sandy says hi from los olivos

looks like nearly EVERYBODY wants tilling up to the fence. A nice job for a contractor who can do it. 

We are going to have to find out from the developer where he got  the terrace tiles from. The other problem, is sometimes if you end up getting a different batch of tiles to the ones originally used, they can be a slightly different shade, but there is nothing we can do about that, unless the developer has some left over.

Westport

I have copied this from my post under "Photos & Drawings"

Yes, I did think that the part of the site that I got access to looked very well overall and they have obviously spent some time cleaning it up. I imagine the pools themselves are one of the last things they will fix up as existing water will have to be drained out and replaced with clean water with the necessary chemicals etc added.  I expect also that once the grounds management company are appointed attention will be focused on enhancing the existing common areas with additional plantings of trees, shrubs etc and making efforts to reseed or renew the green vegetation on the "bulwarks" where there are so many unattractive bare patches.  These are things that the developer should be doing of course  but to quote Westport "I wouldn't hold my breath"!  I just feel that we will probably end up having to get the grounds maintenance people to do them.

A major issue is what to do about the green fences bordering the front of each apartment i.e. "the garden area" especially those similar to Block 1 Phase I on the semisotano level where there is a considerable drop to the outside ground below.  While I don't see a problem in extending the terrace area outwards as far as the fences, the actual fences themselves are not satisfactory from either an aesthetic or practical viewpoint.  Personally I would like to see them replaced with something more permanent and supportive depending on what one does with the ground itself.  I have thought of a few possibilities (a) extend the terrace with similar tiling and supplement the fences with proper railings (b) install suitable decking to cover the ground area as far as the fences and finish with strong railings (c) put in good quality artificial grass on the bare area (d) put down a surface of mixed stone pebbles.  Whether permission to do any of these is needed or not is a moot point.  To quote from Section 7 (1) of The Horizontal Property Act  which governs communities "Owners of individual units may modify the architectural elements, installations or services of their unit, giving proper notice to the community representative provided such work not impair or alter the safety of the building, its overall structure, its external appearance or condition, or prejudice the rights of another such owner.  Unit owners shall not make any alteration whatsoever in the rest of the building. If unit owners notice the need for urgent repairs, they shall bring it to the attention of the administrator without delay."

Of course it will be important to be aware of the terms and conditions set out in the community statutes or rules governing Don Juan and these should be provided along with other vital documents by the vendor to our solicitors on signing day. It may be necessary to get an English translation of these for those of us not too well up in the Spanish!

Now that I have got that off my chest all suggestions, comments etc are welcome.

Regards all

Hi Gericom99,

We gave this subject quite an airing already but it was a long time ago and we may as well discuss it again - it is something to do while we "enjoy" the "summer weather". This is only my opinion so please only treat it as such:

I don't think the community can or will object to how we finish the gardens. My personal preference is to extend the tiled area to the fence. The tiles will be easy to keep clean, are comfortable to walk on even in bare feet and are in keeping with the general style and decor of the development. The 3 bed apartments have larger gardens (some extending right down the side of the buildings) and not everyone will want to tile the whole area.

There are 2 issues with the fence - the safety issue you refer to for those with a drop on the other side and access to garden or pool areas for the rest of us. I do not believe the community would object to anyone putting a higher fence or a gate in provided it matches the existing fence.  However there will definitely be residents who do not want to change the fence and it is possible the community could object to a significantly different fence. It will not be that simple to put gates etc in. The fence is held on taught wires and there needs to be angled supports at each end of the wire so if we break the wires to put a gate in we will need an upright and angled support on either side of the gate.

I am sure we will find someone to do this work - Max may already know someone who will do a group deal for those who are interested. There are likely to be retired builders living in Fuengirola who will be happy for a bit of cash to supliment their income and Andy Otter has indicated he will be willing to hire out his services - I can imagine he could be very busy for a while! I'd want to do the fence first so that any founds for new fence posts are under the extended terrace.

Thanks for your thoughts on that Davmunster.  I can see there may be no "one size fits all solution" to the fence issue. However as long as we have the freedom to come up with individual solutions which would not detract from the existing appearance I would be happy. One  solution  could be to work inside the existing fences without disturbing them at all as this  would avoid  any worries about appearance or boundary  issues.  I am referring here only to those fences which have a drop outside them as I would like to see something stronger in place to supplement the fences, if necessary, in these situations.  I noticed from photographs taken of Block 1 Phase 1that there is possibly 4" or more of a difference in levels between the terraced area and the ground beyond which  suggests that a considerable amount of filling could be needed  to bring up the levels.  I estimate the area involved for the 2 bed apartments could be 25 sq. metres approx. and in the case of Royal Grass which is a high quality artificial grass I saw advertised around Marbella the cost of installing this works out at about €1674 incl. IVA.

...more food for thought.....