My original plan for this post was to continue sharing some of the material selections we’ve made for the house. A couple of weeks ago, Andrea and I met with the carpenter who will be handling all of the woodwork. His scope includes the kitchen cabinetry and island, bathroom vanities, closets, stairs, and the banisters and railing. During that meeting, however, I realized I don’t have much to show yet, aside from a few wood samples. There won’t be anything substantial to present until the carpenter has built the pieces and begun installation. That stage should come together within the next month or so and will definitely have its own post.

In the meantime, though, the past three weeks since my last post have brought progress in other areas of construction. Most notably, the plumbing for the second story has been laid, and the electrical system for the entire house is currently being installed.

All of the second-story water and drainage needs are concentrated on one side of the house, which made the runs straightforward and relatively short. In the photo, you can see the white drainage lines and green water lines emerging from the second-story floor, running just beneath the metal framing. The water lines will eventually connect to the supply line outside the house, while the drainage pipes are set at a slight downward angle to tie into the main black and grey drainage lines. Those were embedded during the pouring of the pad and are now concealed within the first-floor walls. And, after this work is complete, all of the lines will be hidden by the installation of a gypsum ceiling.

Our construction site in Villaflor now has an electrician on duty for the next two weeks. He’s been hard at work installing the conduit and junction boxes that will form the backbone of the house’s electrical and internet systems. Since this phase has only just begun, I’ll share more details once the work has advanced a bit further.

Progress has continued on the exterior of the house as well. Some of the few remaining walls, mostly those near the roofline, have now been set in place, bringing us ever closer to a fully enclosed structure. At the same time, the crew has begun applying enlucido to the exterior walls (What the Hell is Enlucido?), which is really starting to show us how the house will look once completed.

And finally, I would like to present a neat little video that my father-in-law, Fransisco, found and shared with me. This is some drone footage of Villaflor posted on Youtube seven years ago. Thank you to the creator Andres Films. Kudos to anyone that can post in the comments below a timestamp that features our land!