Roof Tiles and Styles

At last we’re ready to put the roof on a house in Aruba. You have your choice of tiles here. Some are the standard, uniform Spanish clay tiles. Others are the glazed blue “Dutch tiles.” Lately they’ve been importing ones that look rustic. Whatever your choice, tiles are a great way to keep the weather out. Here’s a look at a house that’s going to get those blue tiles.

The above photo is a little difficult to work with. It’s the house in the back of the photo where you see the blue tile on the upper roof and lower roof is ready for installation. The roof in the foreground is sheet metal, which can be a good, economical alternative for this climate. Nothing beats the look and durability of those glazed tiles, however. At least in my humble opinion. The next photo shows some of those rustic tiles, here used on a front wall and entrance gate.


And then there are the flat tiles used below to cover awnings on the side of a house as shown below. This dresses the house up and gives it a classy, totally finished look.

So we’ve gone from the foundation to the roof. Next weekend, I’ll post about some of the internal issues, like water sytems, electrical, and so forth. In the mean time, we’ll stop into some restaurants, a few hotels, and maybe a run to the beach or something. Thanks for stopping by.

Published in: on July 20, 2008 at 7:24 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Food From The Window

Since we’ve been working hard getting this house built (figuratively, not literally), it’s time for a snack. Just up the road from my place in Savaneta, Aruba, is a little place with no tables, no chairs, just a window in the side of a house. However, through this window passes some great locale fare. Here’s a look at the joint.

You’ll recognize the cunucu house shape from my earlier photo essays. Anyway, the guy is ordering a sandwich which is made of homemade bread baked on the premises, plus a variety of fillings from a curry-style chicken to fish to all sorts of things that I can’t pronounce. You give your order to the lady inside and she makes up your sandwich and off you go. They also make homemade donuts here as pictured below. This is not your typical dunker; this thing is massive and dense.

(I don’t know the name of this place, nor the name of the people inside, but I’ll find out one day when I slow down enough to ask instead of just grabbing a bite and hustling off.) At any rate, it’s only open in the late afternoon, early evening, probably as the bread comes out of the oven. Locals stop here, parking two and three deep sometimes along the road. They get a fix of their favorite things the way people in the US might run out for a cheeseburger.

Now that we’ve fueled up, it’s time to get back to work. The next post will show some different tiles on the roof. Don’t forget your hammer and ladder.

Published in: on July 20, 2008 at 11:59 am  Comments (2)  
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