Help Build Casa Descanso Verano!
Stefan, Brian and Brian have been busting their butts working on the house this last week (Stefan has been too tired to update the blog each night, but he said he would post all the new pictures tonight). They are currently working on drywalling the upstairs guest bedroom, guest bathroom and kitchen, installing shower/tub/sink and tiling the guest bath. I think they are also knocking out walls and rearranging the master bedroom/bathroom.
After talking to Stefan last night, it looks like we are burning through the $30K that we saved for this project, pretty damn quickly. So, I got this idea! I made the “Help Build Casa Descanso Verano” widget, which will allow people to donate cash to help us build our house! It will be a sort of “Sponsor a Piece of our House” type deal, where when a donation is made, I will list who made the donation (or it can be anonymous), how much was donated and what part of the house that donation paid for (The list can be viewed on our “Contributors” page). Doesn’t that sound like fun?! 
Stefan and I don’t desperately need donations and if push comes to shove, we can get a loan, but I just thought that this would be a fun way to get our family, friends and blog readers directly involved in the construction of our house . (If you’re looking for a charity, here are a few good ones: Surfrider, ASPCA, Canine Companions and Charity Navigator)
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July 19th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Hello Summer & Stefan,
Just a reader that stumbled onto Summer’s site where this one was linked.
I actually just posted a comment on Summer’s personal blog. I’m not a stalker I swear.
And a good person overall, if I do say so myself.. lol I’m Spanish, so if you guys need any help with words or translating… also, I’ve been to PR once by myself and had a blast. Mostly stuck to San Juan though. I’m in NY, and work in (book) publishing so if you guys are interested…I can always hook you up with some free books (within my company’s modest book list of course!) Don’t have access to other house. Let me know. No strings attached. nina
July 19th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Nina,
Thanks you for being so gracious! We would love some help with our Spanish and Summer and I both love to read…so we may just take you up on your offer.
FYI: It’s not stalking on the Internet, it is just research
July 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Hey Nina!
. I’m going to try hard with the Spanish (I think it’s the coolest thing ever, to be bi-lingual), so thanks or the offer to help!
That’s really nice of you! You’re officially invited to our house warming party
August 16th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Don’t allow too many family in S.Diego area become aware of this contact. Could ruin my ‘cooltivity’ to the nth degree. Not the most popular dude in eyes of some :>)
Summer’s Grandfather
August 16th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Be a miracle if this goes thru :>(
March 15th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Hello Stefan, hi there, Summer,
Looks like it’s been a while since anyone has responded.
Just as Nina bumped into your site/blog so, too, did I.
A few of us here in Nacogdoches in East Texas have been tossing around the idea of moving to PR for some time now and while doing some internet searching (jobs, land, housing, weather, etc) happened upon the two of you in the midst of your dream.
Regarding the louvered closet doors and the subtropical/tropical humidity, that (louvers) is a definite yes. I’ve lived a lot of years around the Gulf Coast, Texas to South Florida, even some time in Jamaica. I haven’t read all of your blog but, if your house is air conditioning I would recommend adding dehumidifier(s). Not only will it dry things out but, also, you’ll find the a/c won’t have to work so hard to the point you have to be chilled to get rid of the humid slimey feeling. You’ll actually feel a lot more comfortable at a, say, 10-15 degree higher temperature (80-85 degrees as opposed to 70).
What kind of work do you do? My friends’ are chiropractors (husband and wife team), another is an attorney and, as for myself, I’m an IT, these days primarily building custom computers, networking, contracting out to local firms, etc.
Any hints or words of ‘experienced’ wisdom you can offer regarding a move to PR would be most appreciated. I’ve heard it’s better to go with more money and less ‘things’. I’ve also heard it’s not a great idea to ship vehicles and if you do don’t try to use it ship personal effects. Is that so? Any other thoughts?
Since it’s been several months since any replies, you’ll have to write back (email is fine) and let me know how the house and other things are coming along.
Oh, and how is the broadband down there? That’s (for me!) a biggee.
Best,
Sky
March 15th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Sky: Summer and I both work on the Internet…she is retail and a I am in Marketing/Publishing
I think you are inline with your move; clean house, only bring things really important to you. Use the move as a chance to start over…and if you are like me, start piling up more useless stuff (according to my lady
) around the house.
The broadband down here is fast and reliable if you are on the right plan in the right neighborhood. From our experience, we haven’t had any major problems with our PRT DSL. Check out our speeds
March 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Hey guys,
I was looking through the web for furniture stores in pr and stumbled on your site. Your blog on your bedroom furniture popped up and ironically it was the same one I had wanted to buy. I ended up not getting it because they don’t ship to pr! I am moving back to the island in May and can’t wait. I was born and raised in Fajardo and now I am moving back home. I think it’s great that you guys decided to move down and work out of pr. I love my country and it’s so beautiful. I wish you both the best of luck. If you guys ever need anything I will be living in Rio Grande. Pretty far from where you guys are at but if you’re ever down we know the best spots to chill.
March 29th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
hey guys,
hope you are well, I just wanted to thank you the info for the donation widget, we are collecting for our dream home, an earthsip, we bought the land in Hungary as in a few years we want to return to our country from London and start a family. Have a look at our site if you have not heard of earthships, if you are building one then what a bloody small world.
We were first thinking to move to NZ but its so far our parents would never see their grand children so the plan has changed.
also look into earthbagbuilding cos its possible to build a 2 bedroom home from half the budget you have.
All the best
Oh and where did you get this cool design for the site, is it a template?