When we first moved to Mexico, the first house was partially furnished, i.e., it had a stove, fridge, and a dining room table and chairs. So no need to bring appliances with us nor any need to immediately shop for appliances. [We did bring our washer and dryer with a propane conversion kit for the dryer which we had installed once we were here.]
When we moved to our second house it was completely unfurnished: no stove, no fridge, no nuthin'. We even had to seal the tile floors before moving in, add cabinets in the kitchen, light fixtures (of course), cabinets under the bathroom basins, custom mirrors to fit the ceramic frames on the walls, et cetera.
So we went cheap, buying appliances from private parties listing on the Civil List (more about that at some point in the future). The fridge was a good purchase - still working and larger than the one in our first house. When we moved to the current house, our range was fine at first, but eventually began to leak propane, so we started turning off the gas supply at the control in the wall. [I frequently forgot this step and Michael's nose would tell him to check the kitchen!]
We recently checked the ole bank balance (on the occasion of an appliance sale at Mega - July is ale month!) and decided it was time for a new stove. We are happy to announce that we now have a Frigidaire estufa! Not only was the sale price reasonable, but the features are great: 1) the stove has a hinged glass top that is very cool*; 2) the entire oven door is of reflective glass that still allows you to peek inside when the 3) oven light is illuminated; 4) the controls include the stove-top burners (6 burners of various sizes to fit your various pots) as well as 5) a built-in timer, 6) the aforementioned oven light control, 7) the electronic ignition switch (not automatic, but better than our hand-held lighter) and 8) a cast iron grill for the stove top. [*We had heard that the hinged glass top was required as a safety issue because it shut off the gas supply when it was lowered into place, but I don't think that was true. But it sure looks cool and keeps the top of the stove a bit cleaner.]
Plus the stove features a broiler!!! Many stoves here in Mexico do not, there's just a cabinet area to raise the stove top to counter height. But we have a real broiler - though the oven control calls it a 'grill'...go figure! And, wonder of wonders, the stove has a contraption that automatically pulls the oven racks forward when the door is opened so it's simpler to check what you're baking! [This seems to be my exclamation point paragraph!]
So we're very happy with the stove and think it looks cool. We gave our old stove to our housekeeper, who said her husband simply tightened up some connections inside the stove and the gas leak disappeared! Glad she'll be able to continue to clean for us and not be found gassed to death in her home.
As for the fridge it's working well; trips to Costco stress the freezer area to hold everything we bring home, but the next size up may not fit in the area of the kitchen it's in - and an automatic ice maker is superfluous as there is no water on that side of the kitchen. Although the main floor guest bathroom is close enough that a line could probably be run from under the bathroom sink through the wall and along inside the base cabinets.... We'll see if we get an extension on our lease next spring before we invest the money on plumbing!
And that brings to mind the need for a whole-house water filtration system. The water in our part of town is rather hard; the sinks and toilets would certainly look better with filtered/softened water to prevent the scale build-up. And Michael could eliminate cleaning the water filter built into the clothes washer from his monthly chores! Without that task, the flow of water into the washer is dramatically slowed and a load of wash takes forever to finish.
Unfortunately we've already told the landlord that we hope to replace the tile counters in the kitchen, so that should be first on our list of projects - right after moving the switches for the backyard lights to the inside of the living/dining rooms. Why go outside and fumble around in the dark for the switches? (We also told them that we would like to replace the fiberglass tub in the master bedroom bath, but it's set in a concrete-and-tile surround, so that may be staying just as it is. Perhaps new coat of fiberglass paint?)
Ah, well; life is good!
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