Repairs/remodeling slowed last week as we waited for materials to arrive. I take the blame, because at the last minute, I realized that we didn’t have to use the usual color of Pelio roof tiles. Zoning is very strict in the Pelio so all the houses have the same redish pink color tile roofs or quartz roofs depending on the area. Since our repair permit does not necessitate the need to conform to Pelio architectural standards, we get to do whatever the heck we want—more on that later. That means that we can choose any color which opens up a big can of worms and makes getting the tiles much more complicated. The Pelio roof tiles can be purchased at any building supply, but since using a different color is out of the ordinary, it is going to take some time to get them. First I had to drive to Volos to even see samples of the different colors, and then I had to make a decision. I dragged Jonathan to Volos on Saturday to help finalize the color. They are made in southern Greece and will hopefully be here within two weeks.
In the meantime, the major work last week was replacing the wooden shed roof with a concrete one. Here is the lovely Albanian family building the concrete form.
This is the south side of the house. The roof is going to be substantially higher. Notice the old roof tile color.
Finished concrete roof, or shall I say south-facing deck. We will put tiles on it at first for permitting reasons, but eventually it will be a lovely place to drink coffee in the winter.
Here is Eri, his dad, brother, and cousin laying the new roofing materials which include 10cm of insulation. The clay tiles go on top of the blue material.
The false ceiling came out of the old living room, which will now be the bedroom. The heat pump survived the flood thank goodness.
Pelion building regulations are getting stricter to protect both open space and to ensure the architectural integrity of the region. This seems to be a good idea. Since December 9th, 2022 all plots less than an acre in size are no longer constructible when located outside of the boundaries of the municipalities. This means that we could not build a house on our land today, which is only 0.25 acres, and is out of town. We are lucky that all the walls of our house survived the flood, because legally we would not be able to rebuild. We are also lucky because all the properties surrounding our house, are small plots like ours, owned by different owners meaning that no one can build in the area. The openness of the Koukouleika hills will be preserved.
Due to these new regulations, our house does not qualify for a remodeling permit, only a small-scale permit which does not allow the square footage to be increased nor the volume of the roof. This was very disappointing at first but has worked out for the best. Strangely enough, the small scare permit does not require that changes must conform to the Pelio architectural standards. This means that we can have aluminum windows instead of wood, any size/shape of windows, and finally any color of roof tile.
Tomorrow we will finalize the window and door dimensions. As soon as Eri cuts the new holes, the electrician will get to work rewiring the whole house. While that is happening Eri, and his family will add 10 cm of insulation to the exterior walls, along with new stucco. Hopefully, the roof tiles will have arrived by then and the exterior will be almost complete. Seven weeks until we have to move out of our rental. It is going to be close. Any bets?