The Adventures of Snowy - Week 184

How to Buy Land and Build a House in Greece

184. Roof and Wall Progress

Last Saturday the Metal Contractor was back on site. They continue to undertake work that at the end of the day we struggle to see evidence of.

It’s all about preparation for the pouring of concrete and the roof is complex. The volume of ready-mix required is considerable, and the surface is pitched. The reinforcement is necessarily intricate because it must bind the tops of all the walls and the newly formed ends of the house, into the roof.

There are now small protrusions in lines on the sheet metal that currently forms the roof, that weren’t there previously. The start of clusters of upright steel rods and bars is evident at both ends of the house - they stand in front of the shuttering that infills the pitch. The shuttering has expanded foam applied along the join with it and the roof edge to create an impenetrable seal. But we are frustrated that the placement of reinforcing steel across the entire surface of the roof has not begun, despite this being promised last week and the one before. The latest start date is Thursday…

Like last week we lose a day (Humph!?!!!) On Tuesday the site is quiet and there’s no one around. The New Contractor has a ‘problem’ (Big time! Don’t tell us – we don’t want to hear it!!!) On Wednesday they are back, along with the Metal Contractor, and the Retaining Wall at the top of the drive next to the garage is progressed.

And mid-week sees progress on the other Retaining Wall between the swimming pool and the Cut-and-Cover Rental Unit. A lattice of steel reinforcement takes shape. Later in the week this is hidden, except for the tops of single rods, by the ‘sandwich’ of shuttering that completes the form for the wall.

And moulds for the low walls needed to bring the height of the terrace area up to the level of the ground floor of the house are created. Reinforcing metal is contained within an outline of wooden straight-sided shapes, ready for concrete.

And then it’s Thursday! And the metal for roof starts to be placed (Yay!) From the outside, vertical lines of steel can be seen standing up along the top of the walls across the front and then the back of the house. They extend above the roof line and curve in at the top. From inside the house, the ‘weave’ of metal is clearly visible, and it starts to infill the gap between the top of the existing concrete walls and where these will join the roof.

But on Friday the weather changes - its late in the year for a Sahara dust cloud. The air becomes thick, heavy, milky, and the wind relentless. Colours fade and blend into each other, softening edges, and combining forms. The landscape is smudged and partially erased and sightlines are dulled. Despite this, the labourers continue work on the roof and various walls and I can tell the Old Folks are both relieved and grateful.

This week sees the transformation of our village from small and laid-back to busy and the place to be. The annual Jazz Festival kicks off and there isn’t a parking space, hotel room, or restaurant table going spare – they’re full, booked, packed, rammed, heaving, and loud.

And it’s all change on the main street. One shop owner has moved out due to rising rent, enabling another to strip out, refurbish, and move from a small alley way location to centre stage. What was a casual outlet becomes smart, with new windows, doors, and fresh interior.

Other retailers have packed up and different brands have set up. There’s even a new commercial space now occupying the previously empty ground floor of a residential building. It opens its doors, while two other old establishments remain firmly closed.

Context matters. Villages further down the coast prioritise food and beverage – they are wall to wall cafes, tavernas, ice cream shops, late-night bars, and grocery stores. Maybe there’s one concession to clothes, gifts, and novelty items, but not always. Near-by Kalamata, despite being a city, is a mix of everyday practical with a nod to tourist driven seasonal. There’s no luxury here. It’s a mix of convenience – that’s markets, supermarkets, necessity clothing, garden centres, hardware, agricultural equipment, building trade suppliers, and utility vehicle showrooms. It’s not fancy – you don’t dwell, consider, weigh up choices, and splurge on coveted, saved-up-for, purchases. It’s almost not possible.

This makes the retail offer of our village that bit different. Of course, its driven by tourist demand and demographic, but it has style, independence, and a hint of special. Shopping here is an activity – a looked forward to and planned way to pass a morning and/or early evening. There are ‘concept stores’, boutiques, up-market local produce retailers. You can purchase jewellery, clothing, ceramics, homewares, and artisan food products. But this push towards sophistication is tempered by endemic rustic charm, unpolished twist, and authenticity of transaction. It’s retail that has a draw, makes a mark, secures memories, and is what it is.

The weather remains mixed. Annually April and May are unpredictable. The temperature rises and winter is long gone, but summer is only hinted at, and these two months wrestle with the time of year.

We are heading back to Four Wheels after running some errands in Kalamata, cutting through back streets to the hard-won parking space. Parked outside a small shop is a moped. Sitting on the floorboard are two (that’s not one, but TWO) dogs, patiently keeping watch. There’s a black and white, and a smaller, mixed, tousled, mutt. They look at home – this is everyday stuff - they are practised riders in style. A thin chain winds round one handlebar and loops through the bigger dog’s collar, but realistically it’s not a safety measure.

I go up and introduce myself. They are looking intently at the nearest store front where their person is inside. He hurries out, gives me a stroke and a pat, climbs on, revs the bike, and they’re off, furry heads and protruding noses just visible. As they join the prevailing stream of traffic and disappear round the first corner, I can’t help feeling a small stab of envy.

And another animal related first happens this week. Soft Touch is a regular presence on the Petrovouni Road. It offers ariel views of our land site and house building progress as it bends and winds its way up the low mountain.

Nearing the top, where the tiny village sits, the road widens and straight ahead is a raised open area. It’s covered in olive trees and home to a herd of cattle – enormous cream and pale toffee-brown cows live here.

And this week something else takes up residence. A phone box (W-H-A-T???!!!) The base is concealed by vegetation, but the incongruous, straight-sided, metal and glass form, is clearly recognisable. And to allay any doubt the word ‘TELEPHONE’ is evident across the top of one side with the Greek translation on the other (That’s a phone box in a field!)

Apparently, the villagers are just as baffled! The phone box used to stand in the pedestrian-access-only space between the handful of clustered houses and churches that are here. Supposedly the renovation of a property required it to be moved… (To a field?? Really???)

The cows don’t seem to mind. They lie down next to it, or maybe they are queuing up?

Bovine Help Line??

Quick call to Mum and Dad?

HELLO???