and probably it contains some salt air, however, we live 3 miles from the water's edge so it can't be that much of a factor. Roy was tenacious and finally the "Lanco" representative stated that the paint had "expired." I didn't know that paint could expire and cause such problems. We were just happy that the Lanco company agreed to pay to repaint the house at no charge to us. They also sent authorized Lanco painters to do the job.
The painters, headed by Diego (on the right) along with his 2 younger brothers, Anthony and Daniel did a fabulous job. They were efficient and professional. Arriving promptly at 7 am every morning and leaving at 5:30 pm and each night before they left, their work areas were tidy. They lived up in the mountains near Pérez Zeledón (a 5 hour drive from here.) Roy arranged for a house down by the beach to live in during the week. The job stretched over 4 weeks and we had a chance to get to know them. Diego and his wife have a house with a "cabina" and we plan to visit them when we climb Mt. Chirripó (more about that soon.)
They are 3 of a family of 11 children. Their father is 92 and still works around his farm. When they are not painting, each of them work the farm too. On Mondays when they returned to work, they brought us interesting tropical fruits and cacao pods. M would ask them many questions about growing fruit trees and cacao trees. We have 5 cacao trees that were planted about a year ago. They look a little weak and scraggly but seem to be hanging in there. Their generosity and thoughtfulness in their gifts was heart-warming.
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