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ALMOST DAILY VLOG


DAY 7 — A HOUSE THAT FITS THE TERRITORY
Regina understood what worked in Maraú — materials, suppliers, construction methods suited to humid coastal Bahia. From the beginning, the house needed to fit the land. Zoning required 60% permeable ground. Beyond regulation, we wanted to preserve native vegetation. The region is part of an estuary ecosystem — fragile and pressured. Building a sustainable coastal house was not aesthetic. It was technical. Drainage, airflow, soil behavior, rainfall patterns. Within budget and

Nancy Silva
Mar 161 min read


DAY 6 - AND THEN, WATER WON
In my delusions, I wanted a tropical modernist house in Maraú. Flat roof, sharp lines, glass everywhere, perfectly calculated brise-soleils. That clean Pinterest aesthetic — tropical modernist house goals . It felt entirely possible. Until the climate joined the conversation. Here it rains vertically, horizontally, and — at times — metaphysically. Yes, we could have done it. But it wasn’t worth the emotional cost of trusting a heroic gutter system. Against water, we have very

Nancy Silva
Feb 282 min read


Day 5 - A TEMPORARY LIFE IN 36 SQUARE METERS
Cats, chaos and raul: "Try Again"- as Brazilian rock legend Raul Seixas would say. Neni Nenê and Fruki Mozão We were living in 36 square meters. Two cats. One room serving as office, studio, storage, and bedroom. In the effort to stay optimistic, living across from the local bar turned out to be strategic. We built relationships with people who had lived there long before the region became even remotely “trendy.” Those connections brought construction advice and, more importa

Nancy Silva
Feb 281 min read


DAY 4 - BUILDERS, BR-030, AND THE REALITIES OF A CONSTRUCTION SITE IN RURAL BRAZIL
Finding the contractor became a saga. Photo: Reproduced from Carlos Alberto Maier Building in Algodões required someone who understood sandy soil, high humidity, protected vegetation, lateral rain, and the reality of transporting materials via BR-030 — a challenging road that defines logistics in the region. That was how we met Alcinei. He showed us previous projects. When building outside major cities, references matter more than Pinterest. His work was solid and practical.

Nancy Silva
Feb 281 min read


DAY 3 — A PROJECT THAT DIDN’T FIT THE BUDGET
Square meters and reality. We arrived in Maraú with a dream, a full architectural project, and a rented car. In our optimistic timeline, we would move in within a year. The original design had two floors and over 300 square meters. That was when we understood the real cost of building in coastal Bahia. Sandy soil. High groundwater. Difficult logistics. Limited transport. Costs doubling quickly. And as we began living there, it became clear the house was too aggressive for the

Nancy Silva
Feb 281 min read
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