The bodega is secured!

Hola amigos!

Our apology for delaying so very long on updating our construction blog. Wow, how did two weeks pass so quickly!

First, some have asked Jim, "what the heck is a bodega"? "Is it a basement in Spanish"? So let's get clear on this bodega thing. Essentially it is a storage space. In our little casa the space that is becoming bathroom #2 (of 3) was initially intended as the bodega - a place where we could store owners supplies, and supplies for our staff to use when we're away - so they can put clean sheets and towels on the beds, and get some cleaning supplies.

As the project evolved and it became very clear that we could add a third floor downhill from the first floor - hanging between some of the structural posts which hold up the house - we revamped our plan slightly, and decided to make the first floor bodega into a third bathroom so that each bedroom had a private bath, and use the new third level as a storage level.

As it turned out, there is a HUGE amount of space provided by doing this. Our quick calculations figure this at about 33 square meters or about 330 square feet of total space. We really don't need a 330 square foot closet. But we're not sure just how the total space will ultimately be used. But we did know we had two immediate needs. First, we needed a secure equipment room where we can store the propane tank, the generator, and compressors for air conditioning. We allocated about 6.25 square meters to be a secure space just for that. In this first photo you can see the generator room behind the guys on the right.

Then we wanted a dry room to replace what would have been the dry room on the first floor. With Costa Rica's humid climate, it is important to have a space where we can run a small dehumidifier. It was in this space, which turned out to be about 7.5 square meters, that we created two sub rooms. The back secured owners closet, and the front employee space. In the second photo you can see the secure owners portion of the dry room, with the mesh door to allow the entire space to be dried. That little window is just to allow some natural light to come in - and it can be opened to allow for fresh air flow when we want to clean that

space.

In the third photo, you can see Gerardo fitting a solid metal door he built so that fresh humid air is kept out of the room.

And in this fourth photo, you can see the completed door to the dry room. If the generator room door was closed, you would see it closing in on the edge of the dry room door. All of these doors have secure locks to prevent petty theft. It does seem like that would be unlikely, but Alazan is the new wealthy gringo community in what is otherwise agricultural areas - so security just makes sense.

All of this fits into the "back" of the bodega level, leaving quite a generous amount of undeveloped space. We will wind up securing that third large room as well with some sort of chain link material. At the moment, that larger third room contains the water filter (at the corner of the dry room) and the plumbing is in place to add a simple wash sink down there as well. So it will be important, but not urgent, to secure the rest of the bodega. Besides, that creates several layers of locked gates - and material to keep the enterprising monkeys who make their way past our casita at least twice a day.

Thanks for reading our blog. Once again, our apology for such a delay.

Regards,

Ricardo y Jeeeem