Yesterday ended with the most peceful sunset after an incredibly hot and humid day. We were hoping for rain, but it never came, so there wasn’t much relief from the heat.
At 8 p.m. I made myself an iced coffee with caramel syrup. It was delicious… until I realized my personal barista (me! 😄) had used regular coffee instead of decaf. I know that sounds like nothing to some people, but for me it meant I was awake until 3 a.m. Oops!
Meanwhile, I honestly can’t believe Jānis’ relatives spent the last few days working outside in this heat. They finished installing the exterior insulation on our house and applied the first rough coat of plaster.
If you’re new here, we replaced the old wooden exterior walls with AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) blocks to create a much better-insulated home while preserving the original brick and stone walls. It was an unusual choice, but one that made sense for our renovation.
Next comes the exciting (and expensive!) part—traditional lime render, so the house will hopefully look much as it did back in 1880. Since the final finish will be painted, every little bump and imperfection will show.
The biggest challenge is finding skilled craftsmen. There aren’t many specialists in traditional lime rendering these days, and hiring a large professional crew is simply beyond our budget. So, if I had to guess, next summer you’ll probably find me and Jānis standing on scaffolding, learning as we go and doing it ourselves. It wouldn’t be the first time our renovation has turned into a DIY adventure! Will see!
Ilze
P.S. I called the garbage collector and they will come and pick up the garbage tomorrow! I hope so!
Discover more from a day in the life of a latvian mom
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I love your home’s exteriour, its beautiful! Your cat is sooo cute! 🥰😻 I had a tough time getting to sleep last night too but I don’t drink coffee. You are not alone! 😂❤️
Thank you, John! It’s a perl in the modern world 🙂
It’s amazing how much you can learn from asking other experienced people, and from the internet, and from trial and error. By the time you get old you know how to do almost everything.
… only not to relax 😀
Yes, that takes practice.
🙂 Agree! How good are you in relaxing?
Beautiful home!
Thank you 🙂
Glad you are getting your rubbish collected!
Yes! I’m almost as excited about the garbage collection as the renovation. 😂
That will look stunning when it is finished (and great pics of the cat!)
Thank you! I really hope it will look as good as I imagine when we finally get to the last layer. And Marley definitely knows how to pose. 😊
Your home is so lovely, Ilze. And I get it about the coffee. I used to drink it right up until bedtime and sleep like a baby. These days I don’t drink regular coffee after 4 PM or I am up all night!
Oh, coffee has never been my friend!
Tik skaista māja un puķes, Ilze un tavs kaķis izskatās dikti jauks! Mums jau kuro nedēļu līst lietus un no vasaras nav ne miņas! Atsūti lūdzu saulīti 🙂 Aiva xx
Paldies, Aiva! ❤️ Es tev sūtu lielu devu saulītes — ceru, ka kaut nedaudz aizsniegs arī jūs! ☀️
Liels paldies 🥰
The house looks good and will wait for the ‘final layer’ . . . if you end up being the ‘labourers’ you may even enjoy the experience ( 🙂 ! ). Meanwhile puss has posed beautifully . . . and, as far as my beloved black coffee is concerned, I have switched it to a cup or two of bone broth in the afternoons . . . I can buy a very high quality natural one here with great taste . . . the collagen won’t hurt . . .
Thank you! I actually think we might enjoy doing the final layer ourselves — at least until we realise how much work it really is! 😂 And bone broth instead of afternoon coffee is a very interesting solution.
I can relate to not being able to have coffee late in the day. If I have coffee after 3pm it is going to be a late night. Somehow I always wake up early no matter how late I go to bed, which make me hate being up late. I hope the next day was bearable for you. Your house is amazing. I think it is wonderful how you go about renovating it so carefully.
Well, the same with me! I wake up early no matter how late I go to bed! Thank you, I guess that is the only way we know how to renovate 🙂
It will take time to get it “completely ready” but I feel it’s worth it!
Only strong black real coffee for me, but then I only drink it in the morning. The house is really coming along nicely
Morning coffee is definitely the sensible way to do it! I’m a coffee lover too, but apparently my body now requires a very strict decaf schedule. 😂
Your home is going to be so beautiful and one of a kind….special. Coffee doesn’t seem to keep me from sleeping no matter what time I drink it.
Thank you! ❤️ I really hope it will become something special and one of a kind. And I’m officially jealous of your ability to sleep after coffee!
Yeah!
😂❤️
Wow! Your house is beautiful! I sympathize about the coffee – I can’t drink caffeine past early afternoon either. And who is your handsome little cat?