DAY 45

The carpentry works continue. The cabinets are being installed in stages and bit by bit we are inching towards the finishing line. Some issues have cropped up but they are minor (so far) and we are just watching and enjoying it, seeing things take shape. The handover date is mid-November after a two-week delay due to the rehacking of floor tiles. I think they are on track for this handover date and we intend to move by the end of the first week of December. We've not started to pack properly so that's going to be a headache...

The kitchen counter (island) and drawers (right) before installation. Meanwhile, the La Germania cooker has also arrived (left box).

The drawers will be welcome storage space. The drawers are also soft closing...nice!

The Fujioh cooker hood has also arrived.

The glass display case for our cameras will be placed in this space.

The study.

Another view of the study from the other end.

A wider shot.

This is where the glass door between the living and study will be located.

The master bathroom basin cabinet and mirror cabinet are up!

Mirrored version in the kitchen bathroom.

Not a lot of space in the mirror cabinet.

We bought semi recessed basins to save a bit of space in the cramped bathroom.

Master bathroom and bedroom.

The TV console is currently being stored in Em's room.

Another view.

Another view of the cabinet wall in the living room.

The standing stainless steel cooker.

The kitchen...it's tiny. 😔

This is where the fridge will be placed.

The kitchen is very small and cramped. On the left behind the foreground wall is where the washer and dryer will be placed.

The state of the house after 45 days of work.

DAY 44

Over Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we visited the home several times because the cabinets were moved in on Saturday. It then hit me that the open expanse of the space I'd grown so accustomed to was suddenly gone overnight. I would never see that uninterrupted, wide space again, now that all the fixtures were brought in to be installed. It was an unsettling feeling but at least I had photos to remind me of what it looked like. Things moved along very quickly from this point. We could see the physical transformation. I popped in with the kids on Saturday at around noon and saw the bustling activity with at least four people moving the cabinets around and installing them. The electricians were also there, coordinating with the carpentry guys on where the outlets needed to be made to allow the electrical cables to run. It looked like a massive task and it probably was. This was also the first time we saw our choice of a dark grey laminate for the cabinets up and I was glad we did not choose a black laminate because the grey looked black under dim lighting. The house was suddenly filled with so many structures that I immediately felt a wave of worry overcome me for fear that the house would feel and become so small after all the furniture was put in. But there was no turning back and we needed the cabinets for storage so nothing could be done about that. 

A mass of cabinets were strewn all over the living room.

Workers discussing details.

View from the study side.

Checking for angles with the bubble leveller.

The carpenter discussing with the electrician.

A hand plane wood shaving tool and plenty of wood shavings are found throughout the house.

I found this box of nails organised in this toolbox very interesting. 

I like the clean look and simple lines of the doors, door frames and walls. I have to admit that the oak colour of the wood turned out better than I had expected. 

It's a dark grey laminate, not black. 

Em 'trying out' some of the furniture.

Meg having a closer look.

This piece in the foreground will go up above the piece in the background to become the wall between the study and living rooms.

The TV console.

Doors and gates.

Chaos and commotion in the house. The accused are inanimate objects.

Ta-da! We finally see the 2D drawings materialise into actuality.

Two views of the study room cabinets. The oak portions are for books and if that's not enough, we'll use the bottom storage as well. 

On the right is the panel for the TV which will be mounted on the black 'wall'.

A new view of the living from the study.

A daytime view.

The study is still a good size because the cabinets 'ate into' the living room space, instead of the study.

Em trying out the pocket door.

A close-up of the pocket door. This handle is flushed with the door. You pull it out when you want to close the door.

The pocket door in its 'open' position.

There is also a groove strip which allows one to pull the door open and close. The white is the protective layer which will be removed once everything is ready. Notice the black stains on the edge of the door. I do hope they clean that properly.

Cabinet shelves stored at one corner of the study.

Another view of the console. The strips allow the signals to pass and at the same time hide the TV and audio equipment from view. 

The door stopper that was installed is not the one that our designers showed us. I much prefer their original suggestion. But to change it would mean leaving holes in the wall and door. 

This is the door stopper that our IDs sent us from another project they did.

That's her idea of posing.

The void is where our display shelves will be.

A wider view from the kitchen.

A built up living room.

A general view of the living room.