This week is a big one for us one the site. All of our contractors are on the job putting the finishing touches to their part of the construction.

The trailer is unloaded as I mentioned before and we have secured the items for the mean time at our staff house. In the image above you can see the items covered by a tarp. Once the roof sections arrive we will begin to move the large coolers into the store and cafe areas.

Cyrille and Paul are working diligently to fasten the steel beams that will be the support for the green house roofing material that will cover the store and bathroom entrance. In the image above you can see how it comes together, below you can see Paul getting dirty cutting the cement for the beams on the bathroom side.

Below Cyrille gives me a demonstration of how he fell on our last construction project. He is trying to be much more careful this time, so don't worry mom!!The crew poured the cap for the rock cribs along the entire length of the site last week. In the image below you can see Stafford attaching the rebar inside the form.

The cap will be used in attaching the railing system that arrived a few weeks ago. The crew has begun opening the boxes and reading the directions to insure it is put together properly.

The cap is about 2 feet wide and will almost disappear once the gravel has been installed. You can see the railing system in the images below. All the sections must be counted and organized prior to installation.

The crew poured the cover for the cistern and the counter in the cafe last week as well. In the picture below you can see that the counter is in the same style as the bathroom counters and has already been painted as well. The plumber, painter, welder, and electrician have all been out the the site working on their projects.

One of our contractors, Eyeball Engineering, is doing our onsite welding and they are moving quickly. You can see him working to weld the large I beams together for the roof support in the picture below. Once he has completed this he will move on to the roof cross beams, the grill grease trap, and awning supports for the cafe.

Check back with us soon for more updates and on site news!!

It all seems to be coming together in the final weeks of the project. The crew has begun work on the final touches and larger projects that are currently scheduled. As you can see in the images below the last column was poured and the frame was also removed this week. It came out great, thanks Stafford!!

Segundo is back on the job and he seems to also be relaxed after his well deserved trip home. It is good to have he, Dave, and Stafford on the job to insure that it all comes together properly. The crew has stepped up to the challenge of our deadline and all seem very confident.

Our trailer finally arrived from Miami after numerous delays and we have successfully unloaded all of the coolers, ice machines, and various restaurant supplies that it contained. The guys were able to use sheer manpower to unload the coolers due to the lack of available forklifts on the island. Segundo worked to build a ramp from the trailer and used peices of PVC pipe to roll the larger items right out and onto the platform where they will be stored until we are ready for installation.

The bulldozer is still on site working to clear the gravel area and move the rock pile out of the new parking area. The crew was able to finish the rock cribs in the wall on the rear of the building. In the image above you can see how the wall was completed.

The cafe area is being leveled this week and a thin layer of sand is being put down for the paver installation. In the image above you can see Segundo working to remove larger rocks with a pick in order to create a level surface to lay the pavers on.

The pavers are all 16" square and must be laid precisely to insure correct spacing. In the image above you can see the pipe which will be hooked up to the bar sink in the outside bar on the cafe level.

Nat takes a moment to analyze how the paver installation is coming along. Once hey have all been laid they will sweep sand across the top and into the spaces to allow for a cushion between each brick.

In the image above you can see Edward smiling as usual. The triangle area to the left a planter is proposed to be built and planted with various vines and other native plants.

The installation is coming along quickly by the end of today they will be complete.

We have decided to include two skylights in the store area for more natural light. These windows will be installed next week when they arrive. The painter will begin work this weekend in the cafe and bathrooms applying both the primer and top coat colors.
The work in the bathrooms has been completed and is ready for paint. In the images above and below you can see what went into forming up the walls, closets, and countertops in both bathrooms. I love the sinks that were chosen they are very elegant.
The door installation is going well. All of the storage closet doors have been attached and the doors to the storgage rooms in the bathroom building have also been hung as you can see below. The doorknob and dead bolt cut outs must be cut before anything else can happen with them.

The installation of a deadman reinforcement began today. Stafford and Bernard work in the trench to attach rebar to the rock crib. This trench will be poured with concrete to add in securing the heavy rock baskets to the center of the gravel area.

In the image below you can see that a storage room has also been added to the massage room for any additional materials pertaining to the pavilion area.

This counter in the cafe is the next project for the crew. The counter must be hand poured like our exterior columns and also the counters in the bathrooms. When we open this counter will be used for continental breakfast and other items during meal service.

I hope the seasons treated all of our readers well!!

I woul like to wish a Happy New Year to you all!!

As the crew returns from a needed vacation we continue work on the finishing of our construction project. We welcome both Cyrille and Paul back to the site today for their first day back on the job. They both seem to have had a rewarding vacation and are anxious to finish up the project.

After work on Friday I took a trip down to Salt Pond for a swim and a look at how the pavilion looks from down below. In the image above you can see the resort and the new buildings on the lower portion of the site. Once the vegetation has grown around the new buildings they will be able to blend in even more. We are planning to have a native plant interpretive garden at the pavilion site, which will add to the beauty and educational value of our eco-development.

The glass block inlay has finally been completed and they have turned out fabulous. As you can see in the image above, we used a colored stucco for the outside of the buildings so no painting will be needed once the stucco has finished its drying process. The crew are in the process of attaching the greenhouse roof material to both the store and bathroom buildings.

We were able to complete the pavilion floor construction during the holiday season and it is now ready to be sealed and painted. Alfredo and Lennox worked on the installation of the trecks on the outer edge and also the placement of plywood in the center, which will be sealed this week.

Alfredo takes a moment to admire his newly built steps and his finished pavilion floor. Gravel will be spread out in the dirt area to meet the bottom step.

This is a view from the massage room adjacent to the pavilion. This room will be relaxing due to the natural light, which will pour through the greenhouse roofing material. We will be able to offer massage by appointment, quite like Maho, once we are up and running.

Stafford and the crew removed the frame from column #4 and worked on pouring column #5 last week as well. Stafford did a great job keeping the crew focused durring the holiday break. Many vendors taking time off as well held us back but he was able to keep everyone on task, never the less. In the image above Stafford smiles at the latest column creation.

They just keep getting better each time!!

We have a bulldozer on site this week working to make room for more rock cribs to complete the gravel area off of the pavilion. The crew must fill and attach 5-10 more baskets to sturcturally complete the rock wall. These cribs must be filled by hand with various sized rocks in order to retain the stability of the wall. You can also see the 6th column in the foreground.

The area the Kia is parked in will eventually be for parking but it is still filled with a rock pile for now. We will have the bulldozer operator move this pile to backfill the rock cribs and the area behind the cafe.

This view will never get old!!