Old is New

Photo diary

In one week we are supposedly moving back into the Koukouleika house. I am guessing that is not going to happen because there is still too much to be done. Fortunately, we have a backup plan that involves a stone house in Milina—more to come with that news later.

Here are a few photos that I snapped today:

West-side of the house with a new opening for French doors. Eventually, this will be an outdoor kitchen and dining area with Pelio stone over the concrete. The old marble sink will be incorporated into the outdoor kitchen. The rusty metal structure will remain with a bamboo roof protected by polycarbonate.

The entire house has 10cm of wall insulation covered by new stucco. This is only the base layer. The final exterior will go on last—we still haven’t decided on the color. I have gone through 3 pints of trial paint colors, but still have not found the perfect one.

The bedroom and office walls have been repaired with new lime-based plaster. The gray areas are new plaster. We had many conversations about what to do with the walls due to our concern that moisture had seeped into the areas where the plaster remained. The consensus amongst concerned neighbors, the builder, and the electrician, is that the old plaster was in terrific shape and there was no need to take it all off. Our plan, after Eri sands the walls smooth, is to paint it with hydrated lime, colored with powdered pigment. Lime is completely breathable and antibacterial. As I write the plan it all sounds very straightforward but truly we have no idea what we are doing:-)

The ceiling beams are from the original roof structure, just sanded to look more like logs. New planks have been added and I whitewashed it all to tie it all together. The floor will be local Pelio stone. The photo was taken where the window is supposed to be. I say supposed to because the window guy is being very flakey, much to our dismay.

Here is the crew! Eri smiling while his dad Andrea, mom Vasilika, and brother Leo give him a hand. They are constantly teasing each other while staying very focused on their tasks. I am smitten with Vasilika’s Balkan fashion sense and hand gestures

The living/dining room will be plastered tomorrow and that water line will no longer be visible. The arch is where the fireplace used to be. The French doors are out of the frame to the right. This is what the ceiling looked like before being whitewashed. I am still not sure if I will whitewash, stain it naturally, or do something else. Any thoughts?

Poor swallows built their nest up on the wall. We tried to shoo them away but they were very persistent.

Elena and Hugo have been here for a month helping us. For the past week, they have been scrubbing salvaged marble tiles. They were sitting in a building yard covered in mold, grime, and rust and were cheap as hell. Finally, after serious amounts of elbow grease and steel wool, they are gorgeous. They will be placed on the south-facing deck.

More to come . . . .