I just came back from a very quick 4 day trip to Loreto to follow up on some small home maintenance items and was very pleasantly surprised with the progress going on in the development. The most obvious of which was the landscaping of the courtyards throughout Founders Village. Most of the cobblestone walkways are complete or very near completion (even right up to the beach) and the plantings are well underway. I've created a slideshow of photos taken on my discovery walks throughout the Village during my stay (for larger format pictures, just click on the slideshow for a separate window). The landscaping has given the village a whole new life. The neighborhood is vibrant with color. There are places to congregate in your own little clusters vs. just the inside of your home or at the hotel. All of the courtyards are different and I must say that the plantings are very unique and complement each particular home. Some homes have walkways lined with uniformed plantings, some have a mix of trees, palms, groundcover, succulents, bouganvilla and other vibrant baja plant life. The exterior of my home is starting to blend with the interior of my home, the gardens seemed to flow into and out of each other. There is finally a unity to it all.
I spoke with Doug Brown who is a homeowner contact for a Permachink vendor in town. He and his family have spent the last year living full time in Loreto. He admitted to me that he thought their adventure living full time in the baja was just about over and it was ready to start something else new and exciting but once they got back to Loreto after a brief hiatus this summer, something was different. The changes in the development, the true spirit of community that is starting to emerge made them fall in love with Loreto all over again. I think they will be sticking around for a while. ;o)
Speaking of permachink, which has been a hot topic for all existing homeowners. Should we or shouldn't we? Is it really necessary? Our home is only a year old, etc. These are all questions we have asked ourselves. I wondered myself but when I was in Loreto in August, three of my neighbors had the permachinking done to their pergolas and I definately noticed a difference. The wood of my pergola was starting to look faded and dried out, so I decided to do some investigating. I did find out that certain clusters window and door makers did not use permachink as a finish. Instead they used a shellac finish which does not last in the baja. It was a product gentle to the environment and therefore met the sustainability requirements for window and door vendors, but it has not stood up to the harsh weather conditions of the baja. Later clusters did include the permachink finish and are weathering a bit better. In the states, the permachink finish would last anywhere from 5-7 years before a resealant was needed, here in the baja we can count on 2 years. I have included a slideshow of homes that have just received permachinking and others that are just about a year old, that show signs of aging and should probably be preserved. I realize that it is difficult these days to get to Loreto to keep on eye on all of the things that need our attention, so hopefully these photos will give you an idea how quickly things can age in the hot Mexican sun.
I have also gathered a list of permachink vendors that can be hired to wash, stain and seal your pergolas, doors and windows. I also believe that TCC is doing something very similar on their site as well.
Doug Brown (FV 489)for Jose Luis Avila
email: d.brown@innovasia.com
West Coast Woodworks
Bryan Evans
email: beline9@gmail.com
Artesanias del Sol
Owner: Gustavo Flores Cardenas
Email: artesdelsol (at) gmail.com
