The chit-chat area

Hi all

Quite a few of us spent Christmas here at DJ1 and it was a pleasant experience despite Bloque 8 not having been given an 'official' X'mas tree.

However on the evening of 25 December, someone(s) displayed extreme mean-mindedness and stole the decorations from the tree in our bloque - a tree put up and decorated by Irene and Peter.  We are not impressed by such behaviour - quite appalled to be honest!

So on behalf of Irene and Peter, would the person(s) who stole the tree decorations please return them to Irene by placing these by the tree by her front door.

Jenx

Kath can you pm me with your dates for feb as i am looking for flyts for peter bye irene

Hi All

Can anyone suggest a good Air conditioning installer that is reasonably priced and reliable. Does anyone know where I can get hold of the coin operated meters for the Air con, and how much they cost. Any tips on installation and which units to buy. I will need 3 units. One for each bedroom and the living room area. How long should it take for the installation. My spec would be quiet units, remote controlled, hot & cold air, fairly energy efficient. Have I left anything out. How often do they need servicing. Are there any restrictions regarding location of units within the community. I believe there is a problem with having units on the wall outside your front door in the communal area, and also which wall does it have to be installed on the terrace area. I have read somewhere, its best to keep the unit slightly off the ground. I have tried to cover every question here to help others as well that are looking to install Air Conditioning. I would really appreciate if anyone who has had it installed, but does not wish to put the price they paid on this site, to PM me.

Thanks

Westport

Hi Westport,

Please do not put a unit in the hallway. If you have 1 or 2 units on your terrace feeding the lounge and main bedroom this will be sufficient to cool the whole apartment. Please also place the units at a low level. There is an added complication for semisotana apartments - finding somewhere to place the units that does not interfere with the opening of the grills. In our apartment this is impossible. If we were fitting AC we would probably put the external units on rubber feet beside but not attached to the deviding wall between terraces.

I haven't had it installed so will leave recommendtions to others but there are a lot of rip off installers - including many ex pats. Many like to get you to agree an annual service contract (a nice little earner). If it's good for them it's probably not for you.

Good luck with your project!

hi westport full details on pm for you about meters and phone numbers irene

Hi happy new year to everyone at don juan 1 ,2, and 3 bye irene/peter

Hi Westport,

I have had air-conditioning installed and can give you any info required relating to the units and installer that I used.  With regard to placement I referred to the guide issued in our Community bulletin of 18th June 2008 from GICS (Circular DJ1.004.2008) which runs as follows:

A.- ABOUT AIR CONDITIONING    

 Neighbours are being requested (through email, phone and letter) to change air conditioning compressors and gutters to the right place. 

Those who do not have the installation correctly made (they have it in corridors, in common walls or high) are being warned to remove them and place them in the right way. This means that, as we lack an area in the terrace roof where they could be installed, they must be placed in each house balcony, in the lower side and in the wall adjacent to their home wall so that they cannot be seen from outside.

Likewise, exterior gutters which are now visible must be painted in the same colour than the wall to avoid damages in the harmony of the building.

I took this to mean that they must be placed low on our side walls.  The units I went for (Daikin) are of the Inverter type, are A rated for energy, provide heating as well as cooling, and have various modes of operation including a special quiet mode for night use etc.  Be aware that standard installation includes only 4 metres of pipework and ducting and I had to pay a considerable amount extra to cover the excess distances from the units outside to the interior units.  The price was not cheap but if you want a quality installation I think you have to pay for it. I was told that annual servicing would cost about €35 per unit serviced.  I would be wary of using some of the cheaper units regularly advertised in the local newspapers.  As far as coin operation is concerned I expect a simple meter controlling the electricity supply to each or all units would be easy to get installed.  PM me if you need any further info.

Hi,

Can one of you "on-site" people, upload a photo of the work that have been done on Phase III, and if possible take the picture from the road leading to Phase 1.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Wichmann,

I'm not sure if it is what you've wanted but I've uploaded a photo of Phase 3 taken today

Hi David,

That was exactly what I asked for, and I don't know why, but I somehow hoped that the progress was more visible .

Thanks a lot.

Hola ,

Sorry to change the subject. Can anyone recommend a good lawyer.  The more i read about advice against adopting a lawyer recommended by the selling agent and the responses, (or lack of), we are getting is pushing me to change.  I used 'Lawyers of Spain' to purchase in phase 3 and they seem to be very pro developer and agent.  any advice would be welcome. I have looked at 'Sparkes' and 'Irwin and Mitchell' but have yet to act.

many thanks in advance.        

Nigel   

Hi Nigel,

We use Mona Davidsen, the Danish Counsul in Marabella (she also have an office in Malaga), and we are very happy with our choice.

Hi John you PM me looking for someone I would recommend to do work,

I would highly recommend Gordon Trimby he done all my work, he done my garden hung my curtains extended my shower and put up new shower doors for me and lots of other jobs all his work was very neat and tidy.

He is english living in Spain for years so he also knows where to buy everythng you need

I will post some pictures for you of the work he done so you can see for your self

his email is gordontrimby@yahoo.com

Can anyone else recommend in phase 1 recommend Gordon's work

Gordon is indeed a good man to know and have around if you need a handyman. He has done quite a lot of jobs, large and small,  for me.

He is not like the average Spanish builder I have encountered on site ( this may well be libelous!)  - he always turn up when he says he going to - he is reliable and honest and provides other services as well such as property management. Just ask him.

Just to echo the comments on Gordon. 

He has worked for us and he is reliable with an excellent standard of work as well as being a thoroughly nice chap.

 We use Gordon all the time for any jobs that need doing. As per others comments really can't fault him.

I can also recommend Gordon he fitted ceiling fans in both bedrooms and moved the light to the centre of wall in dining area, he does a very good job andis reliable

 Are there more people with experience with the newly available internet connection at Don Juan? I found it surprisingly fast in the first week, but I tried it again this week and it was rather slow. Maybe the weather in combination with the distance to the transmitter makes a difference?   

Max

Hi max i just wish we could get on to the internet in our apt its ok if your by the pool area?.I have asked ken to see if they can sort the problems out not sure what can be done in our block.There are a few people who have been in touch with me using skype this week from don juan but the line is very poor bye irene