We’ve Been Missing… But for Good Reason!
- Jasmine Sotiropoulos
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Missing in action is an understatement. We've been fairly radio silent, and while we technically have time, we’ve been opting for some much-needed TV time instead. Not because sharing our story isn’t a priority (it is), but because we’ve been working ourselves into exhaustion, and that TV time? That’s basically brain fog reduction therapy at this point.
Catching You Up: Meet Rafa
Where do I even start? I guess with finding Rafa. Rafa is our builder—technically an electrician, but honestly, there’s very little he can’t do. We found him through Rufi, who is one of two brickyard owners in town. Luckily, Rafa lives here in Montefrío (our little town of 6,000 in Granada), so having him on hand has been beyond convenient.
Now, our reno process is highly unorthodox. We didn’t sit down with a project manager, map out phases, and neatly divide everything into structured projects. Nope. We just kinda went for it.
“Hey Rafa, do you fit kitchen sinks?”“Hey Rafa, what about IKEA flatpacks?”“Got time to move our gas heater outside?”And my personal favourite… “Our pipe burst! Can you drop everything and fix it?”
That’s pretty much been the vibe. I did write up a long-term plan for reference, but realistically, this has been a go-with-the-flow experience. Sometimes we have more money coming in, sometimes a long-awaited order finally arrives. So having someone who’s down for the ride—and happily bribed by our automated coffee machine—has been fantastic.
What We’ve Done So Far
Okay, deep breath, here we go:
Painted the bottom-level outdoor door, shutters, and bars.
Planted flowers in the window box.
Microcemented the kitchen countertop and some of the old cabinets.
Installed new tall and hanging cabinets.
Replaced the rangehood, sink, and cooktop.
Removed all the tiles from the bathroom and had the walls rendered.
Ripped out the shower pan, extended it, and had a custom rendered floor laid.
Replaced the toilet and added a Japanese bidet.
Removed the basin in the bathroom to make space for a new one.
Removed doors to rooms we no longer want closed (and plan to arch them out).
Filled in the tile gaps in the kitchen, ready for microcement when the next batch arrives.
Fixed a mould issue, bought a dehumidifier, and planned to install dry rods in the future.
And honestly, so much more, but you get the gist. Videos will start coming out more frequently soon—we promise!
The Biggest Challenge? Showering.
Our biggest challenge by far? Drying times in the bathroom.
We thought we couldn’t use the shower for a while, but it turns out the product Francisco and Alex (our other builders) used is waterproof after just 24 hours. We didn’t know that at the time, though, so who wants to record videos while covered in sanding dust, paint, cement, and who-knows-what-else… and without having showered for a week? Yeah, no one.
Then, because we love making our lives harder, we decided the shower floor needed one more coat to look perfect, and we also had Francisco come back to render the shower shelf and basin countertop. So… another 24-hour wait, and then it’s finally, finally DONE!
The Kitchen: Priority Number One
While Francisco has been finishing up the bathroom, I’ve made the kitchen my number one priority. If I can just tick off one room completely, I think I’ll feel a lot better mentally. There’s something so satisfying about stepping back and going… Tada!
Other Life Updates: Visas, Deeds, and a Pregnant Cat
Between all the renovations, we:
Got accepted for our visas.
Set up our TIE cards.
Had the house officially updated at the council.
Went to the notary office to sign the deed.
And, most importantly, we have basically adopted a neighbourhood cat.
She kept coming over, and we slowly realised she was pregnant. This week, she gave birth, and we were honoured that she trusted us enough to stick around. Now, we have a litter of four kittens to figure out.
What do we do? Besides neutering them, obviously. Are we keeping any? Who knows. That’s a decision for another day.
Decision Paralysis is Real
There are so many decisions to be made, but for now, we’re calling it a night.
We can’t wait to get these videos out to you, and hopefully, by then, we’ll be showered and feeling like real humans again!
Adios!
Jasmine & Andrew
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