We'd been saving our shekels for some time to replace the tin awning over our patio. Of course, one must deal with the "have-to" before one does the "want-to". We had to handle the flooding basement before we could think about making our patio area much better.
We did the drainage very well. We had the contractor pour extra concrete in anticipation of our patio expansion.
When we decided we were spiritually and financially ready to tackle another large project, we interviewed 4 contractors. The first one kicked my dog, so we didn't get very far with him. The next two were nice guys, but we didn't feel they were able to Grok our concept.
After giving up on #3 we were a little depressed feeling like we weren't going to get what we wanted for the money we had to spend or we may just have to give up on the idea. We'd been surviving on the patio with curtains, a fire pit, two propane heaters, an old CRT TV and a kegerator, but it just wasn't what we were after. Oh, we had fun out there.
We'd watched the sun come up on many occasions. We accused that space of being able to displace time.
Being somewhat despondent, we went to our local watering hole and met up with our former next-door neighbor, Derek, who used to be a contractor, but got out of the business. We told him our situation. He said he couldn't do the job, though he'd like to, but for a number of reasons (insurance being just one), it wasn't possible, however, he had a guy! Whoo Hoo!
Pedro from Z Rios Construction used to work for Derek. Pedro bought a lot of Derek's equipment when Derek got out of the business.
Pedro was great. His quote was spot on, he made suggestions we hadn't thought about, every suggestion was a winner. On several occasions I had county Inspectors tell me what a great job Pedro and his guys were doing for us. That's a hell of a confidence builder.
Now it's Working!
So far, we've managed to have Christmas dinner, A little NYE fun, a few neighbors in, and I think the biggest test was Super Bowl LX in the Cigar Bar. The exhaust fans were working overtime that night. There were cigars and cigarettes going all night, and it didn't seem to bother the non-smokers. There was a lot of snack food as well as Bloody Marys, some beer and a lot of Scotch.
Yup, it's working out well. Feel free to take a look at the pictures. I think you'll agree, it looks like a fun place.
More later ~
