It’s finally time for interior painting in Villaflor, and for that we turn to our worker, Alfredo. He has been with us since the earliest days of construction, and now he’s guiding us through choosing the right color and getting it onto the walls.

A few weeks ago, we were told to come prepared to select the interior paint. We assumed it would be the usual process of flipping through paint swatches, but the experience turned out to be far more hands‑on. When we arrived, Alfredo was waiting in one of the brighter rooms of the house with a large bucket of white paint and several smaller containers of pigments. After we explained that we were aiming for a light gray, he began mixing colors by hand on a piece of card stock. He started with a scoop of white, then, using just the tips of his fingers, began adding tiny drops of blue and black. Once he settled on the amounts, he stirred vigorously and brushed a small square onto the wall for us to evaluate.

We gave feedback, holding up various ceramic tiles to show the tones we were trying to match, and Alfredo adjusted the mixture each time. After about five iterations, the perfect shade finally appeared on the wall. From that exercise, he was able to determine the exact ratio of pigments needed and could have the full batch prepared.

While the painting has just begun, the first coat is already starting to dramatically change the look of the house.

Now for a few more updates from around the house.

The hearth pad is officially in place. It’s a raised platform, 90 cm (35.5″) deep, 150 cm (59″) wide, and 40 cm (15.75″) high, built in the dining/living room area. The base is made from standard interior concrete blocks filled with gravel. Soon, it will get its finishing touches of wood accent along the sides and black porcelain tile on top. This will be the home for our new cast‑iron wood stove, which we ordered through a local distributor back in November. The manufacturer is in China and we expect it to arrive in mid-March.

Progress on the ceramic flooring is moving along well. The first floor is now complete, and the crew has begun installing tile on the second floor as well as in the bathrooms. The bathroom areas feature two distinct tile designs, one for the floors and another for the walls, along with added details such as built‑in shower niches.

And finally, a bonus shot from up on the mountain. Lambing season has just wrapped up, and the hills are now dotted with this year’s new arrivals. About half of our land naturally supports good grazing, so while we aren’t using it during construction, we’ve offered the space to a local farmer to help feed his flock. As a result, every visit to the property gives us several benefits: watching the progress on the house, seeing these little ones growing and exploring the hillside, and acclimating my mom’s dog, Frodo, to a life among livestock!