My understanding, I'll know more after my meeting with the cabinet maker this week, is that the supports for the cabinets will also be concrete but they aren't in yet as we haven't finalized the placement and number of drawers, etc. Most cabinets are custom here and many just have concrete shelves that are open, more than that and you decide what placement you want and they put the supports in concrete and build in the doors, shelves and drawers. The shelves are also concrete to save on wood and because the termites won't eat it. I will have some screening on the front of the wooden doors and drawers to allow air circulation - also needed here to prevent molds. I'm thinking of putting in a couple of muffin fans like they use in computers to keep the air moving.
The openings for the cooktops will be cut into the concrete. There is an additive that can be put in concrete that makes it able to withstand higher heat, I don't think they used it after all on these as they finally talked me into regular cooktops. I had wanted the old fashioned burners and they would have let more heat to the concrete around them. Now, I have 2, 2-burner cooktops going in. I wanted the burners separated so I could use large pots and have room around them. I ended up buying them as units made by Bosch so the heat is contained.
I like the way the polished white cement looks on counter tops and that's what all my counters will be. My concern though is that I've heard it is easy to stain with things like coffee. It gets sealed and can be re-sealed as often as needed. I think I'm just going to smoosh any coffee I spill all around right away and hope it looks like it was meant to be there.
Labor is certainly cheaper down here, materials not always. Some woods are cheaper that are grown in the area or in Central America but there are some foreigners here who have a huge store selling Thai and Chinese imported furniture and doors. They seem to be doing very well. The imported wood is also termite resistant hardwoods, have to have that, and much of it looks similar to some of the old colonial stuff but it is cheaper to import it than to buy recycled old stuff. It's still cheaper to build it new and make it look old, that's been our choice so far. I was very tempted by an old Chinese cabinet for a vanity in the bath but it ended up being the wrong size.
Yeah, come on down!! It's hard to ship things from here or rather, it's very expensive and I think your husband would have to start over with lawyer school
Other than those details I think the weather is similar, when I look we are about 10 degrees warmer here but that could just be today.
