We left Puerto Vallarta in May just before our 180-day tourist visas expired. Over the summer we successfully applied for permanent residency at the Mexican consulate in Phoenix. We returned at the end of August and got our residency cards a few days later.
While away, the kitchen remodel was nearly completed. It was actually more than just a kitchen remodel. The pantry/laundry/utility room was completely redone. Internal walls and shelves were removed, the floor was replaced, the laundry machines were replaced, the water heater was replaced with a tankless unit, and the water pressurizer was replaced. We got a stackable laundry machine and though I thought it would be two units that get stacked, it’s actually one large unit. It’s the size of a refrigerator and about 320 pounds. It wouldn’t fit up the narrow winding staircase to our unit, so we took it up the staircase of the building to our north then through a window to get it into our place. It was really hard!
The living room came with concrete block couches on three of the walls. These are common in Mexico. We find them really uncomfortable in general, and these were no different since they came with just some thin cushions to sit on. We had them removed and flooring was put in to match the existing floor.
In the kitchen, we eliminated the peninsula and ran the counter all the way to the corner, effectively doubling the size of the kitchen and taking over space that was basically unused. We relocated all the appliances. We added an under-counter drink fridge in the bar. The flooring was replaced to match the rest of the house. We added windows above the bar and doors to the courtyard. We can now close off the kitchen and run the new air conditioner to keep it cool while cooking in hot weather.
We added a table in the middle of the room for a little extra workspace and a gathering spot during parties. We have one major item to complete which will be adding a range hood.
