We've got some work to do...Bakoven, here we come!

Nicci's beautiful mind project is finally starting to shine through the piles of debris, dusty 'everything,' and untamed jungle of a garden.  The pics for week 12 blow my mind!  From having an operating Solar Energy system with storage battery to having a complete secure perimeter; from the beautifully commissioned (and christened) hot tub at the top of property to getting all the internal finishings underway.  Go back and look at Week 1 and you won't believe this is the same house. The decking that surrounds the house, and goes to the back of the property, is magnificent with views at every point.  The renewed and re-done pool is crystal blue now and waiting for the heat of summer to force us into the cold water.  The master bathroom is complete with the walk-in closet and outside shower making good progress.  The Emerald Room (a.k.a. the guest bathroom) is as spectacular as originally imagined.  The kitchen is almost done and the openness after break...

Let's start at the top of the yard and work our way down.  The Sky Deck is looking amazing with the top decking and stairs done, including the framing and boxing of the hot tub.  And for our wonderful guests, we figured we should build you a lovely Sky Deck toilet so you don't wee in our jacuzzi (please don't) or fall down our stairs in a drunken stupor (Michelle) trying to make you way back down to the house.  The interior of the pool is complete with Carnival Mosaic, but still some work to do finishing the painting of the copings, commissioning the salt water chlorinator and getting the pump and filter up and running so the kreepy krauly can do its thing. Next, the kitchen doors have been installed on the cupboards and the appliances have arrived.  Just outside of the kitchen, our hottest feature has been installed... our wood burning fireplace.  The stucco'd walls have been completed and painting has started in all rooms of the house.  Wall paper discuss...

We have figured out that progress at the speed of light past 9 weeks is not sustainable, but the finishes are starting to look great!  The first views of the stucco walls and the screed floors are getting us very excited to see the finished product.  And with the counters being installed, the kitchen and scullery are now coming together. Outside, the pool and hot tub area are going to be dubbed the ‘SkyBox.’  This area is starting to come together with the pool chill deck just waiting for some margaritas.  And on the front side of the house, two new garage doors have been installed and the front gate to the driveway.  This was installed at night by a nocturnal gentleman only using his night vision to get the job done…quite impressive.                       

Some of you that have visited or lived in Cape Town know its beauty and vibrancy as being a ‘one of kind’ city.  But people often forget about the negatives like crime, load shedding, poverty, and the weather.  The predictable unpredictability of the weather from one suburb to the next in the metro area of Cape Town can cause one to tear their hair out…or, tear a roof off off your outdoor braai area and tip over a shit filled port-a-potty in your front yard.  Last week, the storm was so bad that you couldn’t tell where the rain was coming from, or if ocean water was being blown across the entire city.  Wind damage, flooding, landslides and roads collapsing, all in a period of 36 hours.  Our current house that we are renting, starting leaking from numerous orifices (ooh, that sounds gross), so buckets and towels had to come to the rescue.   The next morning, we went to the build site of the new house to check on everything.  Besides water coming through...