DIY Kitchen Stools

A couple of years ago I needed something to do when it was too hot to be out and about, and gave woodworking a try. Daryl and I went to a lumber yard, ‘a guy’ cut six pieces of wood off a log for us and I went to work on them. After a lotContinue reading “DIY Kitchen Stools”

DIY Dining Table – Corotu Wood

Three years ago a neighbour had a large corotu tree fall down in his back yard. It was massive, the diameter of the trunk was taller than me. Our neighbour had a guy, with a six foot chain saw blade, come by and slice up the tree. It made some very nice slabs of wood.Continue reading “DIY Dining Table – Corotu Wood”

A little wood bench – DIY

Way back in the summer of 2021 when we started clearing the property west of the city, there were dozens of trees that had to be cut down, both dead and alive. We have been calling this little summer get away El Parque. Daryl has been busy with that chainsaw. Spring of 2022 we returnedContinue reading “A little wood bench – DIY”

Almost DIY, Almost Done, Almost April 2025

Two winters work has turned this house into a beautiful home. Looking at it makes all the hours Daryl spent on his knees to make the floor spectacular, and the hours I spent sanding, grinding and staining to make a functional coffee table out of a stump and a raw slab of wood, all worthwhile.Continue reading “Almost DIY, Almost Done, Almost April 2025”

House Reno – our quest for running water

During the house renovation, getting water hook-up has been a strange and long process. When we finally heard from the water company, we were told we had already been hooked up. Daryl went on a quest to find out if this was reality as he had previously found a pipe (lots of digging and inputContinue reading “House Reno – our quest for running water”

Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno

This house has terra cotta tile floors which have never been sealed. It was dirty and had lots of gouges. It was quite a job to clean each tile by hand, some stains were so ingrained you had to use a power brush. However, there was a fine line between getting the dirt out andContinue reading “Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno”

DIY: A Corotu Coffee Table

A year ago, March 2024, Daryl and I had the opportunity to purchase an old Corotu wood stump with a slab that could be used as a coffee table. We got the wood cut to height and brought it to our totally unliveable house. Once the bark was removed from the base it showed tonsContinue reading “DIY: A Corotu Coffee Table”

DIY Tables….and more tables.

We have a friend who had a very very large corotu tree fall down in his back yard. It damaged part of his fence and workshop. That’s a lot of wood to use up. It took a while to get a guy with a six foot chain saw blade to come and cut the tree intoContinue reading “DIY Tables….and more tables.”

A Panamanian house. Almost DIY

Sometimes it is better to buy a ‘fixer upper’ than trying to build from scratch. This lovely little gem was a new build that has been sitting empty for the last 10 years. It came with a good size lot. The location is also perfect, it is on the edge of town but only aContinue reading “A Panamanian house. Almost DIY”

DIY: Making a Mandala

There might actually be something artistic in me! Making the mandala was fun and not difficult, as long as you followed the pattern. The instructor suggested I take the beginner lesson first as I had no idea of the process involved. I did (me and a nine year old with his mom). Basically we wereContinue reading “DIY: Making a Mandala”