Mango Lodge - finished for now...

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Sunday

This morning it is so lovely to wake up with the sound of the sea washing on the shore and the birds singing in the trees. No sounds of drills or hammers and no tools or paint pots in sight. In the next few days we can enjoy Carnival and maybe do a bit of reading and painting (arty type stuff), and snorkel and hang out on the beach.

We are now officially finished on the house for this year and really really pleased with the results. All the rooms have had a full on Thorley tart up treatment. The only room we did a ‘temporary fix’ on was the kitchen and even that looks good.

Some interesting stats of what was used to renovate the house

300 linear ft of structural pine (4x2)
1000 sq ft of plywood
700 linear ft of decorative pine
29 gallons of paint/varnish
13 paintbrushes
3 interior doors
41 boxes of tiles
14 hand made shutters - each made up of 80 separate pieces of hardwood.
11 Louvre doors - each made up of 66 separate pieces of hardwood
... and it only took 4 months!

Son has done a great job in the garden. He topped the really high trees so that we now have fantastic views of the Caribbean sea from the front, and from the side of the house. The garden is brighter and more manageable and split into areas, a grass lawn area, a fruit tree area, a flower garden and a kitchen garden plus 2 beautiful pathways meandering through the trees - one from the road coming down to the house and one from the house going down to the bay. Andy made and hung a Mango Lodge sign at the entrance just to top it off.

The Hot shower

Well Kate waited from 2nd November till 16th February very patiently but it was well worth the wait. The bathroom looks like a posh hotel and to celebrate the first hot shower we opened a bottle of sparkly, and even used our new cream fluffy towels, (which had been packed away during building site mode). Wow!!

The furniture is now in pride of place in the lounge and looks right. The cushion covers were made by a local girl who managed to put the zips on the front instead of the back, but we have just turned them around and lived with it. Hey ho!

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Photos

Bathroom detail
click Next>> for more pictures...

Comments

[Valerie]

Well done guys!
With views and rooms like that, do you realise how many guests are going to invite themselves now? Well done - you've done a splendid job..... we'll see it one day hopefully :) x x

[Ann Dougherty]

Great Job!
Been reading with interest your progress on the house. What a difference you have made. Dominica can be tough on new residents (and old) to get the motivation going with their limited resources. My sister in law lives on the other side of the island, if you ever run into her shopping, etc. Carol Bunting (ex-pat). I was born on Dominica, but have lived in the States most of my life, and am now in the Orlando area. If you're ever here, look me up. Ann

[joan aubrey]

So you had a bite of paradise!!!
Hi Kate and Andy, Your pictures of Dominica are vibrant and breathtaking and remind me of the piece of paradise that I had, and left 23years ago. I love everything Dominican and everyone who loves Dominica! Looking at those pictures put a longing in my heart for that piece of paradise again. Next time I am in Dominica, I will take my kids to visit Mango Lodge (one of their favourite summer fruits!)