Retirement means taking it easy, sleeping in every day,  and lots of relaxation, right? Not if you’re us! Now that we have a new (old) apartment, the real work has begun. This week we made countless trips to the local big box and building stores trying to find the supplies we need. Just learning who sells what is challenging. 

A big can of ceiling white paint that costs the equivalent of about $135.

We never expected painting walls to be so different from what we are accustomed to. We first looked at the local equivalent of Lowes called Leroy Merlin. They have a paint department, but there are no paint chips for you to take. We ended up buying paint at our local Cin paint store. (They have a few chips to take, but just one big fan of colors that stays in the store.) They are supposed to have the best quality paint. What we’ve learned is that the plaster walls & ceilings really suck up the thin paints used here. At least two coats is always necessary even with their better paints. And paint is relatively expensive here. We miss all the nice thick Valspar and other paints that you could count on to cover in one coat. However, we know that the different walls and weather here require what they use. The guy at the paint store finds us quite amusing. He thought Wayne was crazy when he asked for a gloss white for the crown molding. They use the same flat ceiling white on trim. But, we went with gloss anyway.

All of our DIY projects feel like two steps forward and one step back. Yesterday Wayne was up on our 3-step step stool painting when the top part of the stool snapped right off. He ended up covered in paint and it took us an hour to clean up the spill from the window sill and floor. Today I tried to wipe some mold off the bathroom ceiling above the shower. I ended up knocking the vent off and got myself and the tub covered in dirt and mold that fell out of the vent pipe. Now the ceiling will need drywall repairs and a new vent cover.

Yet, some things are cheaper and easier than we expect. We replaced both hand-held shower heads for just €5.99 each and the water pressure is quite good.

We want to do something with our rooftop terrace to make it more functional. We are picturing an elevated deck with a pergola over it for a table and some seating. But, so far, we have not been able to find a contractor to give us a quote.

We cratered and bought a dryer this week. Dryers are also totally different here. Most are vent-less so the water condenses into a tank that you have to dump after every few loads. They are more energy efficient which is important here. But, it takes much longer to dry a load. I’m sure I will continue to hang some things to dry on our indoor rack, but towels are definitely going in the dryer. Unlike the washer, the dryer manual was only in Portuguese. It took me quite a while to translate enough to figure things out. Actually, all the appliances are different enough from US models to be confusing. The washer, microwave, cook-top and oven have each had their own learning curve. Don’t even get me started on the electrical wiring…

We made a trip back to Paços de Ferreira (the furniture town) to order a pair of chairs, end table, and two night tables. We were reminded while there to keep in mind that we now live by the sea. We have to be careful what we buy for use both indoors and outdoors and avoid any metals that will corrode. So much to learn! So many mistakes yet to be made.